Sorry Not Sorry: Managing Content Strategy Challenges in Decentralized Environments

Presented at HighEdWeb 2018 Annual conference with Alaina Wiens.

Transcript

1. SORRY NOT SORRY
   Managing Content Strategy Challenges
   in Decentralized Environments
   Amy Grace Wells · Alaina Wiens
   
   October 22, 2018
   
   #heweb18 #mpd1
   

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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
   

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3. Sometimes you have to bring people along.
   Sometimes you have to stand apart.
   

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4. WE ASKED
   

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5. YOU SAID
   

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6. People ruin everything.
   
   

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7. People ruin everything.
   
   Just kidding.
   

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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
   

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9. !
   NOW
   FUTURE
   

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11. 1.
    Understand your
    organization’s goals
    

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12. You have to know where you’re going
    
    before you can decide how to get there.
    

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13. You have to know where you’re knowing
    before you can bring people along.
    

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14. 2.
    Connect your work to
    business goals
    

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15. Demonstrate the connection between
    your work and your organization’s goals.
    

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16. Invite others to do the same.
    

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17. 3.
    Determine what’s needed
    (and what’s in the way).
    

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18. 4.
    Assemble your team.
    

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19. Take inventory of your allies.
    

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20. Don’t wait for leadership.
    

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21. 5.
    Move forward together.
    

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22. Once you’ve set the course,
    
    invite others to join you.
    

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23. Create a plan together.
    

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24. Stay focused on goals.
    

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25. Humans are irrational.
    

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27. Others should not derail your goals and
    success.
    

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28. Become comfortable with the
    uncomfortable.
    

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29. 1.
    Validate people’s
    feelings and needs.
    

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30. But be firm about where you
    can’t compromise.
    

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31. I can hear/see you are feeling _______
    because ________.
    
    I want to help you, but I am unable to
    _______ because _______.
    

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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.
    

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33. 2.
    Call a timeout.
    

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34. Allowing misunderstanding to fester gives
    them more power to burden you.
    

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35. If someone doesn’t understand your role,
    call a timeout and clarify before anything
    more happens.
    

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36. 3.
    Talk with your
    leadership.
    

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37. Have an uncomfortable and direct talk
    with your leadership.
    
    Know in advance where they will support
    you putting your foot down.
    

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38. You deserve support to find a way to work
    reasonably with unreasonable people.
    

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39. 4.
    Communicate
    expectations in writing.
    

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40. …and enforce consequences.
    
    

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41. 5.
    Develop and enforce
    guidelines.
    

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42. Develop some key rules or guidelines
    about deadlines and response time.
    

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43. 6.
    Know when to
    call it quits.
    

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44. If you have a repeat offender, they need to
    be called out.
    

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45. Give them explicit steps that must be
    taken for them to continue receiving your
    help.
    

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46. To do good work for others, you
    must take care of yourself first.
    

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47. You’re valid.
    You’re knowledgeable.
    You’re a rockstar.
    

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48. Thanks.
    

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49. Alaina Wiens
    amygrace@contentandux.com
    @amygracewells
    Amy Grace Wells
    alainawiens@strategycar.com
    @alainawiens
    

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