Your Classified Staff Know Their Job... But Do They Know They're Moving Mountains?
At least that's how students feel when a barrier to persistence gets removed by a caring staff member.
You've seen it happen. A student walks into the registrar's office frustrated and overwhelmed, and somehow your staff member knows exactly what to say. They leave feeling hopeful, supported, like maybe they do belong here after all.
Classified staff are like lighthouses along a student's journey, each one meant to guide, direct, and illuminate the path. They don't need to be taught how to shine. They need to understand how brilliantly they already illuminate the way.
The Natural Brilliance Your Team Already Possesses
Strategic
Individualization
Relator
Empathy
Discipline
Hey, I'm Shanell, and with twenty years in higher education across multiple systems, I've discovered something most campuses miss: your classified staff aren't the people who need fixing. They're the people who need activating.
As a Talent AmplifyHER and Gallup-trained facilitator with a Master's in counseling, I bring both the expertise and the heart to this work. I've trained hundreds of professionals, but more importantly, I've led my own high-performing teams using Strengths and witnessed the transformation firsthand.
My approach is empathic and individualized because that's literally how I'm wired—Individualization is in my top 5, which means I'm naturally talented at helping people position themselves to do what they're best at. I don't teach your staff how to care about students. I help them see that the way they naturally care is exactly what transforms student experiences.
When I bring cultural relevance and authenticity to strengths work, something beautiful happens: people don't just learn about their talents, they trust them.
Your staff aren't wheels in a machine. They're creating belonging, one interaction at a time.
When Natural Talents Meet Campus Needs, Transformation Happens
Introducing Strengths as Strategy
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This isn't another professional development session telling your people what they should do differently. This is a revelation experience that shows them what they're already doing innately, and how to do it intentionally.
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When your staff recognize their natural talents and learn to use them strategically, moments with students move from transactional to transformational. Perfect for classified teams ready to understand that their daily work moves mountains for students through moments they remember forever.
For me, it was Selma M. She worked in Admissions and Records and as an undergraduate student I had a hold placed on my record that I could not get released. I happened upon Ms. Selma and explained my situation in a desperate phone call and follow up email. Where I’d been told “no”, “it’s not possible”, or “you’ll have to try again next semester”, Selma changed instantly without hesitation. In a moment my situation went from hopeless to resolved You better believe from that day on, whenever I encountered an A&R issue, I sought out Ms. Selma who explained, fixed, and adjusted. Was she bending rules? No. Was she using her talents for creative problem solving (Strategic likely) and resolution (probably Restorative) to fix what was broken and in my way? Yes! Her institutional knowledge & tenure, natural fixer talents, and genuine care for how she could personally help were front and center every time I needed her. Selma sadly passed away and I’m so glad I can speak her name and honor the work she did that was quite literally life changing.
She understood her power, her position, and she moved with the passionate authority students need working on their behalf.
Your Team Will Discover
This Isn't Just Another Training
Your classified staff are the steady presence when everything else feels chaotic. They're the people who make the difference between a student saying "this place gets me" versus "this place isn't for me."
The challenge isn't that they don't know how to serve students well. The challenge is that they don't always recognize the profound impact they're already having.
The paradox of natural talents is that we take them for granted, or fail to see them as exceptional. Through this experience your staff becomes crystal clear on not only what they bring, but how to partner with their colleagues to leverage the talents of the team!
When your team leaves this session, they won't just understand their natural talents—they'll trust their ability to use those talents to create the kind of belonging every student deserves.
Perfect For Teams Ready to Step Into Their Power
This experience serves campuses that understand your classified staff are the solution to activate, not the problem to fix
Especially powerful for:
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Groups tasked with creating massive institutional impact
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Staff ready to move from good work to transformational work
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Campuses committed to building better belonging through natural talent in partnership with their largest group of influencers - classified staff
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Teams new to each other who need to understand what each person brings
Strengths as Strategy is not ideal for:
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Campuses with a PD quota to fill and are looking for a one-off experience to to check the box
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Teams expecting a quick-fix solution that changes everything without changing anything
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Leadership looking for staff to adopt someone else's approach rather than amplify their own
Students feel genuinely welcomed. Staff confidence increases. Team collaboration improves. Your campus becomes known as the place where students not only come, but stay and thrive.
Your Investment in Transformation
$6,000 for 4.5-Hour Comprehensive Experience
Includes: Full-day facilitation tailored to campus needs and priorities, CliftonStrengths assessments, custom insights reports, interactive lesson guides, team talent map, implementation toolkit, follow-up debrief & coaching call.
Virtual delivery available. Custom pricing for multi-session programs.
Building better belonging for students starts with staff who understand their power. Transform your campus into a brilliance realm where natural talents meet student needs.
About the Shanell Tyus
17+ years in higher education, Gallup-trained, with an M.S. in Counseling. My revolutionary belief: When teams understand and precisely leverage their natural talents, they don't just perform—they set new standards of excellence.