One pressing challenge we face as higher ed marketers is the lack of team integration and diversity within our departments.
When our marketing teams are not fully integrated and fail to reflect a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, we find ourselves at a significant disadvantage.
The absence of team integration leads to silos, miscommunication, and a lack of innovative ideas—an environment where great ideas are lost, and the energy that drives successful campaigns is stifled.
This disjointed approach not only hampers our ability to connect with prospective students but also results in lower enrollment numbers as our messaging fails to resonate with the diverse audiences we aim to reach.
Diverse teams bring a richness of perspectives that can drive creativity and inclusivity, ensuring our marketing efforts are both broad-reaching and deeply impactful.
When we prioritize team integration, we foster an environment where all voices are heard, and innovative solutions can thrive.
As Kin Sejpal, VP of Marketing and Communications at University of Redlands, shares in our latest podcast episode, integrating diverse perspectives is crucial to enhancing our marketing capabilities and achieving higher enrollment numbers.
In this conversation, we delve into actionable strategies for assessing team skills, promoting diversity, and building cohesive teams that are agile and prepared to navigate the dynamic world of higher education marketing.
The Importance of Assessing Capabilities and Skills
Kin begins by emphasizing the critical nature of assessing team capabilities and skills during integration.
She notes that understanding what team members like to do, what they are good at, and what they want to do can greatly influence their performance and satisfaction.
This assessment helps in aligning individual strengths with the institution’s goals and needs.
One thing I’ve realized is that people have their own understanding of what they like to do, what they’re good at, and what they want to do. Sometimes these align perfectly with organizational needs, and sometimes they don’t.
Promoting Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords for Kin; they are essential elements of building a successful marketing team.
Kin’s leadership at the University of Redlands is marked by her commitment to creating a diverse team that reflects different voices and backgrounds.
This diversity brings a richness of perspectives and ideas that drive innovation and inclusivity.
Being an international immigrant, first-generation student, and now an employee, I’m very cognizant of making sure there are different voices that are behind the scenes doing the marketing function.
My leadership and my group at large are both ethnically and culturally diverse. This diversity has benefited us in countless tangible and intangible ways, including enhancing our culture.
Building Efficient and Cohesive Teams
Kin shared practical advice on building cohesive teams.
She stressed the importance of setting clear goals and ensuring that these goals align from the strategic level down to individual contributors.
This alignment ensures that everyone is working towards the same objectives, fostering a sense of unity and purpose.
We’ve had the strategic plan goals ladder up to the divisional goals, which then go down to the individual contributor level. This way, we are all measuring and working towards the same idea.
Kin also highlights the value of integrating cultural goals alongside functional goals.
Encouraging team members to take ownership of cultural initiatives, whether it’s organizing social events or sharing best practices, helps build a strong, cohesive team culture.
Actionable Advice for Quick Wins
For those looking to quickly implement changes that can lead to immediate improvements, Kin advises stepping out of your bubble and connecting with team members you don’t often interact with.
This approach not only fosters a more inclusive environment but also helps you gain new insights and perspectives that can improve team integration and performance.
Identify that one person you haven’t talked to much and seek them out. Understanding their work and personality can shed light on how things can be improved going forward.
Embracing Change and Upskilling
With the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, Kin underscores the importance of upskilling and staying agile.
She advocates for a continuous learning culture where team members are encouraged to learn new technologies and methodologies.
This proactive approach ensures that the team can adapt to changes and leverage new tools effectively.
Kin also talks about the significance of insourcing versus outsourcing and how to strike the right balance.
The landscape of marketing is changing every day, it feels like. So, part of the conversation [we should be having] is also the insourcing/outsourcing pace and what we can continue to upskill within our own teams to keep up with those changes.
[We should be asking ourselves] what other people and other firms (like Caylor Solutions, for instance) are more adept at [doing with all the changes going on], and [how they can help us] embrace those changes, and help us think through implementing those changes.
By upskilling internal teams and leveraging external expertise when necessary, organizations can stay at the forefront of marketing innovations.
Grow with Caylor Solutions!
If you would like to upskill your marketing team, you should check out our custom team training at Caylor Solutions.
We know higher ed, and with our team of experts, we can customize training for you and your team that will help you make the most of your resources with practical action steps to impact your goals!
Interested? Contact us today and find out more!
And don’t forget to listen to our full interview with Kin Sejpal to get even more insights into:
- Changing up perspectives in team building
- Weighing aptitude versus attitude
- Being taught to learn
- Company culture reimagined
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Featured image via redlands.edu
