Initiative and Intentness

Welcome to the student worksheet for the interactive discussion on initiative. In this activity, you will explore the concept of taking initiative and how it relates to John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.

Examples:

• Volunteering to lead a group project in class.
• Starting a new club or organization at your school.
• Helping a peer who is struggling with their schoolwork without being asked.
• Researching and proposing a new idea to improve a process in your community.
• Identifying a problem in your neighborhood and taking steps to address it.

Real-World Problems:

• Imagine you are part of a team working on a community service project. How would you take the initiative to ensure the project is successful?
• You notice a sustainability issue in your school where a lot of paper is being wasted. How could you take the initiative to address this issue?

Answers:

Answers will vary for each example and real-world problem. Encourage students to think creatively and critically about how they can demonstrate initiative in different situations.

1. A company is launching a new product and needs a team to come up with a marketing plan. Identify the steps you would take to demonstrate initiative in leading this project.
   Answer: Research target market, develop creative promotional strategies, allocate budget effectively.
2. You are tasked with organizing a charity event to raise funds for a local cause. How would you show intentness in ensuring the success of the event?
   Answer: Set clear goals, create a detailed plan, monitor progress regularly.
3. Imagine you are part of a team working on a project that is falling behind schedule. How would you demonstrate initiative to get the project back on track?
   Answer: Identify bottlenecks, propose solutions, offer to take on additional tasks to catch up.
4. You are leading a group project where team members are lacking motivation. How can you show intentness in inspiring and motivating them to perform better?
   Answer: Provide positive feedback, set achievable targets, lead by example.
5. You are a student with a goal of improving your grades. What steps could you take to demonstrate initiative and intentness in achieving this goal?
   Answer: Create a study schedule, seek help from teachers or tutors, track progress and make adjustments as needed.
6. You are starting a small business and need to attract customers. How would you demonstrate initiative and intentness in developing a marketing strategy?
   Answer: Conduct market research, create a unique selling proposition, implement a targeted advertising campaign.
7. You are part of a sports team that is struggling to win games. How can you show initiative and intentness in helping the team improve their performance?
   Answer: Analyze game footage for areas of improvement, organize extra practice sessions, encourage team members to stay focused and motivated.
8. You are a volunteer at a local shelter and want to increase donations. What actions can you take to demonstrate initiative and intentness in this endeavor?
   Answer: Organize fundraising events, create awareness through social media campaigns, build relationships with potential donors.
9. You are a team leader on a community project with limited resources. How would you demonstrate initiative and intentness in maximizing the impact of the project?
   Answer: Allocate resources efficiently, seek partnerships with other organizations, involve community members in decision-making.
10. You are a student preparing for a major exam. How can you demonstrate initiative and intentness in your study approach to ensure success?
    Answer: Develop a study plan with specific goals, use different study techniques to enhance learning, seek feedback from teachers or peers.

1. Begin the interactive discussion by asking the students to define what initiative means to them.
2. Encourage students to share examples of times when they have shown initiative in their own lives.
3. Present scenarios or case studies related to John Wooden's Pyramid of Success that require students to think critically about how initiative can be applied.
4. Facilitate a group discussion where students can brainstorm ways to demonstrate initiative in various aspects of their lives such as academics, sports, or personal goals.
5. Provide feedback and guidance to students as they discuss and analyze the importance of initiative in achieving success.
6. Encourage students to reflect on how they can incorporate the concept of initiative into their daily routines and set specific goals to improve their own levels of initiative.
7. Summarize the key points of the discussion and encourage students to continue thinking about how they can cultivate initiative in their lives beyond the classroom.

• Game 1: "Initiative Relay"
  Instructions:
  • Divide the students into teams.
  • Set up a relay race course with various obstacles or challenges.
  • Each team member must complete a task that requires taking initiative before passing the baton to the next team member.
  • The team that finishes the relay race first, showing the most initiative, wins the game.
• Game 2: "Intentness Charades"
  Instructions:
  • Write down phrases related to intentness on separate pieces of paper and put them in a bowl.
  • One student picks a phrase from the bowl and acts it out without speaking, while the others guess what phrase it is.
  • The student who guesses correctly gets a point, and the one with the most points at the end wins the game.
• Game 3: "Initiative Scavenger Hunt"
  Instructions:
  • Create a list of items or tasks that require initiative to complete.
  • Give each student or team a copy of the list and set a time limit.
  • Students must find and complete as many items on the list as they can within the time frame.
  • The student or team with the most items completed, demonstrating initiative, wins the scavenger hunt.