So what would success look like here

The Ten Marketing Concepts  post from yesterday has generated quite a bit of interest.  Blog responses, email, even a phone call.  I’m making the assumption its the marketing ideas and the post about how Purdue has taken a slash and burn approach to its marketing  that has generated the discussion lately.

But seriously, what would success look like at NC State?  Jane Albright put it nicely in quoting Stephen Covey;  it’s best to start with the end in mind — or at least some kind of goal. So, what does success look like here?

I’m going to use the classic cop-out here and say that we (that’s the collective we) are the only ones who can determine what success looks like at NC State and that’s my hope for the strategic communications planning effort we’ve just started.

Does success look like Purdue where all communications are centralized in a single unit.  All college and unit communicators reporting to a single person.

Does success look like Ohio State where almost 200 communicators report to about 20 different offices with little centralization.

Does success look like Michigan where each college has a communications director (some even have a small communications staff — read 2 or 3 people) and a larger central communications services unit.

Yes.

Is success at NC State the same as success at North Carolina State University, NCSU, State or NCST (used infrequently by ESPN on the box scores).

Perhaps.

Is success deciding that we’re NC State University all the time and not North Carolina State University on first reference and NC State thereafter.

Maybe.

Does Red really mean Go?  Are we North Carolina’s University?

Yes, No, Maybe.

So, just what does success look like?  Think about it.  And while you’re at it — maybe over the holidays — pull out Covey’s Seven Habits.  It’s a quick read and although somewhat quaint by today’s standards, it’s still the standard for self motivation.  In case you’ve forgotten:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive: Principles of Personal Choice
• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind: Principles of Personal Vision
• Habit 3: Put First Things First: Principles of Integrity & Execution
• Habit 4: Think Win/Win: Principles of Mutual Benefit
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood: Principles of Mutual Understanding
• Habit 6: Synergize: Principles of Creative Cooperation
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal

Guess what, we’re using most of the habits already without even realizing it.  Cool.  Very Cool.

Passion Rules!

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