
The University of Dallas with Ben Dilla, PhD, BCC, Gupta College of Business Faculty member, Founder and Managing
Director of Bold Leader Development (BLD LLC) and Joel Bennett, PhD, CWP, President of Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems (OWLS), have partnered to offer the Strength & Resilience Workshop.
The processes that underlie core leadership strengths and emotional intelligence also
inform one’s ability to anticipate, manage, and respond to stress in positive ways.
That is, strengths allow us to move from merely coping to being resilient and on toward
thriving. By doing self-awareness, paired, and group exercises, individuals can tap
into this ability in more intentional and proactive ways for both personal and professional
growth.
Students who complete this highly interactive one and a half day online workshop will:
- Gain new insights into their leadership style
- Identify areas of emotional intelligence and resilience
- Recognize qualities in self and others for supporting ongoing growth
- Identify risk areas of “triggers” that can undermine one’s own leadership and develop
corrective plans
- Gain tools to help transform stress into a positive resilience resource
- Learn how to navigate and synthesize the different languages of Strengths, Emotional
Intelligence, and Resilience
- Walk away with practical tools and an action plan to realize the full benefits of
the above factors
- Gain a new community of like-minded journeyers on the path to self-awareness and leadership
- Receive results from Gallup’s Clifton Strengths® assessment and a short EI survey, a hard copy of “Raw Coping Power: From Stress to Thriving,” and workbook materials

Joel Bennett, Ph.D. CWP
Joel Bennett, Ph.D., is president of Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm that specializes in evidence-based wellness, resilience,
mental well-being, and catalyzing healthy work cultures from the inside out. He first
delivered stress-management programming in 1985, and OWLS programs have since reached
close to 250,000 workers across the United States and abroad. OWLS evidence-based
prevention programs have been recognized by the US Surgeon General and used in a variety
of public health and community settings. OWLS clients include corporate, private,
nonprofit, local and federal agencies. OWLS has received close to $6 million in federal
research grants to assess, design and deliver workplace wellness programs. Dr. Bennett
is the author of over 30 peer-reviewed research articles, and he has authored/ co-authored
five books: Raw Coping Power, Heart-Centered Leadership (with Susan Steinbrecher), Time and Intimacy, Preventing Workplace Substance Abuse, and Well-Being Champions: A Competency-Based Guidebook.

Ben Dilla, Ph.D.
Ben Dilla, Ph.D., is Affiliate Assistant Professor of Management in the Gupta College of Business
at The University of Dallas and an Executive Coach through Bold Leader Development,
LLC. Ben served as a Behavioral Scientist and Personnel Officer in the US Air Force,
and was a Senior Leadership Development Consultant for Personnel Decisions International
(PDI, now Korn Ferry), supporting talent development in a wide range of companies
and industries including Walmart, Texas Instruments, BNSF Railway, FedEx, and the
Army & Air Force Exchange Service (The Exchange). He also worked as a Training & Development
leader for several companies in the DFW area, including Fannie Mae, American Airlines,
UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Parkland Hospital. Dr. Dilla is the author of
over 20 peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations and is working on his
first book (with Dr. Joel Bennett) entitled Your Best Self at Work: The Power of Strength-Based Emotional Intelligence.
This program is held online live utilizing Zoom software.
Class Dates/Times:
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 (7:00 - 9:30 PM)
Friday, January 29, 2021 (8:30 AM - 4:00 PM)
Participants are requested to complete pre-work assignments between Tuesday and Saturday.
Registration deadline: January 15, 2021
Early bird registration deadline: December 26, 2020
Early bird registration period ends 30 days from the start of the class. In order
to qualify for the early bird discount, students must fill out and submit (online)
the registration form, and submit full payment prior to the early bird deadline.
Registration and Deadlines
Registration deadline: January 15, 2021
Early bird registration deadline: December 26, 2020
Early bird registration period ends 30 days from the start of the class. In order
to qualify for the early bird discount, students must fill out and submit (online)
the registration form, and submit payment prior to the early bird deadline.
Standard Tuition: $429.00
Early Bird Tuition: $329.00
Early Bird Discount:
Students can earn an early bird discount by completing the registration process (including
full payment) by the early bird deadline. The early bird period ends 30 days from the start of the class. In order to qualify for
the early bird discount, students must fill out and submit the online registration
form, and submit full payment prior to the early bird deadline (see registration deadline section for deadline information).
The University of Dallas can accept cash, check, or credit card payments. We accept
VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express using our online payment portal.
Cash is accepted at our Business Office ONLY. Checks can be mailed to:
University of Dallas - Executive Education
Attn: Kathy Whitgrove
1845 E. Northgate Drive
Irving, TX 75062
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is designed for anyone on their leadership journey. The concepts apply
to both professional and personal leadership growth. Whether you are a business owner
or a community volunteer, experienced as a supervisor or a chief executive, we welcome
a diverse group of participants. The tools for emotional intelligence, character strengths,
and resiliencehave universal application. The presenters and workshop design will
help you apply these concepts to your situation.
This one-day (7.5-hour) workshop takes place on Friday (January 29th) and is preceded by 2 to 3 hours of prework (complete Clifton Strengths® and Emotional
Intelligence assessments and review results; complete a resilience workbook) and a
pre-meeting (2.5 hours) on Tuesday evening (January 26th). The workshop contains six modules (diagrammed below). Following review of the overall
model (module 1), participants work through each of the four domains of Strengths
and their associated areas of Emotional Intelligence as follows: (i) know the domain
and one’s strengths (or gaps) in that domain; (ii) understand the key stress and coping
skills associated with that domain; (iii) activities, case studies and discussions
where participants share and learn in a team-oriented environment. In the final module,
participants work on and share their action plans.
Three pillar concepts guide the design of this workshop: Character Strengths (Knowing
which areas of personality afford greater self-leadership); Raw Coping Power (the
ability to transform stress into a positive resource); and Emotional Intelligence
(Self and social awareness and management skills for working with emotions during
stress).
For more information about this course, discount information, or help registering
please contact Kathy Whitgrove via email or 972-721-5298.