Q. How do you create buy-in for a new branding initiative?
Anytime you have a win, first and foremost, you need to celebrate it with the people who helped you win. When we received the largest gift in the school’s history of $4 million, we immediately gathered together the faculty, staff and students into our largest auditorium to announce the win. We helped create the win together, and we helped celebrate it together.
Let everyone know about your wins. Publicize it, go out and give talks about your organization. I do the Rotary circuit and the Kiwanis circuit. The more you spread the good news, the more it gets out there and the more it builds momentum. On top of that, thank everyone. Give praise to everyone in your organization who helped you get the win. You need to praise them and thank them.
What I do is when anyone has an accomplishment of any type, I will send them a note or thank them in person, and many times, I’ll do both. We’ll put it on our Web site so that everyone can celebrate our win. It doesn’t have to be something big in order for you to celebrate it. Many times, it’s the little things; the little thank-yous that let people know they are appreciated.
Q. How do you continue to push an initiative long term?
Some of it is an innate sense of being humanistic. You have to understand how human beings respond to praise and pushing. You need to be open and honest, and you need to look for what the people in front of you need and balance that with the needs and goals of the organization. It’s a fine balance.
A lot of it is in how you communicate. I believe in transparency. With employees, you have to show them the good and the bad. If you are transparent and tell them what is going on, you empower them.
You also need to have a consistent message and keep it simple and focused. People will also be looking to see if you’re leading by example. If they see you working very hard and setting the bar, they’ll do it.
It’s even the little, subtle things. For example, if I’m walking around and I see some litter, I’ll pick it up and put it in the garbage can. It’s a subtle point, but if people see the president doing that, they’ll know what is expected of them.
How to reach: Lake Erie College, (440) 296-1856 or www.lec.edu
