Identifying, Growing Builder Talents on Campus: UNL

On a recent Called to Coach: BP10 Edition, we spoke to Gallup Learning and Development Senior Consultant Mark Pogue.

Mark works on campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is an integral part of CliftonStrengths Institute at the College of Business. Mark conducts a class for all incoming business students. The class introduces students to the University and the College of Business, but it also contains a strong strengths component. All students in the class take the CliftonStrengths assessment. Then, each student has two one-on-one sessions with a specially trained college strengths coach. These coaches are usually upperclassmen and serve as mentors for the younger students. In the fall, over 800 business students will take this class. Right now, Mark is busy finding and training 80 new college strengths coaches so they can handle the large influx of students in the fall.

This class also introduces students to the Clifton Builder Program: a 12-credit-hour program for motivated business students. Students who complete this program receive a certificate and an impressive program to list on future resumes. In the Clifton Builder Program, there are three tracks. The first focuses on identifying and building the skills of entrepreneurs. Students in this track take the BP10 assessment (formerly EP10) and explore the entrepreneurial world. These students have an affinity for risk. As Mark said, "In one class, we asked students whether they would jump off of a cliff or if they would need to study the risks of jumping first. The entrepreneurs jump without hesitation."

Mark Pogue's Top 5 CliftonStrengths are Self-Assurance, Activator, Ideation, Intellection and Command.