On Friday, October 6, 2017, the staff of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) gathered in the Heibert Lounge located on the Boston University Medical Campus. This was a change in venue for Staff Day of Learning, as last year’s event had the staff out of the School on Thompson Island for an Outward Bound teambuilding program. Keynote speaker Jason Young facilitated the session, delivering presentations paired with breakout sessions and games to keep the audience involved.
Jason Young began his career with Southwest Airlines, where he served for 10 years as a senior-level manager. He has since moved into consulting and has spoken to many Fortune 500 companies such as Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Tyson Foods.
The morning began with a light breakfast provided by Catering on the Charles, the catering service from the Charles River campus of Boston University. Once everyone had been seated, Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter welcomed everyone to the Staff Day of Learning. Although he had been greeting everyone while they entered the Hiebert Lounge, he took this time to formally welcome the staff to this 2nd Annual Day of Learning, and welcome Mr. Young to our campus and thank him for facilitating this Day of Learning. Dean Hutter took this time to update the staff as the state of the Addition and Renovation Capital Project, as the previous evening it had been approved by the city. He also showed the newly produced virtual reality video that gives viewers a life-like tour of the new School.
Jason Young then spent the remainder of the morning session, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., breaking down the main tenants of “Servicetopia”; the five key behaviors that define the ultimate customer service experience – purpose, passion, professional, process, and pizzazz.
After lunch, the group reconvened and participated in a team activity. Each table was given a deck of cards with certain clues and riddles. No one could show their cards, and nothing could be written, but the group was instructed to use their clues to tell the story and deduce two answers. While many different tactics were used and nearly all the teams succeeded, the first team to complete the task was comprised of staff members from communications, alumni relations, events, and the registrar’s office.
The last two sessions of the day were Team Smart: Creating Teams that Succeed Together; and People Smart: The New Diversity. Team Smart identifies ways to strengthen and motivate a team and team members to create the best work environment possible. People smart discusses the different generational dynamics in the workplace, and how we can all learn to work and communicate better based on our behavioral dispositions.
Everyone in attendance was provided with a goody bag filled with a Servicetopia book, a stress-relieving bendy toy, notebook and pen, and “1 BU” branded pamphlet. Following the Day of Learning, a reception was held in the cafeteria at 100 E. Newton Street, hosted by the Dean’s Office.
“I would like to thank Tim McDonough and Patrice Freeman-Lau for their efforts in organizing another excellent Staff Day of Learning,” said Dean Hutter. “Staff development is crucial to the growth and success of GSDM, and the Staff Day of Learning is an excellent way to ensure our staff are engaged and educated on the latest trends in our industry.”