This document outlines a lesson plan on leadership. The aims are to introduce students to the concept of leadership and its importance in different situations. Students will participate in leadership exercises as both leaders and group members. They will provide feedback by observing other leaders. The lesson consists of students working in small groups on various activities, with one student designated as the leader for each. Leaders must explain the activity and ensure it is completed on time. Students will discuss leadership characteristics and evaluate their own leadership potential. The goal is for students to learn about leadership through practical experiences.

1. christopher baker
www.musicstudentinfo.com
freelance musician & enterprise
leadership

2. Lesson Aims
• To introduce the concept of leadership to students
• To introduce the importance of leadership in various
situations

3. Lesson Outcomes
• All students will know what is meant by leadership in
a variety of situations.
• They will have taken part in leadership exercises both
as a leader and as part of the group.
• Most students will also have had the opportunity to
be an observer and have commented on the
leadership of others.
• Some students will also have had the opportunity to
evaluate their own leadership potential.

4. Starter 5mins
Think about leadership.
For example:
“Learning and Leadership are indispensible to each
other”. (John F. Kennedy)
“The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very
easy to say yes”. (Tony Blair)
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a
follower”. (Steve Jobs, CEO and founder of Apple Inc.)

5. Starter 5mins
• Students
• What makes a leader?
• What are three characteristics of a leader?
• Share your thoughts with a neighbor and compare
answers.

6. Be prepared to lead a group!
• Work in small groups.
• During each activity, one person will be the leader
another will be an observer who will give feedback.
• Allow three minutes in each session to give feedback.
• Each leadership task should only last seven to 10
minutes.
• The activities will mainly be discussions among the
group which have to solve a problem or lead to later
activities.

7. Be prepared to lead a group!
• Each leadership activity is in a separate envelope and
you will not see it until it is your turn to lead.
• The leader for each task will have to explain the
activity to the group – the rest of the group cannot
read the activity.
• The leader is responsible for making sure the group
stays within the time limit and completes the tasks.

8. Activity
• Divide into groups of four and each group to sit on
one of the tables.
• Then move from table to table completing the
activities in the envelope.
• There are time limits and to choose a leader who
must read out the task to the rest of the group.
• After each time slot, the groups must move to the
next table.

9. LEADERSHIP ACTIVITY
• Work around each of the FOUR Leadership
Activities

10. PLENARY
(This is an on-going activity in the feedback and
discussions with the observers)

11. Extension/Home learning
Students to carry out the following activities:
a) Answer the questions: How much of a leader are they?
Do they want to be more of a leader? What
will they do to improve their leadership qualities?
b) Look at the teamwork section of the Merrill Lynch
principles and decide which of these need
leadership qualities as well as team qualities.
PTO for activities

12. Leadership activity 1
The group is lost on the moors during a night walk. The
leader must make sure that the group is safe for the
night and that they have a plan to get them back to
base in the morning. Lead the group through a
discussion about what needs to be done to make this
happen. The group is quite well equipped with a tent
and sleeping bags. They have only the food they are all
carrying.

13. Leadership activity 2
The group has thought of an idea for a new product.
The product is a new electric kettle that uses half the
energy of the older design. The leader wants the group
to come up with a new name and logo for the kettle
which has to fit with the name of the company which is
“We Boil for You”. If there is time the leader will ask the
group to start thinking about how they can advertise
the kettle.

14. Leadership activity 3
The group has to transport a vital component for a
scanner to a hospital 300 miles away. It is a very fragile
item which will need careful handling and packing. The
leader has to lead the group in a discussion to decide how
the item will be packed and how it will be transported to
the hospital. The leader will need to use the discussion to
find out the skill levels of each person so that they can
decide who will carry out which parts of the task. By the
end of the discussion the leader will have decided a
method of packing and transporting the item. They will
tell the group which part they will be carrying out and
how the whole idea fits together.

15. Leadership activity 4
The group has to organize a party for eight children
aged 4 -5 years old in a nursery. The leader will lead the
group in a discussion of what they need to do for the
party to be a success. By the end of the discussion the
leader will have assessed the different skills of the
people involved and be able to tell the group what will
happen at the party, and what each person in the group
will be doing at the time of the party.