Sorry Not Sorry: Managing Content Strategy Challenges in Decentralized Environments

Presented at HighEdWeb 2018 Annual conference with Alaina Wiens.

1. SORRY NOT SORRY Managing Content Strategy Challenges in Decentralized Environments Amy Grace Wells · Alaina Wiens October 22, 2018 #heweb18 #mpd1
2. Alaina Wiens •Leads tourism and marketing for Flint, Michigan •Marketing director, content strategist, strategic planning consultant •15 years experience in higher education, and nonprofit •Human behind StrategyCar •Just wants to make everything better •Editorial director of UX Booth •Content strategist and UX designer •15 years experience in higher ed, publishing, and nonprofit •Master’s degrees in higher education and user experience design •Handles her business Amy Grace Wells
3. Sometimes you have to bring people along. Sometimes you have to stand apart.
4. WE ASKED
5. YOU SAID
6. People ruin everything.
7. People ruin everything. Just kidding.
8. You need people to: • Understand goals • Understand everyone’s role • Agree on priorities • Share information or content • Adopt new tools or processes • Work together • Focus
9. ! NOW FUTURE
11. 1. Understand your organization’s goals
12. You have to know where you’re going before you can decide how to get there.
13. You have to know where you’re knowing before you can bring people along.
14. 2. Connect your work to business goals
15. Demonstrate the connection between your work and your organization’s goals.
16. Invite others to do the same.
17. 3. Determine what’s needed (and what’s in the way).
18. 4. Assemble your team.
19. Take inventory of your allies.
20. Don’t wait for leadership.
21. 5. Move forward together.
22. Once you’ve set the course, invite others to join you.
23. Create a plan together.
24. Stay focused on goals.
25. Humans are irrational.
27. Others should not derail your goals and success.
28. Become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
29. 1. Validate people’s feelings and needs.
30. But be firm about where you can’t compromise.
31. I can hear/see you are feeling _______ because ________. I want to help you, but I am unable to _______ because _______.
32. I can hear you are feeling frustrated because this content is important to you. I want to help you, but I am unable to post events last-minute because I support six departments and if I do this then the alumni office can’t count on me.
33. 2. Call a timeout.
34. Allowing misunderstanding to fester gives them more power to burden you.
35. If someone doesn’t understand your role, call a timeout and clarify before anything more happens.
36. 3. Talk with your leadership.
37. Have an uncomfortable and direct talk with your leadership. Know in advance where they will support you putting your foot down.
38. You deserve support to find a way to work reasonably with unreasonable people.
39. 4. Communicate expectations in writing.
40. …and enforce consequences.
41. 5. Develop and enforce guidelines.
42. Develop some key rules or guidelines about deadlines and response time.
43. 6. Know when to call it quits.
44. If you have a repeat offender, they need to be called out.
45. Give them explicit steps that must be taken for them to continue receiving your help.
46. To do good work for others, you must take care of yourself first.
47. You’re valid. You’re knowledgeable. You’re a rockstar.
48. Thanks.
49. Alaina Wiens amygrace@contentandux.com @amygracewells Amy Grace Wells alainawiens@strategycar.com @alainawiens