Intentional leadership

Frank Heckman’s ‘leader-follower exercise’ about following and leading: effective non-verbal communication, experiencing the other’s intention, consciously or subconsciously.

Follower-Leader exercise:

• Form pairs and both hold out your hand with the palm facing down.
• Be and remain silent during the exercise.
• As leader, place your hand under your partner’s hand, in such a way that they touch only very lightly.
• As follower,
  • rest your fingertips lightly on the back of the leader’s hand;
  • close your eyes.
• As leader,
  • stay where you are;
  • intend to get your partner to follow;
  • gently start to move your hand—high, low, far, close, round, straight.
• Switch roles and repeat: the follower becomes the leader and vice versa; repeat the exercise.
• Discuss the exercise: what’s interesting about it?
• Make a bit more challenging, and repeat:
  • slowly walk through the room, in addition to moving your hands;
  • stick to the movement of high, low, far, close, round and straight.
• Switch roles and repeat.
• Discuss what happened to you (unless it was too intense an experience for you, then call in professional help or something):
  • Were you aware of the effect of your intentions (direction, speed, commitment) on your partner?
  • What is it like to lead or to follow?
  • What do you prefer, to lead or to follow?
  • What is an essential precondition for this to work? (hint: a safe space that fosters trust)

Source

• Chapter 3, Fellowship, from Flow on Stage—The Art of Sustainable Performance by Frank Heckman.