- The Marshmallow Challenge
Ok, so I know the point of this blog entry is to write down my experience up till this point, but I really want to talk about something that has been on my mind since Day 2 of this program. Before we departed to Delaware, a teamwork exercise was conducted titled: The Marshmallow Challenge. We were required to build the tallest building using spaghetti sticks (My team won but that’s not the point). After the project we were asked to reflect upon our experience by asking ourselves questions such as: Why did we fail? Or how can we build a higher tower? My focus was on the spaghetti sticks at the base of the marshmallow tower we built. I felt those were the catalysts to our success.
Too often, we see leaders of different institutions in the Middle East region at the top of the Pyramid/tower, etc, while those institutions are run by the Spaghetti sticks in the bottom of the Pyramid/tower. But wait, are those just spaghetti sticks? And what makes them more efficient or stronger than other spaghetti sticks? While I was asking myself these questions I realized that I was comparing successful Civic Engagement organizations in the US with the organic ones in the Arab world and particularly in Qatar. I could not reach an answer to my questions yet. Whenever I try to find an answer I end up with more questions.
The first reflection I came up with at the Marshmallow Challenge is the spaghetti sticks at the bottom are the true leaders of the successful structure. If the base is solid, the rest should be ok right? Wrong! Our team used a plastic bag to hold our marshmallow tower half way through. Without that plastic bag we would have never made it to the top. So it’s not just the base of an organization that decides if it’s strong enough to continue growing. We might see organizations with strong spaghetti sticks and bad plastic bags that mess things up along the way, right?
The solution to my problem was addressed in a seminar by Dr. Tracy and Ms. Rachel a week and a half ago. They explained to us a successful leader should be able to show some experience and enthusiasm in tasks he/she assigns to the team members in an organization. In other words, “Leadership is not about assigning people with tasks you are not willing to do by yourself”.
To conclude, my answer is tentative and will always be subject to future changes. One thing for sure is that we are not here to become just spaghetti sticks. We’re here to become strong spaghetti sticks, flexible plastic bags and finally chewy Marshmallows.
- Team Building Exercises on Laird Campus, UD
–Shabeb