Creating a Strengths-Based University Campus

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach Ken Barr Jr.

As director of Student Strengths Development at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Ken was responsible for leading all facets of the creation, development, assessment, and operations of this talent development/student success program. For a coach thinking about getting strengths started on a campus, Ken says they first need to define what the end goal is, the overall mission, and how it ties into the mission of the university.

The next thing that a school needs to consider is how to administer the assessment to students. At first, Ken was only seeing about 50% of students taking their free code and using it on their own. He found that best practice is having someone guide them through the steps to start the assessment. Another good way to get professors and students excited about taking the assessment is to tie CliftonStrengths into a specific assignment or to the learning objective of the class. Like in a college writing class, the professor usually asks students to write a paper geared around self-reflection.

Ken Barr Jr.'s Top 5CliftonStrengths are Input, Maximizer, Arranger, Woo and Learner.