How Josephine’s Place built stronger connections through Insights Discovery
At Josephine’s Place in Elizabeth, NJ, a small team manages the operations, fundraising, and mission work for a vibrant community of women. With so much on their plates, professional development has rarely made it to the top of the list. So when the opportunity came to step back and reflect together—without putting added strain on time or budget—they saw the value immediately.
Creter Group and the Insights Foundation made that possible, offering a focused workshop grounded in Insights Discovery. Josephine’s Place was one of five nonprofit organizations selected to receive complimentary leadership or team effectiveness training from Creter Group in honor of the firm’s 20th anniversary.
A moment to step back and understand each other
Each team member received a personal profile, then came together for a small-group session facilitated by Christine Creter, founder of Creter Group. The conversation was designed to help the group see their own styles and how those styles affect the way they communicate, collaborate, and show up for each other and the women and families they serve.
They quickly noticed a pattern: their individual profiles were surprisingly similar. While that created a natural cohesion within the group, it also opened up questions about what might be missing, especially when it came to connecting with their wider circle of board members, volunteers, and community partners.
Rather than stop here, the team took it as a starting point.
Choosing to grow, together
Each Josephine’s Place team member expressed a willingness to reflect more deeply and make intentional shifts. They saw where they had room to grow, both individually and as a team, and were motivated to work on it together.
“Such a wonderful experience to have had through Insights Discovery and under the guidance of you, Christine!” said Executive Director Sheila Casey. “We will begin moving through the process of sharing our profiles and I will be sure to keep you up to date with our progress.”
Sheila shared a fuller reflection on the session:
“Creter Group reached out to Josephine’s Place when we were granted a workshop utilizing Insights Discovery, an incredible evolutionary method that leads to self-reflection and the integration of our inner and outward journeys.
Within our group, we found new meaning in our personal communication styles, new tools for collaborating within our organization and among one another, and renewed energies to re-engage within our organization and mission. Christine Creter, intuitively, led our small group through the process of discovery of ourselves and those we work with most closely.
We are grateful for her professional expertise and her tremendous personal insights and resources that contributed to the success of our time together. We are looking toward meeting our future with a sense of encouragement and positivity as a result of this incredible experience.”
What the experience offered
This was more than a team-building session. It was a rare chance for a hardworking group to reflect on how they interact, where they might need to adjust, and how to support each other more intentionally. For a nonprofit like Josephine’s Place, this matters because how the team works together shapes how they serve their community.
The session didn’t add to their workload. It gave them a practical way to connect, adapt, and carry their mission forward with more self-awareness and shared understanding.