Dr. Neil Hair

RIT's Saunders College of Business launched it's online EMBA program about three years ago with the express intention of innovating the provision of online education for executives. Top among those innovations are the use of highly immersive, interactive experiential approaches. Unlike our regular MBA and undergraduate business programs, executives bring with them a set of unique challenges that alter the usual approaches of instruction. One example is in the use of pro-bono real world client projects. Contractual obligations towards current employers and time constraints are two of these challenges. Add to the mix the geographic dispersion of many of our executive students (some serving overseas in the military for instance) and we find ourselves limited in what we can do to create great learning experiences. Undeterred and fully supportive of 'experience' based approaches the program arrived at a potential solution. In my Marketing Strategy course I make use of something as seemingly simple as a fictitious 'client'. Each week the client reveals additional issues surrounding it's ability to compete effectively in the market – and the job of the EMBA team is to reflect on the ways in which the theoretically rich nature of the materials can be applied to solving this problem. The results are in – executives love it and so too the judges of innovative teaching practices at institute level at RIT. Students get the benefit of application (something critical to the success of executive training where more often than not students need to be able to apply their learning to their jobs on Monday morning), the immersion of team interaction (thanks Adobe Connect), and the delivery of a real world marketing plan at the end of the intensive process (our EMBA courses last a short 6 weeks). It is with great pleasure therefore that Ive been awarded the task of representing the approach of my course specifically at the Educational Futures Faculty Showcase in the Spring. For more information on our online EMBA and the benefits of the program look here.

I recently had the pleasure of serving on a panel of RIT forward thinkers for the Wallace Center at RIT. Liz Lawley, Enid Cardinal, Ryne Raffaelle and Mike Johansson gathered with the purpose of identifying top practices or tips for forward thinking. Several gems were shared including;

1. Consider your network sacred – it holds all of the answers to future problems if you engage or follow the right people.

2. Forget local news – focus on whats happening internationally in science and technology and make a daily commitment to it.

3. Shower, drive, day dream, and find yourself in waiting rooms more often. The down time of these daily events and activities can provide great 'thinking time' to ponder problems and solutions.

4. Play more! See exploration of new things as a form of play time. Give yourself an hour and invest in exploration of new software, worlds, techniques, stuff.. low risk, low investment, high potential ROI.

5. Learn to spot patterns of conversation in social networks – who shares common insights on issues that are not normally related or connected to each other? A great way of spotting higher level patterns of thinking regards new concepts.

6. Have FUN more often thinking about the future. Pontificate – naval gaze – identify common problems that might be solved by a little additional investment of time and energy.

7. Fail more! Its ok to FAIL. Failure shows us what the limitations of a system are, and how we might pick ourselves up and succeed more often.

8. Join the dots more. Plan on paper, problems towards possible solutions. Think about goals. A goal-less life is an unhappy life (or is it?).

9. Don't allow yourself the luxury of the 'I have no time to think about the future' argument. You have plenty of time to watch TV, read books / magazines, surf the net.

10. Think backwards. Chart a position in the future. Picture it – and then work backwards. Like setting goals, backward scenario planning can do wonders for forward thinking.
 

Looking forward to meeting Alums on the 3rd November where I'll present my personal branding diagnostic for digital realms. This is one of the areas where I feel we as a college might better prepare graduates and alums alike. I last lectured on this topic back in NYC to a packed house of former students and RIT alums. Scores from my diagnostic revealed a wide range of those that are using technological channels like LinkedIn to good effect, and those that are digital recluses. A happy medium should be sought between managing your presence in these channels, and protecting ones personal and private lives – suggestions for which are also given in my presentation.

Looking forward to addressing CNB's business expo on the nature and case for social media in modern enterprise on the 19th May. Increasingly companies are experimenting with new technology and quickly underestimating the commitment, resources, dangers and potential rewards of a well executed campaign. During the one hour session I will explore common channels (including a few up and comers that appear here to stay), the relevance of strategy, common business models, tactics, and caveats. One of the things that always surprises me is the lack of understanding that companies have regards the required resources, effort, dangers and rewards of a well placed social media campaign. What many come to realize is that they already have a story that's being told and cross channel integration of marketing efforts is the way forward.

I was recently asked to speak at RIT's AMA chapter on the nature of online personal brands and it seems to me that the message is starting to filter through. I was particularly pleased with the quality of discussion, it seems that Saunders is in good shape when it comes to marketers who understand that successful 'marketing' begins with the self. A number had pre-graduation business cards for instance, others a representation on Twitter (though by self admittance a slightly confused understanding on ideas for possible content), but only a few had registered a LinkedIn presence. On my personal branding diagnostic the highest was a 25 out of a possible 44 score (held by a former student of my internet marketing class none the less) and only a couple of people owned their own domain name. Hopefully plenty of homework was identified though thankfully nothing I have to grade! I've been really impressed too with the quality of the chapters promotions of speakers over the past few years – starting way back with a former student Maury Postal who took it upon himself to redesign the look and feel of the promotional materials. You'd be proud of this bunch Maury. I am.

I was delighted to work as part of a team for Friday's 6th RIT Entrepreneurship conference debating the role of social media on the entrepreneurial venture. The conversations were excellent and made to an almost packed crowd over at the auditorium in the Gollisano building. I had the pleasure of serving with Mike Johansson, a visiting professor of the Department of Communication at RIT, and Glenn Clark of Clark CSM. This added what Mike called 'a very united nations' feel to proceedings (Mike is from New Zealand and Glenn is American). The session was also moderated by our very own Vic Perotti from Saunders college of business. What I liked the most about the deliberations were the practical focus and prior experience of my colleagues (both of them still wearing battle scars from social media wars in the field). Key issues as we debated them along with our suggested outcomes;

1. The importance of your network as a new entrepreneur. The role that RIT has in placing you at the center of a vibrant, intellectual and creative community of individuals with whom you might one day come to rely on. Our advice – get stuck in and meet new interesting people and of course build that network over the years you are with us.
2. The role of personal branding. Manage and protect your brand across key channels. Google Alerts being one way to keep up to date with whats being said. Check privacy settings for your social media channels frequently ensuring these have not been reset to the default open position.
3. Perhaps the simplest – learning from mistakes and applying appropriate fixes (such as apologizing in instances where offense has been caused).
4. Managing time effectively in such spaces – consider using automation processes for updates, program integrators (like Digsby), and allotting specific time to tasks in social media channels.

The 6th conference was again a huge success, largely in part of the quality of those RIT'rs attending – what better way to kick start Brick City weekend than by hosting another vibrant conference. The networking opportunities of these events for would be entrepreneurs are excellent. See you all at the 7th next year!

Recently I took 85 members of the local YPO chapter through an afternoon social media bootcamp using the technology of the students Innovation Center at RIT. The facilities are impressive; from fully controllable sun screens to a four strong projection unit, plus more external screens than you can shake a stick at. These features enabled me to simultaneously demonstrate Second Life capabilities, a deck on social media strategy and a live twitter feed that enabled delegates to post questions about the event in a live setting. Didn’t stop there – three other screens to the right presenting a second twitter feed providing feedback on my performance, and a live Adobe Connect session broadcasting the event across the net – oh and don’t forget the wireless keyboard! All in all a great way to showcase RIT technology. What also made the difference though were the non technical facilities such as modular seating, fantastic food from Max’s Market and of course the quality of the delegation (including amongst others, William Mattar and many presidents from well known local and regional organizations). Thanks to Jon Shull and Ian Gatley of the Innovation Center for use of the facilities, Donna Slavin for her assistance in organizing behind the scenes, Katie McDonald for an overview of the RIT SL island, the YPO chairs for the opportunity to present and Dean Ash Rao for suggesting the Saunders college of business as host. 

Next Thursday, 4th March 2010, I have the distinct pleasure of hosting a training event for the Empire State Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization at RIT's Innovation Center. The event is aimed at young presidents considering actionable social media campaigns and runs from 2pm to 7.30pm to include dinner and cocktails. Im really looking forward to demonstrating the T in RIT – and exploring the capabilities of the newly opened Innovation Center.

Official Event details:

CALL TO ACTION:

Society has been greatly impacted by advances in social networking technologies that have enabled and supported one’s ability to connect, engage and compete. Despite the promise of social media and the rapid deployment of these tools many businesses and individuals are struggling to make sense of these phenomena. How do I use Twitter? Why should I be on LinkedIn and how do I make money from my participation? Isn’t Facebook for kids? Can I really benefit from a YouTube campaign for my business? How do I crowdsource? Why Geo tag my pictures? How do I access global experts and develop relationships with them? Do I really need
a SecondLife?

ACTION:

This hands-on workshop was designed to answer these questions and more. In partnership, the YPO will pitch state of the art technology of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Innovation, with bleeding edge knowledge of social media strategy from one of its most dynamic and engaging speakers – Professor Neil Hair of the Saunders College of Business. The session is aimed at all levels; providing a introductory overview of social media channels; the intermediate of designing personal and corporate social media strategy; and the advanced by exploring the metrics, resources and caveats of some of the world’s top social media  sers. Participants can expect to leave the session with a better understanding of the options, the business models of social media, and a plan of action for managing personal identity as well as corporate identity in this new world of web 3.0.

I recently developed a promotional youtube video with the YPO chairs which can be found here.

Today I visited the center to finalize the technical wizardry. View my video update report (and notable excitement!) here.

Im excited to announce a three part bootcamp program on social media. In conjunction with the Henrietta Chamber of Commerce and two well known social media experts – Emily Carpenter and Susan Beebe, we will be taking delegrates through the highs and lows of social media strategy. Increasingly, organizations are experimenting with social media platforms and channels like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn without grasping either the opportunity or the challenges of this new world of collaboration. This three-part series on Social Media will be aimed at all levels of experience.

7:30-8:00 am Registration
8:00-9:00 am Program (includes breakfast buffet)

February 24: Introduction to Social Media

• Basic overview of key Social Media sites
• Steps to establishing a solid Social Media infrastructure
• Walk away with action items to start your Social Media campaign

March 24: Strategies for Social Media

• Tools for managing Social Media sites
• Discover common metrics and analytics that demonstrate the impact of your social media initiative
• Know what to do when you walk out the door to measure your success

April 28: Social Media Panel Discussion – Q&A session

• Now that you've had a taste of the new world of Social Media, come ask the questions that you never knew to ask before
• Straight talk about Social Media with the speakers and each other
• Keep the momentum going for long-term success in the realm of Social Media
  

Delegates can sign up for this event here: http://hccsm4biz3.eventbrite.com/

Update: 24th Feb 2010.

The event today went well, always delighted to see so many local organizations taking social media seriously. We covered a great deal in 45 minutes and have homeworks for delegates so that they continue their journey. Looking forward to working with Emily and Susan again a month from now where we will explore strategy and the tricky but all important issue of metrics!

Next Friday (29th January) morning during Webster Chamber of Commerce's regular breakfast briefing event I will be providing attendees with an overview of social media. The focus will be on how it has impacted business and what role it is playing for advanced users. Should be a great event and I would encourage any interested parties to attend. Event registration can be found at www.websterchamber.com/ . The event starts at 7 and ends at 9am. Hope to see you there!