Tips 4 Tuesday #11: Student Strengths Journey

Let me start with a story any parent or grandparent can relate to:

My son Andrew teaches 12th grade English at Little Falls High School. This year, he was named one of the Teachers of the Year by the Genesis Group.

But if you’d asked him years ago, he might admit—school didn’t always click for him early on.

That’s why I believe the kind of strengths-based development Daneli now brings to schools across the region would have inspired him sooner.

Today, he’s inspiring his own students—and even more personally, his two young kids, my grandkids—to discover joy in learning.

This week, Paul Muench, President of Daneli Partners, is joining us to share four tips inspired by our strengths-based programs with students across New York State.

Tip #1: Know Your Top Five Strengths, Then Live Them

When students understand their CliftonStrengths, they gain a language to talk about who they are and how they succeed.

In the Brockport Central School District, for example, students use their strengths not only in class but in exploring future careers. It’s more than just knowing their talents. It’s about using them in meaningful, personal ways every day.

Tip #2: Make It Personal

One of the most important lessons we teach is: the way you are is the right way to be.

At Central Valley Academy, students receive Personal Insight Guides that help them align their strengths with clubs, academic work, and future goals. It’s not about fitting into a mold, but about building self-awareness and seeing the unique path their strengths can lead them on.

Tip #3: Align with the Bigger Picture

We encourage students not to think of high school as a waiting room for “real life.” Instead, we help them connect what they’re doing now with where they want to go.

Take our work with Tully High School students, who visited Raymour & Flanigan’s corporate campus. They saw firsthand how their strengths could align with a variety of roles at just one company—and came back energized about what’s possible for them right here in upstate New York.

Tip 4: Tell Your Story with Strengths

If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. That’s a truth we share with students and professionals alike.

At OHM BOCES P-TECH, we help students prepare for mock interviews and college essays by practicing how to talk about their strengths. Not just what they’ve done, but who they are. It builds identity, confidence, and pride.

At Daneli, we’re honored to walk alongside educators and administrators who are investing in the next generation of leaders. Our strength-based development programs give students tools to grow not just academically, but personally and professionally.

Because great accomplishments aren’t reserved for others! With the right support, students can begin shaping their future and leading — right now.