About the Episode
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About the Episode:
Today's inductee into the 2024 Enrollify Hall of Fame is Joshua Charles.
Josh has become a standout leader in higher education, recognized for his innovative approaches to collaboration, leadership, and breaking down institutional silos.
In this highlight reel, Josh shares his top strategies for fostering campus-wide collaboration, building relationships with leadership, and leveraging teamwork to achieve better outcomes. Whether you're navigating cross-campus partnerships or refining internal team processes, Josh’s insights provide a roadmap for creating meaningful change in higher education.
Key Takeaways
- Proactive Partnerships: Reach out to campus stakeholders directly, tailoring communication to their needs to foster collaboration and build trust.
- Understanding Leadership Priorities: Develop relationships with campus leaders to align your team’s work with the institution’s strategic goals.
- Focus on Audience-Centric Strategy: Identify your target audience, refine their journey, and differentiate your offerings by focusing on what you can control.
- Internal Team Collaboration: Build strong internal processes by fostering open conversations about roles, preferences, and workflows.
- Breaking Down Silos Across Institutions: Collaborate with peers at other institutions to share resources, align goals, and amplify collective impact.
Building Campus Partnerships
Josh highlights the importance of reaching out to key stakeholders across campus instead of waiting for collaboration to happen. By understanding how your work affects others and personalizing your communication to resonate with their goals, you can build trust and secure buy-in for future initiatives.
For example, Josh emphasizes the need to understand the priorities and communication styles of campus leaders such as associate deans of finance, faculty, or international students. These relationships are critical in aligning team efforts with broader institutional strategies.
Focusing on What You Can Control
In discussing challenges unique to Rutgers Business School, Josh advocates for focusing on audience-centric strategies to overcome barriers. Rather than dwelling on institutional politics, teams should:
- Clarify target audiences and map their journeys.
- Differentiate offerings by tailoring content and campaigns to specific needs.
- Use collaboration to share resources and learn from peers in similar roles across campus or even at competing institutions.
Josh’s advice centers on leveraging what is within your control—such as refining messaging or developing resourceful marketing strategies—to achieve impactful results.
Internal Collaboration: Building a Strong Team
Josh describes an intentional, hands-on approach to fostering collaboration within his team of 10. By organizing sessions focused on specific examples—such as marketing an MBA program—team members gain a clear understanding of each other’s roles, workflows, and needs.
Key steps include:
- Open Conversations: Encourage team members to share their communication and workflow preferences.
- Document Processes: Create shared documents outlining tasks, responsibilities, and dependencies to ensure alignment.
- Reflect and Improve: Dedicate meeting time to reflect on what’s working and identify areas for improvement.
These practices build trust and eliminate inefficiencies, ultimately creating a more cohesive team.
Breaking Silos Across Institutions
Josh also shares the value of connecting with staff at other institutions to foster a culture of collaboration. By understanding the scope of their resources, challenges, and strategies, teams can align efforts and learn from one another. For example, Rutgers Business School staff regularly engage with peers at Rutgers Camden, recognizing that cooperation benefits everyone—students, staff, and the institution at large.
Final Thoughts
Josh Charles’s commitment to fostering collaboration and creating meaningful change is a testament to his leadership in higher education. From breaking silos to strengthening internal processes, his insights inspire higher ed professionals to rethink how they work together to achieve better outcomes.
Connect With Our Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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