Building Stronger Teams: Benedictine Winona Invests in Strengths-Based Leadership

How do you help a leadership team better understand one another, work more effectively together, and build a shared approach that lasts beyond a single training?

For the Benedictine Living Community-Winona leadership team, one answer was to start with strengths.

Leaders recently gathered at Saint Anne of Winona for a customized Strengths 101 workshop, coordinated through Winona State and facilitated by Julie Brock, owner of Julie Brock Consulting, LLC.

The experience was designed to deepen self-awareness, strengthen collaboration, and give the team practical tools for building a more strengths-based workplace culture.

Before the workshop, each participant completed the CliftonStrengths® assessment and shared their Top 5 strengths.

The results were compiled into a team strengths grid, giving leaders a visual picture of the talents represented across their team and creating a starting point for deeper conversation.

During the interactive session, Brock introduced participants to the CliftonStrengths framework and helped them explore how individual talents influence leadership, communication, decision-making, and teamwork.

Participants considered not only their own strengths but also how different strengths can complement one another and be applied more intentionally in their day-to-day work.

For participants, one of the most valuable outcomes was gaining a new way to understand both themselves and their colleagues:

That shared understanding gives Benedictine Winona something that can extend well beyond the workshop.

A common language around strengths can help teams navigate differences, recognize what colleagues naturally do well, and approach communication and collaboration with greater intention.

The workshop also demonstrates the kind of professional development that Winona State University can help create with employers and organizations.

Rather than starting with a one-size-fits-all training, Winona State can work with partners to understand their goals and to connect them with learning experiences, university expertise, and professional resources that fit their people and their needs.

For Benedictine Winona, Strengths 101 was an investment in its leaders today and a foundation that the team can continue building on as it strengthens its culture and serves its residents.

Your goals and challenges are unique, and your professional development can be too. Winona State can help you create a focused workshop for a small team, development for a larger workforce, or a learning experience that grows with your organization.

Tell us what you want your team to do better. Fill out our Request a Consultation form, and let’s explore what’s possible.