Immediate Applications

I will continue to apply the following applications for the implementation of my current role as chief communications officer at Molloy College:

1. Project Planning, including the use of the communication, timeline and dashboard features of SmartSheet not only for my team but also the College
2. Social, digital and web application dashboards, KPIs and Balanced Scorecards
3. Update the Molloy College website
4. Define the new department of strategic communications by redefining employee roles to include titles such as Director of Imagery, Director of Storytelling and Social Media, etc.
5. Update the Molloy College Intranet inside.molloy.edu and focus on the delivery of Phase II of this project, which will include the Inside Molloy newsletter, which will be the story feed to the Intranet.
6. Develop plans for the following initiatives, which will include expected outcomes, communication strategies, processes, assessment measures/analytics, dashboards, resources, and implementation timelines.  All of these will be posted on the Molloy Intranet, which is a one-stop-shop for employees to access information, policies, news, etc.:

• Intranet inside.molloy.edu
• Newsletter Inside Molloy
• Internal Communications
• Website
• Digital and Social Media
• Department of Strategic Communications
• Email
• Employee Directory

Policies will be drafted for:

• Intranet
• Website
• Social Media
• Email
• Internal Communications

Processes will be drafted for:

• Policy approvals
• Media guide
• Style guide
• Editorial guide
• Content guidelines
• Branding guidelines
• Editorial timelines
• Requests for posting on social media, website, etc.

Implementation of New Initiative

When Molloy College embarked on creating a new Strategic Plan for the College, the president included me in the research, design, planning and implementation phases of this important initiative for the College.  He also included the Vice President for Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, who is responsible for the Strategic Planning process.

However, there was confusion between my role and that of the Vice President for Planning, Research and Institutional Effectiveness.  The president had failed to provide clarity to both of us on what our roles were during this process.  It was my sense at the time that the president wanted me to play a part in it because he wanted me to be his eyes and ears during the entire project.  It led, eventually, to my becoming the chief communications officer for the College, so I now understand what my role had been.

The strategic outline, including outcomes, goals, objectives, assessment measures, initiatives and priorities were eventually and organically communicated throughout the organization.  The communication strategy was not only top down but also collaborative across disciplines and job functions.  It is still a work in progress while several teams of people develop plans for the priority initiatives from the strategic plan.

As part of my new role which was created during this strategic planning process, I am now able to take one of the key initiatives, improve internal communications, to a level that meets the needs of the internal stakeholders, Molloy College's employees.  My team and I have created an Intranet for the College and are about to enter phase II.  The coursework provided during this time in my career has been very instrumental in my ability to effectively draft implementation and assessment plans to ensure we are following the goals and objectives of the internal communications plan.  The use of a project management tool, Smartsheet, sample and link below, will help me gauge appropriate delivery timelines and communications strategies.

https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/office-timeline-and-smartsheet-3-steps-quickly-create-your-visual-project-plan

Personal Performance Dashboard

Considering the many priorities I am currently managing, it is best to measure their progress and how it affects my personal goals.

I have chosen digital media marketing as my focus for this blog post and suggest using a social media performance dashboard such as, Klipfolio, as shown below, to help you measure the performance on all of your social and web-based platforms.  It is important to stay relevant and track your progress often so you can adjust your sails as needed.

https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/dashboard-examples/marketing/social-media

Progress of a Personal and Professional Initiative

Almost one year to the day, I decided to go back to school and get my master's degree in organizational leadership.

The story goes like this:  Two years ago I was enrolled in an MBA (Marketing) program at Molloy College and completed three courses.  While I loved my professors and most especially free tuition, I realized that the MBA was not for me.  After much reflection and a decision that created a financial burden for my family, I decided to enroll in the MSOL program at Manhattan College.  Organizational Leadership is my strength and I hold a great interest in this topic. The only burden here is a financial one.  I absolutely enjoy this program and all I have learned.  I have applied many aspects of this program to my position as Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Board, and Chief Communications Officer.  I have also been able to apply real-life examples as content for some of my coursework.

I believe I have followed my dream by setting a goal to attain a higher degree and look forward to the completion of this program if I can continue to pay for it.

Manhattan College has outlined the differences between the two degrees.  Perhaps this analysis could help someone else who may be considering the same change in a course of study.  

Take a look:  MBA vs. MSOL