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

Critical Success Factors

Success to me is reaching my personal best in anything I do.  However, sometimes I take on too much, which greatly impacts my ability to deliver.  I am keenly aware of this weakness and do not view it as a negative but as something I can consciously correct.  In my defense, I have been taking on too much in order to prove myself at my job.  This has worked out to my benefit because I have received numerous promotions throughout the years.  I am hardest on myself and what I mean by deliver is a final product.  Now that I have reached what I consider the pinnacle of my career, I can now step back a bit and focus on exactly what priorities I need to pay attention to and how I am going to develop plans to execute these priorities.

To begin with, in my recent promotion as Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer at the College, I am in a better position to write these plans since I will no longer be the individual in charge of manning the "weeds."  I will now rely more heavily on my staff to dot the "i's" and cross the "t's."

I am excited to take on these new roles; both of these roles rely heavily on my project management skills; one relies heavily on my organizational skills while the other relies heavily on my visual and personal affinity to all things digital.

There is another factor, however, that I need to remember.  I am now more responsible for producing results on time and on budget so my ability to pay close attention to the priorities of both of these jobs is important and I cannot let myself be interrupted by "shiny" things that interest me.

Critical success factors that will need to be considered as I move forward include:

1. Delivering relevant content on the web, digital and social platforms
2. Delivering relevant information and policies to employees in a timely manner
3. Hiring or promoting the right individuals and empowering them to do their best
4. Continuing my efforts regarding process improvement and innovation

The Balanced Scorecard and Me

I have wondered for many years if I should open my own business.  The thought of it is daunting but as I move through this master's degree program, I learn more and more how important it is to have a plan before you embark on any business.

That said, I am going to identify below, what I feel the key factors would be if I were to open up my own consulting business.

The Balanced Scorecard will help me plan and proceed with my business in organizational consulting:

1. Knowledge, Education and Growth Perspective:  I will need to make sure I employ and retain talented and good people allowing for professional development and personal growth while on the job
2. Internal Business Process Perspective:  I will be committed to ensuring the internal processes are maintained, upgraded and/or updated as necessary as this will be the most critical piece of my business
3. Customer Perspective:   I will provide the best customer service ensuring customer satisfaction every step of the way
4. Financial Perspective:  I will hire the best CPA I know (and I know a few) to help me budget, stay on budget and invest in the future of the company.

I will keep my employees informed and will provide feedback as much as possible.  This will only help all of us to grow, which will be my personal commitment to my employees. I would be my own customer. That is how much I am committed to the success of this idea.

Personal Aspirations

If you asked me six months ago what my professional aspirations were, I would be writing a different story.  However, there have been many events that have taken place over the past six months that have begun to pave the way for a potential new direction in my life.  Before this blog post I never considered a strategy toward self-actualization and here I realize at this point in time how utterly important it will be for me to come up with specific strategies to help me chart the course for my future.  Please know that I have no regrets; I have had a very rewarding and wonderful career at Molloy College.  This does not mean I will be leaving my position.  I will be planning for my future while continuing to help the College grow.

Strategy.  What is a strategy and why do I need one now?

Strategy, according to BusinessDictionary.com "is a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem."

I was very involved in the strategic planning process at Molloy College and will apply most of what I learned from that process to my own strategic plan, which will follow a similar timeline (5-10 year plan).

Do I go out on my own and start my own business?

Do I go part-time and stay home with my family?

Do I continue with grad school so I can teach online part-time?

Where do I take my many years of experience with intuitiveness, strong people skills, public relations, marketing, digital and social media, strategic planning, etc.?

I cannot look at this as an end but a beginning...the dawn of a new day...

Actually, today's reality probably began long before now.  Signs have been presenting themselves to me but I thought they were just reminders to have me keep pushing myself forward to make my mark at the College, make more money, have a better job, and more responsibility.  What I don't need now is more responsibility. I will keep things simple, stay focused and take care of myself in the process.

One day at a time.

Strategy for me now is to lay it all out on the table through a SWOT analysis; evaluating my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  First, however, I need to define a marketplace for me to move into - a new industry?  I have long thought of becoming a writer of novels and books on leadership and process improvement.

Strengths:  people, intuitiveness, generosity, trust, friendly, digital, web, social media, reliable, dependable, organized, love of writing, process improvement, innovation, and energetic.

Weaknesses:  taking on too much at once, not delivering on time, burn out, and putting others before myself.

Opportunities:  Teaching online; writing novels - both of these things are within my control to begin.

Threats:  Finishing Grad School, getting an online teaching job; Competition in the publishing business.

It is my hope that my current employer will offer me the opportunity to teach online.  As far as writing books and novels, I need to just start writing.  I will follow these 10 steps:

10 Steps to Writing a Book

References

Business Dictionary