“What would happen if we actually study what is right with people?”

-Dr. Donald Clifton

The Wolf School is involved in an intensive yearlong strategic planning process. There are focus groups and surveys and feedback sessions and brainstorming. There are interviews and planning teams and big ideas and goal setting.

But most importantly, in the midst of all this work, we are finding our strengths.

Thanks to the guidance and wisdom of consultants Jen Hetzel Silbert and Tony Silbert, our entire staff and Board took the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to help discover and describe our talents. The idea behind this work is that people have more potential for growth when they invest in developing their strengths instead of trying to fix their deficiencies.

Everyone who took the test received five top talents that Jen and Tony then graphed to give us a sense of our overall group strengths. Here’s how our staff looks:

At first glance, you can tell that we have a lot of relationship builders! What a great thing this is, given the importance of developing trust and connection with our students and families. But further exploration led to a discussion about individual similarities and difference, and ways we can complement each other in our work. By leading with our strengths we are also in a better position to assess and improve our school.

With input from a wide range of constituents, a clearer sense of strategic direction, and a focus on what we do best, it’s time to roll up our sleeves. We are now ready to tackle organizational assessment and Board development, determining what we need to support our growth.

Soon we will have a strategic planning document that outlines our direction over the next three years. It will provide us with goals, strategies, and milestones we hope to achieve. And it will help lead us into the future, growing stronger.