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Teams and Workplaces

Strengths Program for DOH Leaders

Building a stronger health system starts with strong leadership.

 

In 2023, the Philippine Business for Social Progress teamed up with Habi Education Lab to support the DOH Bureaus in developing the leadership skills needed to shape the country’s health policies and standards. Through the implementation of various activities centered around Organizational Development (OrgDev), the program sought to improve DOH’s effectiveness and efficiency by aligning the people, processes, and culture with the organization’s goals and values.

 

Through this collaboration, more than 200 DOH personnel gained a greater awareness of their unique individual talents through the CliftonStrengths Assessment, some of the group learned how to better leverage their strengths through personalized coaching sessions, and most of them deepened their connections with the DOH-PHST staff and improved their competencies as leaders and managers through the in-person retreats.

 

But one might wonder, how did Habi manage to help these leaders value both themselves and their teams in a way that aligns with their own strengths and abilities?

 

Task

How might we build a strengths-based leadership culture in the Department of Health Public Health Services Team?

  • Design

    An organizational development program comprising CliftonStrengths coaching coaching circles, contextualized organizational development retreat, and leadership

  • Client

    Department of Health Public Health Services Team (DOH - PHST), in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)

Unleash individual strengths

In a strengths retreat, our goal is to help participants recognize and celebrate their uniqueness. Through facilitating self-reflection exercises, we guide individuals in identifying their strengths and creating an environment where they can appreciate what makes them different.

 

By focusing on their individual strengths, participants come to realize how their diverse qualities complement one another, fostering a deeper understanding and respect for their team dynamics. This also encourages reflection on others’ perspectives and more appreciation for the team’s diversity.

When we embrace what makes us unique, we can bring our best and elevate the whole.

Promote collective brilliance

At the same time, these workshops help participants find common ground by identifying shared strengths and enabling them to recognize the collective potential of the group. Through activities designed for group reflection, participants explore how they best connect and contribute to the team, the challenges they face when working with others, and how their colleagues might support them. This process helps create stronger interpersonal connections and a more collaborative environment.

 

In OrgDev retreats, we take the process a step further by moving beyond reflection to see how strengths can be applied in action. Teams collaborate to create their own Team Canvas, which helps them define their values, goals, and ways of working together.

By bringing their individual and collective talents, the team is empowered to propose changes to existing policies and reflect on their current practices.

This participatory activity allows them to prioritize improvements and make decisions that will enhance team effectiveness, turning their newfound self-awareness into actionable steps for success and stronger leadership.

 

Stay agile

Sometimes, things might not go according to plan and that’s alright. In this project, we anticipated changes due to their organizational transitions, but we couldn’t predict the extent. For instance, in one of the retreats, we learned that one of the bureaus had been restructured a few minutes before the event, with some personnel having been reassigned to different teams. This meant that the activities we had prepared beforehand might no longer resonate with the group. 

 

While this might be a barrier for us to facilitate a suitable experience for them, what helped us move forward was our agility to respond and anchoring on our “why”. At the end of the day, we wanted to provide them an impactful experience and learnings that they can bring wherever they go. This mindset prompted us to modify some of the activities and start where everyone was coming from.

By staying responsive and adaptable, we create an environment that feels more relevant and engaging, ultimately leading to productive and meaningful gatherings.
If you’re interested in working with us on exploring your individual and collective strengths, feel free to email us at kumusta@habieducationlab.org and share your vision with Habi!
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