Higher Education Institution Success Case

The introduction of the CliftonStrengths-based Team Building Workshops and the High Performing Team program was spearheaded by Dr. Leeann Waddington, Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning at Kwantlen Polytechnical University, British Columbia.  Dr. Waddington first participated in a CliftonStrengths-based Leadership Workshop, facilitated by PeerSpectives Consulting Company, while attending the Colleges and Institutes of Canada, Deans and Directors Institute, offered in Whistler June 2022.  After her experience participating in the leadership workshop, Dr. Waddington decided to introduce CliftonStrengths to her team in the Teaching and Learning Commons, at Kwantlen Polytechnical University (KPU).

The Teaching and Learning Commons (T & L) provides the needed supports to fulfill the KPU Vision for Teaching Excellence and Innovation at KPU.  In the illustration, the pillars represent the scope of the TL Commons services, and include the values of the division.

The T & L division is made up of three teams, led by three Team Leads. 

• Nishan Perera, Director, Learning Technologies and Educational Development is the Team Leader of the Strategists Team.
• Mustafa Mohammed, Manager, Learning Technology Systems Operations, Team Leaders of the Analysts Team. 
• Sarah Dunn, Divisional Business Manager, is the Team Leader of the Administration Team.

The CliftonStrengths-based Team Building program was facilitated by Louann McCurdy and Stephanie Koonar, Co-Founders of PeerSpectives Consulting. Both Louann and Stephanie are Gallup-Certified Strengths Coaches.  The program kicked off in March 2023 with the in person “Introduction to CliftonStrengths” workshop for the team of 20 people.

Understanding the Strengths of one’s self and the Strengths of others on the team is the foundation of the “Introduction to Strengths” Workshop. Participants take the Gallup CliftonStrengths online assessment prior to attending the session.

At the 3-hour workshop participants learn more about their Top 5 Strengths and the Strengths of their team members. In addition, the team review and discuss their Strengths as a team, as portrayed on the Team Grid.

Dr. Waddington wished to further embed the Strength-based culture, to build on the knowledge gained in the “Introduction to CliftonStrengths” workshop. The 12-month High Performing Team (HPT)  Program, facilitated by PeerSpectives Consulting, provided additional opportunities to deepen the learnings and allowed for the introduction of 4 new habits of high performing teams.

The HPT program included in-person workshops held at the Surrey campus and the introduction to a learning management system called the e2grow learning platform, providing learning activities and resources to be “dripped out” over time to participants. Plus individualized executive coaching sessions with the Team Leads were added. 

Each participant was enrolled in the learning platform, which was accessible via laptop and mobile phone. The platform provided a place for the Team Leads to access all of the team members’ Strengths profiles in one place, and included scheduled online learning activities and resources to help participants fully understand their Strengths.  

Working with the PeerSpectives Consultants, the Team Leads set the following goals for the program for their team members: 

• To raise self-awareness and be more conscious of our own behaviour
• To bring our best self to work every day and use our talents effectively
• To assess and continuously improve our teamwork
• To increase trust between team members
• To have more frictionless collaboration
• To be more productive and focused
• To have a team that really supports each other and celebrates success

Next, the three Team Leads were asked to select a motivating visual that represented their teams:

Nishan Perera, Team Leader of the Strategists Team selected the mountain climbers.

Mustafa Mohammed, Team Leader of the Analysts Team, selected the pit crew.

Sarah Dunn, Team Leader of the Administration Team selected the Power Rangers.

PeerSpectives Consultants led the participants in discussion about what great teams have in common and introduced two habits of high performers, the weekly Aim and Reflect Habits.  

The focus was on recognizing the Strengths and contributions of team members. The habit of giving recognition or High 5’s was introduced. Each team member left the workshop with a poster of recognition that they had received from other team members.  In addition, attendees participated in having CoffeeSync alignment conversations to talk about what they each bring and how they could support each other better. 

A team BBQ allowed for a celebration of all the milestones achieved during the CliftonStrengths-based learning journey.

Surveys were distributed to the participants to gather their feedback. During the workshops, the Team demonstrated a sense of common purpose, and each member was willing to work toward achieving program objectives. Participants were engaged, phones were down, and there was a sense of comradery.  Respect was shown for other points of view. Differences of opinion were encouraged and freely expressed. All interaction among team members occurred in a comfortable, supportive, fun atmosphere.

At the conclusion of the program, participants were asked whether the High Performing Team Program helped them to achieve any of the program goals. Here are the results:

100%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• bring their best self to work every day and use their talents effectively  
• assess and continuously improve our teamwork

86%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• raise self-awareness and be more conscious of their own behaviour

79%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• have a team that really supports each other and celebrates success

71%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• be more productive and focused

64%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• increase trust between team members

57.1%
agreed that the program helped them to:

• have more frictionless collaboration

Participants were also asked about the impact of the new habits that were introduced of High Performing Teams. Here are the results:

57%
agreed that
the AIM Habit had a positive impact on their personal well-being and performance.

86%
agreed that
the REFLECT Habit had a positive impact on their personal well-being and performance.

57%
agreed that
the High 5 Habit had a positive impact on their personal well-being and performance.

79%
agreed that
the CoffeeSync Habit had a positive impact on their personal well-being and performance.

Leeann Waddington Associate Vice President, Teaching and Learning 

“The team gatherings were impactful and build solid connection through dialogue. Loved the prompting within the app to connect with team members making this an intentional priority.”

“I liked having the aim and reflect to “bookend” my week: helped keep me on track and think about specific strengths, and attitudes would be needed to accomplish everything. It was interesting to think about specific behaviours to  lean into and which to avoid – sometimes I had to think more about intentionality and purpose in the specific behaviours” – Daniel

“I especially benefited from the in person sessions. I had a hard time executing tasks outside of that. I can’t emphasize how much I enjoyed the in person sessions. Not only was it the information I learned that was helpful, it was how it was delivered that was tremendously appreciated. Louann and Stephanie were so emotionally generous and provided a safe space for me to feel safe to share candidly.”  – Andrea Votto

Over the course of the 17-month CliftonStrengths-based program, team members became more self-aware, learned to recognize and appreciate their colleagues, and developed new habits to work together better. The pre-workshop meetings with the Team Leads provided direction and insights, resulting in the highest quality of workshop delivery.  The e2grow learning platform provided an opportunity for participants to connect with each other and receive feedback from their coaches, supporting the development of new habits.  The participation and insights shared by the team were invaluable to the growth and development of others in the room. 

The investment in the CliftonStrengths Workshops and commitment to the High Performing Team Program will have lasting benefits for the participants.

PeerSpectives Consulting Inc, based in Vancouver, Canada, empowers purpose-driven individuals and organizations to be their best.  Our consultants bring a strong background in industry, adult learning, a commitment to excellence, and a drive to help companies succeed.  PeerSpectives Consulting is the first company to bring e2grow High Performing Team Program to Canada.

Stephanie Koonar is a community connector that believes in the strength of teams and personal development, with experience collaborating with international teams from Dublin, Milan, Guadalajara, New York, London in both profit and non-profit organizations. An award-winning instructor with 20 years of experience in Higher Education, Certified Career Educator, coaching people to unlock their potential to be their best. Mentor of the Year. MBA, BA Psych. Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

Contact Stephanie:  sk.peerspectives@gmail.com  | (778) 987-3137

Louann McCurdy is an ICF-Certified Coach, specializing in CliftonStrengths. Louann has lived in 5 countries (Canada, USA, Singapore, France, India), and has worked as a Mining Engineer, I/T developer and Business Analyst, coach and facilitator.  B.Sc. (Engineering), B.Ed. (Adult Ed.). Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach. 

Contact Louann:  lm.peerspectives@gmail.com | (778)-847-0901