What Does Your Ideal Department Look Like?

Imagine you and I are in a meeting at your office, discussing ways to revamp your department’s staff development program. What would you like your department to look like?

Now imagine you giving me a wide-eyed, open-mouthed look after I ask that question. “Wow, what a concept!” you exclaim. “I never thought about it that way before!”

Sometimes, people are so busy identifying problems that they don’t take the time to visualize solutions. So, today, set aside time to reflect on how the ultimate department would operate.

To get started, complete the following sentences to reflect “the way we do things around here.”

1. Around here, customers are ___________________________.
2. Around here, if you’ve got a problem, the bosses ____________________.
3. Around here, initiative is ____________________________.
4. Around here, loyalty is ___________________________.
5. Around here, you are valued when __________________________.
6. 
Around here, if you are stressed at work, __________________________.
7. Around here, excellence is ____________________________.
8. 
Around here, our professional image looks like _____________________.
9. Around here, customer service looks like _______________________.
10. Around here, teamwork looks like _________________________.
11. Around here, creativity looks like ________________________.
12. Around here, innovation is reinforced by_________________________.

As you work on defining your “perfect department,” don’t hold back. Paint a vivid picture filled with dynamic results and detailed expectations for you and your staff. To transform your organization, department or work group into a more innovative and collaborative entity, you must know what you want that entity to look like.

This activity can be used in variety of ways — from gaining a snapshot of current operations to generating a blueprint for the future.

Filling in the blanks will stimulate meaningful thought processes for you and your staff. That will lead to significant goal-setting, major changes and remarkable improvements.

 (Photo by iStock)