Leadership isn’t just about giving direction—it’s about inspiring, connecting, and building a team that trusts and supports each other. That’s why leadership team building activities are more than just icebreakers or away-day games. When done well, they help shape the foundation of strong leadership through trust, communication, and a shared vision.
Whether you’re working with senior execs or nurturing emerging managers, the right team building activities for leadership skills can help bring out the best in everyone. In this post, we’ve pulled together 10 impactful ideas to help your leadership teams grow stronger, together.
Good leaders never stop learning, and neither should their teams. But learning doesn’t always come from seminars or PowerPoint decks. Sometimes, it’s those leadership teamwork activities—the ones that seem simple on the surface—that teach the biggest lessons.
From handling pressure to communicating clearly and learning to trust others, these experiences offer valuable takeaways. They also give leaders a chance to reflect, reset and reframe their role within the wider team.
Split into pairs. One person is blindfolded, the other must guide them through a basic obstacle course using only verbal instructions. This classic leadership team building activity encourages trust, sharpens communication, and highlights the importance of clarity under pressure.
Each team gets spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow. The task? Build the tallest free-standing tower with the marshmallow on top. It’s a fun but surprisingly strategic task that reveals how leaders delegate, innovate and adapt.
Pose a hypothetical leadership crisis (e.g., a product recall or internal conflict) and ask teams to come up with a strategy. These leadership team building ideas are brilliant for role-playing real-world decisions in a safe space.
Use a simplified version of personality profiling (like colours or four basic types) and have leaders group by type. Discuss how each style leads, communicates, and collaborates. Great for building empathy and emotional intelligence.
Group members must solve a problem together—without speaking. They can write, draw, or use gestures. It’s tougher than it sounds, but excellent for showing the importance of active listening and shared understanding.
Set up or hire a mobile escape room experience. This isn’t just fun—it’s one of the best team building activities for leadership skills. It demands collaboration, delegation, and creative problem-solving under time pressure. In our humble opinion, leadership team building activities don’t come much better than this!
Pair leaders up and give them a discussion topic to walk and talk about—no phones, no interruptions. The change of scene and pace opens up honest conversation and fresh thinking.
Each person writes a letter to themselves about the kind of leader they want to be remembered as. Sharing these opens the door for emotional honesty and alignment on leadership values.
Break into small groups and do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) on your team’s leadership style. These leadership team building activities can reveal blind spots and inspire a fresh perspective.
Ask each leader to share a moment they’re proud of and what they learned from it. Hearing real, vulnerable stories creates connection and allows others to see different paths to leadership success.
Not all team building needs to happen in a conference room. You can adapt most of these leadership teamwork activities to suit your event style—whether that’s a formal training day, a remote session, or a more casual leadership retreat.
You could even host some of them in your office or garden. And if you need to kit out a space quickly with furniture or catering equipment, Event Hire UK can help with flexible, short term rentals. Whether you’re hosting a breakout session or a full day of activities, we’ve got chairs, tables, hot beverage stations, and everything in between—delivered nationwide.
Part of making your event engaging is creating a space that encourages people to relax and focus. Think comfortable seating, modular breakout zones, or even barista stations to keep the energy up.
Renting from Event Hire UK means you’re not buying loads of furniture for a one-off event—you’re hiring exactly what you need, when you need it. That’s ideal for short-term leadership events where quality and flexibility are key. Plus, it’s a more sustainable choice, cutting down on waste and unnecessary purchases.
At the heart of it, great leadership is built on shared experience. The more connected your leaders feel—to themselves and each other—the more effective they’ll be across your organisation.
Whether you’re developing a new management team or refining an established one, the right leadership team building activities can be transformational. They help your people step outside of their roles, see each other differently, and learn in a way that feels real.
And when you need a helping hand to create the perfect space for those moments to happen—remember, Event Hire UK has your back. From comfy chairs to complete catering setups, we’re your partner in bringing leadership events to life.
