- Select someone to (or you) be Simon (just for fun, you might change the name from Simon to your CEO's name). Everyone else stands facing him/her/you.
- Simon calls out simple commands.
- If the command begins with "Simon says..." the participant must NOT obey, or they are eliminated from play.
- If the command does not begin with "Simon says..." participants MUST obey the command, or they are eliminated from play.
- Simon tries to eliminate everyone from play.
- Repeat with a new Simon, if time allows.
- "Lift one foot." (Everyone should do it.)
- "Simon says scratch your eyebrow." (No one does it.)
- "Touch your nose." (Everyone does it.)
- "Raise your right hand." (Everyone does it.)
Debrief:
- How did it feel to play this game backwards? (Confusing, harder to concentrate, took more time to react since it was opposite of what I knew...)
- How is this activity like changes our team experiences day-to-day? (We get comfortable/think we know the "rules", then the rules change...)
- What rules/policies/procedures have we turned upside down here lately? What's helped us get through those changes successfully (what do we need to keep doing through change)?
- How did you feel when you were eliminated? (Defeated, angry with myself for messing up, glad to have the pressure off, etc.)
- How hard was it for Simon to give directions differently? How does this compare to a manager caught up in change at work? (It may be just as hard for him or her to adjust as the rest of us, he/she may be resistant, he/she may make mistakes, etc.)
- What do you need me (your manager) to do to more clearly communicate change(s)?
- What other thoughts do you have about how this activity?
Optional Twist (especially effective if members of the team report to more than one person or work on cross-functional teams):
- Have two Simon's up there alternating commands with or without "Simon Says...", working together to eliminate participants. How did listening to two people give commands affect the staying power of the participants?
SHINE ON!
