Krywosa, IMC

Its hard to believe. Both that its only been six months and that six months have actually passed…

If you dont know me, the change to Higher Ed was from my 8 year career in education based, grassroots non-profit work, both at the local and national level. I did a lot of strategic outreach through traditional PR, branding and web work, so when my current position opened, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to specialize in web comm and build on my social media integration strengths.

I thought the leap would be of similar strengths and weaknesses, but it was a much grander departure than originally envisioned. Here are my top five lessons from the first six months in office:

1. Politics, Politics, Politics: It seems like not much can get done because someone else may be upset. Funny, I thought we were all working towards the same goal. Oh, we’re not? Huh. Learning how to navigate the waters has been the largest challenge, especially when its not clear who has final say on things. If  you ask, it just might start WWIII.

2. Decentralization: Without one area for messages, branding, and strategies to filter through, how will we know we are successful? Further, how do we get a full picture of how we present ourselves to students? With no real jurisdiction over groups, no ax can be wielded when web content is stale, incorrect or just poorly written. Getting everyone on the same page proves tiresome since meetings become events with 20+ people at the table. Coming to an agreement is even harder.

3. Fiefdoms Proliferate: Not sure why someone doesnt want to let you in? Maybe its because they are master of their own kingdom, having been there for 20 years and  are afraid you’ll uncover that they do not really have any content knowledge beyond ‘the way its been done’. This is problematic for many reasons, but primarily because it kills any new employee’s idealism. Second, it allows outdated ways of doing things (interoffice mail, for example) to eat up precious staff time. A little bend here and there goes a long way to incorporating new ideas, while helping employees gain new skills, making them actually invaluable.

4. Old Way (My Way) versus New Way (Your Way): Building on #3, many employees feel threatened, not only by new technology and social media, but by your expertise in an up and coming field. This leads us to ‘this is the way its been done’ and we all know how that goes. Frustration abounds and proactive newbies end up thwarted and denied action on innovative ideas. How long will these employees last? Who will observe their tenacity and strategic thinking and snatch them up? I could give a few examples…

5. Slow Sallies: Mix 1-4 together and what do we have? A slow operation that gets even slower when educating people on new tactics and strategies becomes central to moving anything forward (which, it should). Decisions cannot be made because multiple people hold multiple keys to one lock. They must Rubik’s cube themselves together to actually work. Stars must align. In such a climate as the recent financial downturn + the proliferation of newer and newer technologies and vendors, timing is essential. Look around at all of the great ideas that you’ve seen come to fruition lately: without this, how will your school stay afloat and top of mind? How will you compete? Slowness is not an option.

With that, I remain up to the challenge. I’m optimistic that stars will in fact align. There’s a tide turning here and its exciting to help steer the boat that rides it. Even though its been tough, organizationally and personally, it leaves everything on the table.

Now, if only everyone would show up for dinner…

I know. I know. It’s a seemingly uncharacteristic collision of my worlds: my New York Giants and overall NFL fanaticism, and my work life. Stay with me here…

Every Sunday  momentum is what ultimately swings the game. Sure, offensive and defensive linemen, QB  and running back stats do have a huge determining factor in the outcome, but there’s a reason ‘any given Sunday’ is true.

Its about the heart and the belief put into the effort. The ability to not give up and to stand the line on 3rd down and inches. Its about taking chances and making plays. Its the underdog doing the impossible. Its about the team mentality to take on a challenge. If the momentum is not there, or it gets put into the hands of the opposing team, you need to get it back or else you’re toast. Its about staying clear mentally and acting as if every down is another chance.

Shouldn’t we be putting that kind of effort into the most effective marketing tool we have? If we let the momentum swing to our competition, we run the risk of getting down on ourselves and giving up on new ideas. Of not making progress by way of bureaucracy and negativity. Why don’t we listen to the voices of our teammates who can see the impossible becoming possible? Instead of running the same old plays over and over again and wondering why we cant get anywhere, why don’t we work together on something new? Why don’t we change our lineups or coaches?

I don’t know about you but, if I’m putting in the effort to do the workouts, I want to put a ring on my finger, not just show up for practice.

Ugh. I’m soooooo sick of hearing about the Millennial. Are we done with this yet? Has it passed? Do we have to wait for the next generation to finally stop being lazy and over typecasting these kids?

I dont know why its been everywhere lately, from the business angle to the college angle. But I’m happy that someone is coming out against it.

It seems like we’re seeing more and more of both. Which may sound bad, but the rise of the anti is actually very welcome. How can we consider an entire generation of students across the globe as extremely well versed in everything digital?  Sure they have the option, ones we never dreamed of and probably dont take advantage of. But, for many of them, they dont take the place of real communication: they only facilitate more of it.

I was recently converted to the anti movement when I asked a bunch of college students if they knew what Twitter was and most of them did not. Only 1 or 2 used it. On the flipside, think of how they use Facebook or other social networking sites: many times, they do not distinguish between what they read on Facebook, and what they are told directly. In conversations, they (and other digital natives), use the information to facilitate conversations in real life as if there is no divide or difference in how they learned what they know. These communication tools serve to provide them with a tether that usual means of contact have not allowed so that they are free to be more involved in each others lives. I say this, because I know its how some of us – non-millennials – live.

We need to remember what good marketing is. Its not the next best thing. Its the original thing: one on one communication. Web 2.0 can be used for this, but a generational blanket does nothing but leave out those who need contact and communication the most.