Building a Productive Team Culture

Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Eddie Francis: It's one thing to have a team that works well together. It's another thing to have a team that knocks it out of the park so well that they both get results as an increased productivity and honors and grow at the same time, even through executive leadership changes. That's the story of the marketing and communications team at Purdue University.

[00:00:22] Two of their leaders joined me on this edition of I Want to Work There.

[00:00:31] No matter the institution, company, or organization, everyone wants to find the best talent, and everyone wants to keep their best talent. Higher education is no different. I'm Eddie Francis. I've worked at both Talent Acquisition And higher ed marketing on this podcast, we're going to explore the ways to create a great experience for faculty and staff on your campus, because in education, a great employee experience equals a great student experience.[00:01:00] 

[00:01:00] And who doesn't want that? We'll have some honest conversation. Get insights from experts and hear success stories from campuses. It's all about developing an attractive employer brand, something that'll make the people say, I want to work there.

[00:01:20] Art Ethan Braden is the executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Purdue university and Purdue global. In 2020, Ethan was named the AMA foundation, higher education marketer of the year. He has appeared in fast company magazine. The Washington Post, AdAge, The Hechinger Report, and Morning Brew.

[00:01:39] Kelly Hiller is Purdue's Executive Director of Creative Services. She spearheaded communications for the university's 150th anniversary and she's been compared to a palm tree for her ability to remain strong yet flexible amidst the winds of chaotic change. In 2020, Purdue's marketing and communications team won [00:02:00] the AMA marketing team of the year.

[00:02:02] In 2022, Purdue was selected by Fast Company as one of the brands that matter. And in 2023, Purdue was recognized again by Fast Company as one of the top 20 most innovative companies. Here's my conversation with Ethan Brayden and Kelly Hiller. So, Ethan, let's start with you. You've actually had kind of an interesting path into Purdue.

[00:02:21] Talk about what it is that you were doing before you got into your position at 

[00:02:26] R. Ethan Braden: Purdue. Sure. Thanks, Eddie. And thanks for the chance to be on here with you. The easy answer is I spent 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry. In marketing at Eli Lilly and company, and it was the same gentleman that brought me to Lilly in 2006 as an intern that ended up bringing me to Purdue in 2018 as the CMO.

[00:02:44] Dan Hassler was the CMO at Lilly globally when he retired in 2010, and then he Went and spent another eight years, no more than that, 10 years with Mitch Daniels, partly as secretary of commerce for a couple of years, then running the research foundation here at Purdue and then moved over during our 150th [00:03:00] anniversary to run that with Kelly here for that matter and serve for a little while as Purdue's true and first chief marketing officer.

[00:03:07] It's when he took that role that he called me and said, essentially, um, I need a number two. I'd like it to be you come up here and if you earn it, you'll be the number one someday. And thankfully that played out. But no, I had the pleasure of spending 10 years at Lilly and now five, almost five years at Purdue University.

[00:03:24] Eddie Francis: Good. That's a good thing. In some cases, Ethan, those are famous last words. If you stick around, you'll be the guy one day. And Kelly, you actually have spent some time, quite some time at Purdue. So you know the players very, very well. You spearheaded the sesquicentennial. So talk about your path at Purdue.

[00:03:45] Sure. 

[00:03:45] Kelly Hiller: Well, I mean, I've always kind of been drawn to the non for profit work and then moved to higher education and was Ivy Tech Community College for a while. And then received a call from a colleague who had moved from Ivy Tech to [00:04:00] Purdue and encouraging me to go for a position, which I did. And there it all started.

[00:04:04] So I started off in central marketing. And then after a couple of years, an opportunity arose at the alumni association to oversee some communications there. So shifted there and I was there about 10 years and really enjoyed the work there and the challenges there and growing that communications department.

[00:04:20] But I heard rumblings that we were going to be doing something big. For 150th, and I really wanted to be a part of that opportunity. I thought it could be a really unique moment in my career and opportunity to be a part of Purdue history. So I started those conversations and luckily got the job to lead that was marketing efforts and had the opportunity, like Ethan said, to work under Dan Hassler and had a lot of fun doing that, and then once that assignment came to an end, when he hired Ethan, it was time to kind of start talking about my transition.

[00:04:51] Joined Ethan and the leadership team at Purdue marketing. So I've come full circle. I'm back at where I started. And, and I often joke, you know, when I'm [00:05:00] hiring new employees, that my longevity is not a sign of a lack of ambition. I'm a very ambitious person, but I, you know, I've got to do a lot of cool things at Purdue and I really believe in the mission and the people.

[00:05:11] So it's kept me challenged for quite a long time. 

[00:05:16] Eddie Francis: So Ethan, when you arrived at Purdue. What did you do? What did you recognize, I should say, as opportunities? And what were some of the good things that you wanted to build on, uh, that you already saw happening at Purdue? 

[00:05:30] R. Ethan Braden: Yeah. I mean, that was the quest and that was the challenge and that was the rally cry that I was given from Dan and from Mitch Daniels, our president and our chairman, Mike Berghoff at the time.

[00:05:39] And it was this idea that the Purdue brand was strong and precious and iconic and well recognized and it stood for things. That matter, especially right now. But that maybe the marketing engine underneath that wasn't doing justice to telling that story, you know, with the fundamentals and the discipline and the pop and the culture and the mojo [00:06:00] that that brand deserved.

[00:06:01] And so it was about coming and, and, you know, really working with this group to sophisticate and to modernize our approach towards marketing at the central level, at the enterprise level to help this organization quickly realize that their campus partners across the campus weren't clients, but rather colleagues.

[00:06:21] And to really adjust their focus, you know, externally to true stakeholders, students, families, industry partners, researchers, companies, et cetera. I was very excited, like I said, about the strength of the brand and where we were at that time, right? I was at that point in time, six years in to Mitch Daniels tenure.

[00:06:40] We had frozen tuition since 2013. The demand for the Purdue brand was strong and it was only getting stronger, but we needed to tell that story with excellence and with care and with emotion. And the other thing I would say is, I was coming on the heels of the 150th anniversary where Dan and Kelly, I think for the first time, taught this campus that, that, [00:07:00] you know, acting as a symphony.

[00:07:02] And marketing together with Purdue and the gold and black is the tip of the spear and that which people recognize and want was far stronger than trying to whistle symphonies on their own, you know, within their respective colleges and their respective taglines, colors, et cetera. And so when we all got on the same song sheet through the anniversary, it showed us what we could be.

[00:07:22] And the question was, after that big party was over, you know, do we go the after party together and keep that up or do we go back to our disparate corners? And so one of the things I was very encouraged about was just this idea that. The campus had seen the value of telling the story together. Could we amplify and continue to unite that sort of endeavor moving forward?

[00:07:42] Eddie Francis: Isn't that one of the most ironic things about higher ed is that you'll see an institution, the institution has a strong presence. Recognizable. People love it. And then at some point, you know, you might see that the marketing or the comms or something like [00:08:00] that is not quite connecting those dots. So I think it's really cool that you had this really Nice measured approach.

[00:08:07] And it seemed like you had a pretty patient approach on top of that as you know, to, to really, so for those who are listening, we're on video right now. And Ethan is like, yeah, I guess so. Patience isn't really much of a thing with, with the marketing people. So, all right. So let's just say that you had an approach to go ahead and to really connect the dots with the, with the brand there.

[00:08:32] And so that, that brings me to you, Kelly, back to you is, you know, with your having spent time at Purdue and haven't seen a lot of things, I can. Safely assume when they see leadership changes, they see the new CMO coming in, or they see the new VP of marketing, whoever coming in, there's some people who are going to make some business decisions based on what they see in the culture, based on how the culture shifts.

[00:08:56] What were your thoughts about where things were [00:09:00] headed as you watched Ethan come in, as you saw the transition from, I know. Nice of me to put you on the spot here, isn't it? So, but what were your thoughts? Sure. I do 

[00:09:12] Kelly Hiller: think in that aspect, we were patient. We had come off the one 50. There was an urgency to make sure that, you know, we continue to sing in unison to be on the same team, but we didn't want to dismiss.

[00:09:27] The, you know, the research, the learnings that needed to take place with, you know, what's our next strategic move? How does it, how does our brand evolve? What does that look like? And so Ethan was very methodical and thinking that through, making sure we did a lot of research, formed a lot of relationships.

[00:09:44] So we took a lot of time to make sure that we did the brand evolution in a right way that created buy in that brought people in as a part of the process. You know, at the end of the day, no one was surprised. There was no surprises. Everyone was behind it, was excited because they got a taste of the [00:10:00] potential during the one 50 and they were ready for more, uh, you know, by Through these efforts, in a lot of cases in the marketing and communications offices around campus, we made their job easier.

[00:10:10] We gave them the song sheets, we gave them the music, and then they could fine tune some things to their area, but they were really anxious to have that level of support coming down from central marketing that they hadn't experienced before. So, I do think we did exhibit patience throughout that process, and respect to our campus marketers and what they bring to the table, and better defining.

[00:10:31] But what are their expectations? What are our expectations moving forward? And how are we going to tell the story of Purdue University in a way that compliments each other and continues to enchant others and drive on the goals that we're looking to achieve? Yeah, 

[00:10:47] R. Ethan Braden: Eddie, if I pick up on that for a second, what I think is So important with people like Kelly and our other leaders that we've been able to add to the team over the last five years is a couple of thoughts.[00:11:00] 

[00:11:00] You know, 1, there's this notion of compound interest, right? Messy. Lyle Messi says it took me 17 years and 100 days to become an overnight success. Like, I used to go home to my wife at night. And say to her, you know, sweetheart, I feel like I'm rowing alone right now. And what we need to do is excite and cultivate and unite a marketing community here that's rowing together and that will get the compound interest based on their contributions on a daily level.

[00:11:24] And, and it took us two or three years to start to see some of those rewards. And then the other one I think about a lot, and you hear this from Shane Parrish at the Knowledge Report, uh, Knowledge Project, or you hear it from Adam Grange, or you hear it from Rich Roll, and they talk about, you know, in the short term, you want intensity, and in the long term, you want consistency.

[00:11:40] And so when you think about patience, I think this notion of we were patient, but we were consistent. We kept coming at it, coming at it. We never relented. We saw what we wanted to be. We never thought we were great. We still don't. Because as Jim Collins says, that's when you're on the slide of mediocrity, but we kept coming at it consistently, impassioned and committed to the change we wanted to make, and I think that's why we [00:12:00] are, you know, now where we are five years later.

[00:12:06] Eddie Francis: Well, it happened again. Prospect Paul is excited about attending your institution, but is getting consistently confused by all of the information and tasks he needs to complete to enroll, creating friction, and even worse, Melt. You knew this would happen again, didn't you? Which is why you've been flagging the need for a come to Jesus meeting with leadership from marketing admissions and I.

[00:12:31] T. To audit the digital experience for prospective students. Here's a problem. You're not going to convince Mark for marketing to let go of this precious marketing automation software. Adriana from admissions just got set up with her new C. R. M. And Isabel from I. T. Is still working through ticket requests from last Christmas.

[00:12:50] But What if you come to the table with a solution that didn't require anyone to let go of their software, while at the same [00:13:00] time ensuring a frictionless experience for prospects and current students alike? Guess what, my friend? Today's your lucky day. Meet Pathify, an innovative higher ed engagement hub that puts students at the center of their college journey.

[00:13:14] Pathify sits at the center of your school's digital ecosystem, becoming the single user experience interface tying all systems, content and communications together. Their engagement hub elevates the information that matters most and pushes systems like the SIS Behind the scenes where they belong, making it simpler for students to discover and engage with the opportunities your institution provides at every step of their higher ed journey from prospect to alumni.

[00:13:45] What's even better, Pathify has a mobile experience that provides 100 percent parity with a responsive web app so your campus app is always in sync. Pathify. Pathify is a platform that every stakeholder on campus from [00:14:00] marketing to admissions to student affairs to I. T. etc. can equally get excited about.

[00:14:07] So learn more about Pathify and how it's uniting strategic units across campus and bettering the entire student experience by visiting pathify. com. And be sure to tell them that Eddie from I Want to Work There sent you their way.

[00:14:26] You, you mentioned Ethan, you know, this feeling at one point of rolling alone, and that flows very nicely into something else I wanted to ask you about. I actually did this review of a bunch of leadership articles one day, and I just, I was really, really curious about what people thought the biggest leadership challenges were.

[00:14:45] And I reviewed over 30 articles, and the thing that came up the most frequently is managing change. And I think that when it comes down to having a team, especially at an institution as big as Purdue, when [00:15:00] you have a team, it can probably be kind of tough. To make sure that change is being managed and to make sure the team is one where everybody wants to be, where everyone wants to stay, that you and your folks, y'all did the opposite.

[00:15:15] You grew in the process of some very interesting change that was going on at Purdue. So with that being the case. And understanding the effect of culture when it, when it comes to this sort of thing, how have you and your leaders been able to guide your team through change and what role has culture played in the process of guiding through change?

[00:15:41] R. Ethan Braden: Yeah, good. And big question, Eddie. I'd start with the who, right? The biggest piece of our transformation. You said we grew, we transformed, right? When I got here, there was roughly 55 people on the team these days of that 55, about 20 or left. And we're now a staff of a hundred, two thirds of our people have been hired in the [00:16:00] last five years.

[00:16:00] A third, roughly of our people have been hired in the last year. So we have had some pretty significant transformation, but a lot of the who there was what mattered, right? We needed people with the DNA, you know, that not only understood the mission of Purdue University, but we're on a mission. To tell the story with emotion to tell the story that was going to create enchantment goosebumps in our target audiences.

[00:16:23] So we focused a lot on who are we going to add and, you know, COVID was an accelerant in that it took us from a cubicle culture to roughly 80 percent remote at this point. People don't come to campus now monotonously, you know, to be in office. They come to campus with a purpose and that might be an office supply or a meeting or a taping or a shoot or whatever it may be.

[00:16:43] Thank you. But there's a maturity, there's a professionalism now, there's a sophistication that has to be there. There's a trust that has to be there culturally to go through that much change of literally going from, you know, a newspaper and magazine printing shop and cubicles to now, you know, as Dave Gerhart says, he says, [00:17:00] don't create a marketing department, create a media company for your niche.

[00:17:04] I believe we have a media company now at Purdue University telling our story. But as it pertains to the culture, we were really deliberate. We used the Salesforce's V2MOM, which is vision, virtues, methods, obstacles, and measurements. And I won't hit all of those, but I think there's a few parts that really matter.

[00:17:21] We, and I credit Kelly and Julie Rosa and Katie Pratt and others with the creation of this as it then trickled down to the team, but we were really deliberate about four virtues. That we felt had to define our culture for the culture and the organization that we wanted in the future versus maybe what we had been known for in the past.

[00:17:41] And so those really quickly, the first one is that we're empowered and that was to say, we want to go into situations believing that we can cast change, that we are empowered to go create change, that we're not the driven within the marketing and realm here at Purdue University. We're actually the driver of brand and prosperity and growth.[00:18:00] 

[00:18:00] The second of that is when you're, when you're empowered to go right when you're leaning in and you go first, what I wanted was a staff and I think Kelly and Katie would agree with this, that was optimistic that we believe that we went into situations with the benefit of the doubt and believe that good things could happen.

[00:18:13] Number three, what we really wanted a reputation for was excellence. So the work we're going to do, the way we understand our mastery of the functions and the disciplines of marketing. Our outputs were going to be excellent, and if they're not, you know, we're going to check ourselves on that. And so we want to make sure that the work we do, you know, commensurate again to that Purdue brand is excellent.

[00:18:35] And then the last piece for us was care or respect. We talked about that a lot. We have respect for our colleagues, for our brand, for our operations, for our stakeholders. We also have respect for each other. And our and our gifts and our time and our effort, which means that we have to prioritize and at times we need to tell people no, or we need to insert some expertise out of respect for our craft and say, actually, this is what we need to do.

[00:18:57] So I say that to say, [00:19:00] those four of your virtues of empowerment, optimism, excellence and care really guide our operations and it's guided now 100 percent staff that is, you know, each and every day and each and every year, putting up different results, winning different awards and generally enchanting our target audiences.

[00:19:16] More and more by the day, and I just couldn't be more proud of them. We talked about that a lot. We have respect for our colleagues, for our brand, for our operations, for our stakeholders. We also have respect for each other and our gifts and our time and our effort, which means that we have to prioritize.

[00:19:32] And at times we need to tell people no, or we need to insert some expertise out of respect for our craft and say, actually, this is what we need to do. So I say that to say. Those four of your virtues of empowerment, optimism, excellence and care really guide our operations and it's guided now a hundred person staff that is, you know, each and every day and each and every year putting up different results, winning different awards and generally enchanting our target audiences more and more by the day.

[00:19:59] And I [00:20:00] just couldn't be more proud of them. 

[00:20:02] Eddie Francis: So I have a, I have kind of an unfair question. So either one of you can take this. I have been in a position where I have thought to myself, and I've asked myself this question, okay, if I had to deal with high skill and, um, A marginal attitude. Would I rather that, or do I want a great attitude or somebody that I have to really bring along on the skill level?

[00:20:30] What say you to that? Either one of you can take it. Kelly, you're probably smiling a little bit harder than Ethan is on this one. It sounds like you're eager to say something. What you got? 

[00:20:40] Kelly Hiller: No, I'm, you know, we've, we've talked about that and I think we've learned just through experience and the fact that we are very intentional about our culture.

[00:20:48] I mean, of all the things. Uh, that we've accomplished since Ethan and I started on this journey together. The culture that we built is the thing that I'm most proud of. And I do think [00:21:00] there's a balance. I need 49 percent skill, but then I'm about 51 percent attitude 

[00:21:06] Eddie Francis: because I can, I can, I love the very small percentage of separate separation, you know, I can upskill 

[00:21:15] Kelly Hiller: someone and I'd take that skill set a little lower, I can upskill someone to a degree.

[00:21:20] But there needs to be a baseline foundation and on two, it depends on level of position. That's also a factor, but having the personality and just feeling like this person is really going to jive with this team is going to sink is going to feel fueled and energized and fulfilled. At this point, I really lean on my team.

[00:21:41] To interview for skill. And so by the time a candidate gets to me, I am almost 100 percent focused on culture and really digging in and poking on that, uh, to make sure that they're going to be just as much of a good fit for us as we are for them, uh, and, uh, [00:22:00] making sure that that's aligned. So I do think personality attitude is, is really important.

[00:22:05] It does outweigh skill, in my opinion. 

[00:22:09] R. Ethan Braden: One, Kelly's the best. So what she said, but no, I think, I think of a couple of quotes. So Philip Kotler, who says, you know, this isn't profound, right? You can learn marketing in a day, but it'll take you a lifetime to perfect. And, you know, Dilbert says that the marketing is just liquor and guessing.

[00:22:25] So the stuff can't be all that hard. I think, especially in a nonprofit environment, in an environment like Purdue university, it's so mission driven. You know, my predecessor would say the same thing for the most part. Most of this can be taught. I want the motor, right? I want the initiative. I want the proactivity.

[00:22:43] I want the orientation to change positivity, impact contribution. You know, I think about Bailey Leffler, who we hired. A couple of years ago, you know, we didn't know what her marketing skill was, but we heard a couple of stories about her motor, about her, uh, her initiative and her love for pre university.

[00:22:59] And now she's killing [00:23:00] it. She's been promoted twice and, and she's one of our best marketers, but she's learned that somewhat on the job. And I think lastly, you know, Daniel Pink talks about engagement at work and he says it's a, it's a function of purpose, autonomy, and mastery, right? So are we aimed at something we care about?

[00:23:17] Do you have the autonomy to do the work to the very best of your ability without being micromanaged? That mastery piece is intrinsic, right? We have people that are learning the art and the science of YouTube, the art and the science of social media and tagging, the art and the science of social listening, the art and the science, you know, of, of SEO.

[00:23:38] And that's intrinsic for them to have to go learn that. But it starts with the motor and do they have it to go get it? And so we have people that love Purdue. They want to contribute, they want to perform at a high level. And I think from that, we can either teach them anything they need to learn. They can go learn it on their own or we'll buy it from them or buy it for them in a professional development setting.

[00:23:56] So. I'll take the motor over the skill any day of the week. [00:24:00] 

[00:24:01] Eddie Francis: Kelly, I always talk about the fact when I'm talking to colleagues about higher education, I always talk about the fact that a college campus is like a small city. Well, in the case of, in the case of universities like Purdue, you're pretty much it.

[00:24:14] But, but I always talk about the fact that it's like a small city. Much more than respect that you have all of these different neighborhoods, all these different academic units, you know, all the business units. And of course you have the president who is the mayor of the whole thing and all these different folks who are walking around.

[00:24:32] So with that. Being in mind, I think on a college campus, culture begets culture a lot of times, you know, the culture of one unit could easily affect the culture of another unit. So with that, with that being the case, how have you, how have the relationships between the MarCom team and units across campus changed over the past few years?

[00:24:54] Especially if you take a look back to years before that, how have you seen that change happen? [00:25:00] 

[00:25:01] Kelly Hiller: I think it's been a pretty drastic change. We decided. As we rolled out the, the evolved brand and that platform, and then simultaneously as COVID hit and budget dollars were scrutinized, we took some time to really define who we are and the work we're going to do, and we communicated that out to the campus, which then forced a conversation within those units to decide, okay, this is where, what we can expect from marketing and communication, this is where we can lean on them, and this is where we no longer can lean on them, and we need to rely On our own head count to execute these functions.

[00:25:36] So then when you have that conversation, you become a lot more critical of what you do, and you maybe don't always run the same play just because that's the way you've always done it. When you have more accountability to those dollars and to those results, it shifts the dynamic. And so I think that was a very, you know, healthy change.

[00:25:53] I'm sure it was a hard change for some, um, but now through. You know, our role is being the great [00:26:00] drivers of marketing. You know, we're providing tools, expertise, content, all these things out to the units, essentially that makes their job easier for, especially for those that have really, that have small shops, maybe just have one or two people, but they now can lean on our mark.

[00:26:16] platform, which provides templates, or it can utilize our photo and video galleries that we, that we continuously update. We have templates on our website of PowerPoint, InDesign files, all these extra things that they can now utilize in their areas to tell their stories and to market their programs that they no longer need to rely on us.

[00:26:38] So I feel like we definitely have become what I would consider true partners. And that we're no longer technically a service provider, but a partner we're looked at for marketing expertise. And that's something that I really value and my team really values. And we've also just increased the level of conversation.

[00:26:56] We're very active on our teams channels and [00:27:00] sharing out tips, tricks, updates, key content, things that are coming out. We have a weekly PCC email. that goes out campus wide with content, with priorities, new features in social media they they should know about all kinds of information. And we also host what we call a brand council where we bring usually monthly or bi monthly marketing leaders across campus to have conversations about what's coming, what institutional priorities we're leveraging at the moment, those types of things.

[00:27:28] So I do feel like that it's become more conversational but yet accountable. Across the across the campus and and how we market their university. 

[00:27:38] Eddie Francis: So let me ask a follow up to that and really, you know, selfishly, this is really probably more of a personal curiosity than anything, based on some of the experiences that that I had had on campuses.

[00:27:49] So making that transition from order takers to drivers. Did you find that there might have been some [00:28:00] units on campus that you had to kind of talk them into partnership a little bit, you know, and you and you know, you had to say, Hey, listen, it's okay. It's okay. If we, if we give you a little pushback, we're trying to help here.

[00:28:12] Have you found that some units had to be talked into it because they were so used to the order ticker culture and then they had to get used to the brand driver culture? 

[00:28:21] Kelly Hiller: Well, I would say a big difference for us that I've maybe heard from other universities that doesn't happen is we had support from the top down.

[00:28:28] I mean, we pulled everyone into a room and the president, Mitch Daniels, took the stage and set the expectations. And so... I think some of our colleagues at other institutions would love to have that moment and are probably envious of it. But when you have your leader saying, okay, here are the expectations and here's the play we're going to run and I expect you to do it, it does start off a little bit differently.

[00:28:54] Now, have there been, you know, one off situations that we've had to deal with? And I would, yes, but it's all about [00:29:00] approach, right? You know, if you see something that's not compliant, it's not a, You turn a negative into a positive, like, okay, here's this, and this isn't compliant, but here's suggestions or here's things you can, here's a solution.

[00:29:13] So coming at it with a very proactive solutions oriented approach, again, with team members who do excellent work and show care for others, um, really, really drives the conversation in the right direction. 

[00:29:26] Eddie Francis: So what you're saying is that time I kicked in the door, one of the universities where I worked was probably not the most productive approach.

[00:29:33] Kelly Hiller: Probably not. Particularly for the person on the other side of the door. 

[00:29:39] Eddie Francis: Ethan, were you going to add something to that or or you? You acquiesce to Kelly 

[00:29:43] R. Ethan Braden: on that one. I think the only thing I'd add is I, I, I say a lot, people support that, which they create. And so we, um, I think over time as we built the brand platform and other things that that nature here at Purdue, bringing people along, helping them understand the context, helping them [00:30:00] understand the intent, helping them understand the why and have their fingerprints all over the work.

[00:30:05] Allows them to go back and it creates responsibility to for them to go back and tell their dean or their department head or their vice provost, you know, why decisions have been made, why things have landed the way they have. And they become advocates. They become little heat seeking missiles for us and champions for the work that we don't have to be corporate.

[00:30:25] Right. Telling them necessarily how it's going to be or why it's going to be, you've created advocates across the campus that believe in the work and have some ownership of it. And so I think that's been key is creating that community of what good looks like together over the last five years has, I think, broken down a lot of the silos of mine and my hashtag and my colors and my logo, et cetera, and instead said, well, Purdue.

[00:30:49] You know, and that word has a thousand words of equity within it. How do I become the very best version of myself or us at Purdue? And that which we've created, I've helped, you [00:31:00] know, been a part of. I've, I've, I have my fingerprints all over it. So how could I go against it? And that's helped a ton. 

[00:31:05] Eddie Francis: No, I really didn't kick in anybody's door.

[00:31:07] I don't want anybody to get worried there. So one of the things I like to ask guests is about the way forward for colleges and universities to convert their faculty and staff into brand ambassadors. So since the Purdue team has thrived through COVID and presidential change and other types of transition, I'd like to hear from both of you, what your thoughts are about how teams on campuses can make their areas.

[00:31:33] Places where people do want to, where people say, I want to work there. So Ethan, I'll start with you. What do you think? 

[00:31:41] R. Ethan Braden: Again, I go back to, you know, what is orienting that culture, right? You know, if you, if you say we're about customer service, right, and your employee gets in trouble because they were out in the parking lot, helping a customer change a tire versus being on time to that meeting, [00:32:00] you don't prioritize, you don't care about customer service.

[00:32:02] You apparently care about timeliness. You apparently care about attendance. And so I think for us being really clear about who we are, what we stand for and kind of who's going to do well here, maybe who's not recruiting upon that living up to that. What you do is what you say, right? And what you say is what you do.

[00:32:22] I think being very clear and being very congruent with our values, our virtues, our goals, our objectives, our expectations creates a culture where again, somebody should be able to come to us and see purpose in Purdue. They should feel autonomy and being able to live their craft and contribute on a daily basis to the collective contribution or the collective realization of our goals.

[00:32:44] And if they've got the makeup that we think we've hired, they're going to strive for mastery in their space and they're going to become hopefully really good at what they do. And at that point, as Dan Hassler always told me, you know, your job is to be externally valuable and, and provided we want you and I hope we [00:33:00] do, our job is to keep you.

[00:33:02] So how do we create an environment? That does succeed in the area of retention. For me, it's being very clear on our values, living those values, recruiting to those values, rewarding those values and penalizing against them when they're out of whack and making the hard decisions and living by them. Kate Kelly is the queen and she's the best at identifying what needs to be done.

[00:33:26] And then doing it. And she does it for the sake of our performance. She does it for the sake of our culture. She does it for the sake of being fair, but right by people. And I think that has helped us create a culture that people want to join, that they want to stay a part of, that they want to advance within, they want to know that there is succession.

[00:33:44] Within it for them and that they don't have to leave to get necessarily more money or a bigger job or the chance to manage others or greater purpose. So for us, it's living our values and first being very clear about what those are. I 

[00:33:56] Kelly Hiller: would definitely agree with that. I mean, I oversee our creative team and [00:34:00] You know, some things I have that have stood out to me is, is I talk with team members or, you know, when we're bringing on new team members, is that the culture that you promised me during the interview or that we talked about in the interview, it really is legit and there's high expectations on performance.

[00:34:16] But yet it really is about the work. I've heard things like, I've never worked at a place where egos are checked at the door, as well as they are here. Where it's about the work and not about like personal preference feedback, which can be a real pain point for creatives. So making sure that You know, we're doing excellent work, but we also really do take care of each other.

[00:34:37] And I, I see examples of that time and time again. We all have jobs, but we all have lives outside of work and life happens. Everybody's navigating something on every given day. And so jumping in to help a colleague who, you know, is maybe going through that something that day or has to step away suddenly, you know, we do that and no one hesitates despite your level or what you do.

[00:34:58] They'll cover you and help you out. [00:35:00] But again, at the end of the day, it is. It's about accountability. It's about great work. It's about setting everybody up on our team for success and what their version of success looks like. And does that then fit the trajectory of where we're going as a team? You know, how do we get that perfect alignment or make sure, you know, we often say that everybody's in the right seat on the bus.

[00:35:21] It's really important to us and then, and then thriving in the right direction. So I do think we, we worked really hard to acknowledge great work, make sure people, you know, their tanks are filled. Those moments are celebrated. That should be celebrated and, and just enjoy time together too, which is something you have to be intentional about in a remote environment.

[00:35:40] It's easy just to kind of get, get down to business and jump right into the meeting, but to take a few minutes and, you know, whether it's an icebreaker or. Kind of just to get to know you question on those moments are valuable to and building a really good culture that people want to be a part 

[00:35:55] Eddie Francis: of. Well, Kelly, even if anyone wants to connect with you or follow you, [00:36:00] wherever you want to connect with folks on social media, Kelly, I'll start with you.

[00:36:04] What's the best way for folks to find out more about you or to connect with you? 

[00:36:09] Kelly Hiller: Definitely on LinkedIn. I should say pretty active on there. So feel free to message me there. All 

[00:36:15] Eddie Francis: right. And what 

[00:36:16] R. Ethan Braden: about you, Ethan? LinkedIn is wonderful. You can Google us. That's fine, too. And find in all of our ways. But I think not purdue.

[00:36:25] edu is not only a great way to get a hold of us, but it's a treasure chest of the work that we've done, the resources that we've created, the way we approach brand. And so we copied Loyola Marymount back in the day of having a great brand site. And we think that's now ours. And so to find us and to find our brand marcom.

[00:36:42] purdue. edu is a great 

[00:36:44] Eddie Francis: Avenue. It is. This is a great site. I've really enjoyed going through it. I've gone through it like several times. It's almost like a binge watching a website, Ethan Kelly. Thank you so much for joining me on. I want to work there.[00:37:00] 

[00:37:03] I want to work. There is part of the enrollify podcast network. If you like this podcast, check out other enrollify shows. The Enrollified Podcast Network is growing by the month with all kinds of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows. And they're jam packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks, all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional.

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[00:37:46] So, uh, come and find yours.[00:38:00]