Implementing New Ideas? Take the Time.
My three straight weeks of conferences have come to a close and it really has been a great opportunity for learning. These events always remind me of the truly innovative things that many institutions are trying in an effort to “do better” in the world of marketing and recruitment. And while some ideas I see people writing down at conferences are really creative and different, other things that receive wide positive response are simple basics that when executed well can really have impact. So why don’t we see more institutions with a fundamentally solid base for their marketing and recruitment practices? We attend conferences; we write down the good ideas. Why can’t we implement them? The culprit is time.
We have all been there. We attend a great conference, gather a dozen great ideas of things that we just know will help our institution, and then we get back to our desks and quickly run out of time. Our natural instinct of doing things the way we always have kicks in. Not because we honestly believe it is the only possibly way, or even the best way, but because it takes time to change. Learning something new is only the first step, implementing something new is the challenging process. And often it is more than simply deciding to do something different; it is also creating buy-in from colleagues. Getting the team on board with change is difficult and it takes time. But in the end, it is most often worth it.
As you head into the craziness of graduation at your various institutions, I want to encourage you to take just one idea from one paper you read or conference you attended this year and develop a plan for implementing it. Set aside the time with your staff to discuss the change that will take place and the time frame, understanding that there is nearly always resistance to change. Focus in on just that one idea, that one change, and see it through. While having a dozen great ideas from a conference is great, if none of them get implemented at your institution, they are nothing more than great ideas. If one of them gets put into place and begins to have impact on your program, that one thing now moves beyond being just an idea and becomes a catalyst for bettering your program. In the ever-present changing landscape that is the adult student market, these ongoing changes are what separates the winners from the losers. Take the time.
Photo by vox
