UTHealth Houston Programs to Accelerate Your Potential!

On June 22, 2022, the University Classified Staff Council was proud to host a virtual Brown Bag Session with the topic of UTHealth Houston Programs to Accelerate Your Potential! Our guest presenter was Valerie Christian-Hainley, Assistant Director of Leadership Development Programs at UTHealth Houston. Hainley is a Maxwell Leadership Coach, certified Crucial Conversations trainer, and a certified Conversational Intelligence® coach. 

The Brown Bag Session began with Hainley laying out the goals for employees during the session:

• Learn how to accelerate their potential in their personal and professional lives
• Learn how to grow and develop themselves, so they have the best chance of becoming the person they were created to be
• Learn how personal growth works and what development programs they have access to at UTHealth Houston

Hainley went on to give an overview of the many programs the Organizational & Talent Development (OTD) team offers. These covered the various leadership institutes, as well as resources that could be utilized on a department, team, or individual level. OTD offers workshops on the Clifton Strengths Finder, The Maxwell DISC Method, as well as Crucial Conversations. 

The Clifton Strengths Assessment allows individuals to identify what their strengths are and how to utilize those specific strengths to succeed at work and in life. The Maxwell DISC Method Report provides individuals with an analysis of their personality style and shows them how they can communicate more effectively and positively with different personality styles. Crucial Conversations is a course that allows individuals to learn how to communicate effectively when there is disagreement. OTD also offers the following assessments: Pearman, EQ-360, and PRO-D. To learn more about each of these resources and how they can be used for your department, team, or self, email [email protected].

In addition to specific tools and assessments the OTD team can provide individuals, there are also other ways to grow professionally. There are two Toastmasters groups that meet at UTHealth Houston and allow individuals the space to learn to speak with greater confidence and charisma. The mentorship program recently created is also a wonderful way to gain a mentor and have a more focused, 1-on-1 opportunity to learn and grow professionally.

The Brown Bag Session continued with Hainley placing participants in break-out groups of 3-4 individuals, so everyone had a chance to share. The questions each person had to answer were “What area would you like to grow in?” and “What are you doing to intentionally grow yourself?” While some participants mentioned professional goals, many identified personal avenues they were focusing on to allow them better wellbeing in their lives. 

The session ended with a drawing for a free copy of The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell and announcements about other upcoming events from the OTD team. 

The Organizational and Talent Development team is available for consultation or questions. To learn more, visit their website, look at their brochure, email them at [email protected] or fill out their Consulting and Professional Development Request Form.

Scan the QR Code below to learn more about the OTD team and their services!