The H·A ThirtyOne podcast, 31Minutes, launches Part Two of its first ever multi-part series today. The episode, “Creating a Culture of Planning and Strategic Risk,” interviews Credo’s Emma Jones, Chief Brand Officer, and Joretta Nelson, Chief Knowledge Officer & SVP about their recent work with the Thriving 2.0 framework. (That’s the “Thriving” part of this blog’s title.)
In addition to Emma and Joretta’s respective titles, and the fact that both women are owners of the firm (shout out to fellow female owners!), they are leading a key piece of Credo’s work – its Thriving 2.0 framework. Of all the write-down-ables from this episode, there are two that I want to share here. First, the phrase “creating a culture of planning and strategic risk.” To me, this little power-packed sentiment speaks to the heart of the Thriving 2.0 framework. It’s the end goal that the framework enables. Not in a day, not in a week, but over time and with intention.
Every organization, from a person’s own family to their entire campus community, can benefit from a culture of planning and strategic risk. Right? Without a plan, it is terribly difficult to know what to do beyond one foot in front of the other. In the absence of thoughtful risk taking, there is at best, stasis, yet more often, there is a slow slumping backwards. But when combined – careful planning and strategic risk can propel individuals and whole organizations into exciting opportunities and totally new eras of thought, process, and innovation. Which leads to the second takeaway I’d like to share…readiness.
Becoming a culture of planners and strategic risk takers requires readiness. Readiness, on the part of campus leadership and leadership bodies, to work with change and operate in areas that are new, grey, and offer the potential of failure. This is what we ask our prospective and first-year students to do constantly, to break out of their comfort zones and try new things – but with thoughtfulness and care. Shouldn’t we all be doing the same? I encourage you to start by giving 31Minutes a listen to get inspired for ways you can lead your campus to its next opportunity to thrive.
And on that note, I shift to my next opportunity…to see our incredible community of partners and colleagues at NACAC 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (This is the Driving part of the title. I have to admit, it is kind of awesome for the conference to be so close I can drive there.) Earlier this week I joined tweeting forces with Niche’s Will Patch to share tips for getting the most out of the exhibit hall. You can find all the tricks using #emchat. And if you’d like to connect with me at NACAC, just send an email or tweet @karynadams. Karen Black, 31Minutes co-host and H·A ThirtyOne’s creative content strategist, will also be on hand.
And lastly for this post, but really the most important, is a prompt to think about the future of higher ed and the enrollment field. It came from a fellow #emchat-er (you know who you are!) who asked for input on what changes we see ahead. In my opinion, the disruptions and changes I see making waves in enrollment are in response to student needs, to enable their success: increasing access for all students, engagement of new learning platforms, acceptance of varied windows of learning, and a rallying in support of ethics and collegiality in the field. This is where it all dovetails – the idea of moving from existing to thriving (as individuals and as institutions) and the opportunities that exist for this evolution, if…if…we allow ourselves to be ready for them.