STRENGTHS-BASED TEAMWORK: FOCUS ON THE GOOD
Strengths-Based Teamwork aims to enhance your team's communication, cooperation, and productivity. This content provides a thorough introduction to the strengths-based approach for your team.
Learning Objectives for this workshop and the recommended follow-up:
- Better communication and understanding of your teammates. Grace will be given where misunderstanding and aggravation previously dominated. "Strengths" language will be part of the daily conversation if the follow up is accepted.
- Develop and execute a plan to utilize strengths-based teamwork to energize your culture. Culture is who you are as a company. It is who the community sees you as and the words your customers use to describe you.
- Reduce employee turnover by applying the principles of the CliftonStrengths assessment. As teammates become engaged and foster strengths-based partnerships, their reports of satisfaction will SOAR.
- Increase your team’s productivity through the application of strengths-based professional development. Having a strengths-based team increased productivity by 8.9%; therefore for every 12 employees, you get the work of 13! Efficiency improves, as does collaboration.
- Improve employee engagement and overall morale. Your team will start saying they love to come to work and love the company and leader for which they work.
TRANSFORM YOUR STRENGTHS FROM RAW TO MATURE
*Strengths-Based Teamwork is a prerequisite for this class.
Raw vs. Mature is the developmental journey of each talent theme. This can be considered a continuum of personal growth that promotes improved awareness and self- expression. Teammates cannot be expected to be strong leaders until they have experienced self-awareness and have learned to mature the role that each strength plays in their ability to fully contribute to the team. In its raw form, the talent is like a diamond in the rough; valuable, but under-appreciated and its true worth is not apparent. Once the participant is made aware of the intention of their gifts, and begins to use it for the good of the team and humanity vs. for preservation of their own ego, transformation occurs both personally and in the organization. Listening to teammates’ description of the “raw” side of their strengths leads to compassion and improved open communication.
This lesson includes a self-assessment and several examples of the raw and mature sides of each strength, which will encourage each teammate to invest more in their innate talents. This class tends to be fun, enlightening, and also convicting, as participants realize that just learning about their top five gifts does not mean they are using them for their highest good or the good of their team.
Learning Objectives for this class:
• Assess yourself on how you’re building your gifts into strengths.
• Recognize how raw talents can contribute to problems in the work environment as well as personally at home or in the community.
• Come up with a customized action plan for professional development.
• Become aware of how underdeveloped talents can appear self-serving and egotistical. Become aware of how mature strengths are easily translated into being beneficial for the entire team.
• Understand how having strengths with similar “raw” descriptions can set one up for considerable problems if not acknowledged and addressed.
Lesson for the Leader: Leaders will have an understanding that the highest level of performance will be available when each team member is willing to turn a mirror on himself and recognize when their “raw” strength is self-serving and how to refine that strength into its “mature” state for the good of advancing the team.
STAY IN THE BALCONY OF YOUR STRENGTHS, REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES
*Strengths-Based Teamwork is a prerequisite for this class.
With the Balcony vs. Basement lesson, we will foster participation from the entire group about learning the best and worst parts of each strength. Balcony vs. Basement is a quick snapshot and reflection of someone’s current state of well-being. Attendees will learn ways to improve their situational awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, and understanding of each other. Each strength has a “balcony”, which is when it is being used in its most optimal way for the good of the team. When teammates are stressed, hungry, angry, or tired, they can slip into their “basement”, which is an overuse of their strengths. Most fail to realize that even a gift can be harmful when overactive or overused. Participants are taught to “dial up” certain strengths to meet the demands of a group task or complete an assignment that can be perceived as stressful, while remaining in the “balcony” of that strength.
Learning Objectives for this class:
• Be able to recognize signs and symptoms of burnout in the workplace.
• Be able to recognize ways to show empathy to your teammates.
• Be able to articulate your emotions in healthier ways with your teammates.
LEADERSHIP: EVERYONE LEADS SOMEONE
Everyone talks about leadership; few truly understand it. Most people desire to cultivate a high capacity for it; few actually do. Growing an awareness of leadership isn’t only for the one with the “title”. Cultivating leadership for every person in your organization is vital to having a culture of influential members from the office to the cafeteria to the library and finally to the classrooms. This class provides self-assessments, reflection questions, and an overview about why influence is foundational to your leadership. Developing your influence to become the leader you have the potential to be will change everything for you. It will add to your effectiveness, subtract from your weaknesses, divide your workload, and multiply your impact.
Expect big shifts when every person on your team recognizes his/her ability to lead up to superiors and down to students as well as leading across to teammates. When a school has an entire team of members who recognize that they are leaders and take ownership, dynamic shift occur in the culture of the school.
Learning Objectives:
Learn 4 myths about leadership.
Discover 3 of the most important insights about leadership.
Discuss the 5 levels of leadership.
Understand the principles of a 360 Degree Leader.
GOOD LEADERS COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT
Most people will agree that communication is vital for a good workplace environment. Just going to school every day lends itself to moments of communication, but one must be intentional to actually CONNECT. Communication is always enhanced by connection. Connecting increases your influence in every situation. Connection goes beyond words and requires energy. Connecting is more skill than natural talent; therefore it can be learned, as long as the focus is always on others. In this class, we will explore ways to enhance connection and pay attention to the many facets of communication that are often overlooked.
GROWTH MINDSET: KEEP LEARNING TO KEEP LEADING
To grow as a leader, you have to be intentional. This means learning to invest in yourself, be a continual learner and strive to be in the "challenge zone". Coasting and/or being comfortable are the antagonist of a growth environment. Is your team goal oriented or growth oriented? Do they have “Destination disease, feeling like they’ve arrived”. Help them realize that leaders set long-term goals that are growth-oriented vs. destination oriented. Build a team of leaders!
In this class we will learn:
The importance of investing in yourself first.
Learn to be a continual learner.
Learn to create a growth environment for the people you lead.
Learn the ten keys to continual growth.
BECOMING THE PERSON OTHERS WILL WANT TO FOLLOW
Everything rises and falls on leadership; churches, schools, families - everything! Understanding leadership and actually leading are very different activities. The key to transforming yourself from someone who understands leadership to a person who successfully leads in the world is character. Leaders possess 21 qualities that can enhance leadership or stand in the way of success. Becoming the leader you want to be on the inside allows you to become the leader you want to be on the outside.
In this class we will learn:
3 key qualities that are imperative for good leadership.
Discover 21 qualities of a leader which are indisputable.
Discuss how to become a person others will want to follow.
Take a personal assessment to discover leadership qualities
Creating a Positive Team
Melanie Massey and her team will facilitate a professional development workshop lightly based on Jon Gordon’s book, “The Power of a Positive Team” as well as sprinkled with lessons from John Maxwell around self leadership, teamwork, and the importance of a good attitude. In this workshop, your staff will learn about the importance of a positive work environment ,and how each individual contributes to an uplifting and encouraging team culture. One of the features of this workshop is the collaborative art project that encourages working together creatively. This has historically been a favorite among principals and school staff.
Discuss research on the keys to building a great team.
Give examples of our unique team building experiences at Melanie Massey Physical
Therapy, Inc.
Provide a framework for empowering your team to work together more effectively.
Share best practices for promoting accountability and achieving superior results.
Vote on 3 of the primary characteristics of your team’s culture.
Discover team building exercises for transforming negativity and building trust.
Talk through practical ways to have difficult conversations.
Administer the Positive Teammate self-assessment.
This course includes a collaborative art project. Your team will work together to create a large piece of artwork that can be proudly displayed in your school. Each canvas can be customized with the school name, slogan, or phrase of your choice.
HOW TO THRIVE AT WORK
We all want to thrive in the workplace. We all want to be motivated, inspired, and engaged in our work. It is every person’s desire to feel like we are making a difference and contributing to something larger than ourselves. But sometimes it can be difficult to maintain that sense of fulfillment, especially when work demands are high and stress levels are rising. This is why it is so important to find ways to support our wellbeing in the workplace. When we are thriving, we are more productive, creative, and effective. We are also more likely to feel satisfied with our work and have a positive impact on those around us.
This workshop will give your team the space and time to have some intentional conversations about thriving at work instead of just surviving. With the initial presentation, we will discuss the 10 areas that are crucial for each teammate to thrive within the workplace. Your staff will then have the opportunity to identify the areas where they are currently thriving and also areas that could use some improvement.
Participants in this course will:
Discuss the 10 areas required to thrive at work.
Evaluate the areas where you are currently thriving.
Identify which areas need improvement.
Discuss practical steps to take action personally and as a team.
DISCOVERING YOUR CORE VALUES
Whether you are aware of it or not, your core values impact everything you do daily. Your core values are the driving force of why your organization exists, and these core values can be like a North Star for the best actions and choices of the team. Your team’s brand is how you are known, and your team’s culture is how you live. Identifying, defining, and implementing your team's core values will influence both!
Participants in this course will:
• Be able to systematically identify the top five core values of your team.
• Guide the team to a stable foundation through learning the principles of value-based leadership.
• Study practical strategies for implementation so the team can cohesively buy into the core values and genuinely be strengthened.
REIGNITE YOUR PASSION
Find your passion and use it to drive your life forward. Most teachers entered the education field due to a strong passion to help children. They were passionate about teaching, mentoring, and promoting growth in their students. In this class, we will discuss 3 things that passion always trumps…those are talent, opportunity, and knowledge. We will also help you discover your personal core values and recognize ways to incorporate them into your classroom, leading to a more fulfilling career.
This lesson will include an activity and art project.
BECOMING A TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL
During this 90 minute training, we will discuss the importance of establishing a connecting relationship with children who have experienced trauma. Trauma is perception, therefore it is how the child's past experiences may be perceived as traumatic to them. Trauma might be described as anything that may have contributed adversely to the child, such as early harm, toxic stress, medical interventions, unstable home life, and/or foster/ adoption. Perceived trauma can be attributed to the child's lack of trust in adults. These children are vulnerable to behavioral outbursts, total emotional/ relational shut down and are likely to exhibit struggles in academics. Staff will learn to see the "whole child", particularly how their history of trauma likely contributed to their brains bringing in information in a skewed format and their need for self-preservation as evidenced by their behaviors. Similarly, they have abnormal belief systems of which staff needs to be aware. There will be discussion around tools and techniques which can be used in the classroom to promote a calmer nervous system and more organized brain and body. Staff will realize that all kids benefit from a nurturing, trusting relationship with a safe adult. Connection is a precursor to correction. This course will educate school staff on how to be that safe adult for these kids.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the various sources of trauma.
Recognize the difference between willful disobedience and traumatic response.
Understand the importance of connection before correction.
Learn what it means to be a “safe adult”.
Immediate strategies to implement in the classroom.
TRAUMA 2.0: A SENSORY-BASED APPROACH
Sensory Seeking and sensory avoiding behaviors are two very different things. When staff is educated to understand the difference, as well as the best ways to identify, quickly deescalate, and move to appropriate intervention, behaviors can be “cut off at the pass”, before the disruption affects the entire class. The information provided in this course has been curated by occupational and physical therapists, specifically with the school staff in mind.
It is designed to educate the school staff in three key areas.
First, the staff will understand more about the sensory system in general. They will, as previously mentioned, learn what it means to have a child seeking sensory input vs avoiding it.
Second, the educators and support staff will be taught the effects of trauma/body/ brain dysregulation as it is demonstrated in fight, flight, and freeze responses. Kids will either act out with aggressive/ physical behaviors, running and constant movement and not being able to stay in their seats, or complete withdrawal socially and emotionally to protect themselves. These are not necessarily “bad” behaviors, but they can definitely be disruptive in the classroom. When staff is able to recognize the behavior as a coping mechanism, and identify which one the child is exhibiting, she can better formulate an appropriate plan for remedying the unwanted behavior.
And finally, with regards to coping mechanisms, the instructor of this course will give the staff members strategies to create a specific sensory diet to specifically help diminish, and hopefully eradicate, the unwanted behaviors. Sensory input is not one size fits all. Jumping on a mini tramp or doing five jumping jacks might help one kid, but for another, it might actually escalate the situation. The leader of this class will give tools for dealing with behaviors from minor to totally disruptive and provide ideas for intervention in the classroom, in the sensory room (should your school be so lucky as to have one), on the playground and in rooms created to be a quiet escape for calming.