Picture of Success

Total Time: 30 minutes

Necessary Tools: Items for partners to use during the exercise

Pencils or pens and blank paper

Optional Tools: Flip chart or writing board

Note: The room needs to be large enough so that partners or groups are not sitting directly

beside each other. A classroom setting is ideal.

Tell everyone they will be performing an exercise on creative thinking.
Tell everyone to form groups or 3 or 4 members. Have the groups move throughout the
room so they are not too close to each other.
After the groups are in their location, tell them they will have 10 minutes to draw a “group” picture of what Job Success means to them.
Tell everyone they cannot use words, only pictures. Also, they must include everyone’s
ideas into one picture for the group.
Note: If flip chart is available, have groups draw their pictures on flip chart paper.

After 10 minutes, everyone faces the person leading the exercise. Can have everyone
return to their original location, if the room is large and it would be difficult to hear the
exercise leader or others.
A representative from each group shares the group’s picture.

Note: For this Step, if a flip chart or writing board is available, capture this information for

viewing by everyone.

1. After all groups have shared their picture, ask the following general “take away” question: What do these pictures say about the ways we look at Job Success, individually and as a group?

Note: Below are some “take away” examples from the exercise. If the attendees do not

mention these, the exercise leader could mention them.

Job Success can mean different things to different people.
Each person’s view of Job Success is important.
There are sometimes similarities in what we view as Job Success.
Our views of Job Success can be more similar than we think.
It is sometimes possible to find a “common theme” in what we individually view as Job
Success.

How could you use the ideas from this exercise in your personal life or your work life?

1. Change the Success topic discussed to something different (e.g., success at finding a job, success at reaching journey level, success at dealing with a personal issue).
Change the Time or Grouping: The time for this exercise is based on 6 – 10 people. Make
adjustments based on the number of attendees at your meeting. If number of attendees is smaller, you could have them work in pairs (2 people). If the number of attendees is larger, you could increase the size of the group members (e.g., 5 – 6 people).

Adapted from Sisters in the Brotherhood: www.carpenters.org/Sisters