In Human Resources Director’s Specialization Blog, Karla Raines explains how managers can leverage their mission statements to influence and organization’s direction. Read more in “Stronger Together: How to Optimize People Management”

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This piece is published in full on Human Resources Director.

In Authority Magazine, Karla Raines describes her journey of becoming a Master Strategist. What does a Master Strategist look for during a client engagement? How does a Master Strategist embrace uncertainty? Read more in “On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant in the Face of Disruptive Technologies.”

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In essence, I’m running a start-up with angel investors, myself included, as we convert Differentiation Zone tools and my book, Differentiated, into a suite of relevant assets. In early 2021, we launched a working prototype of the digital platform. A beta group of purpose-driven strategists engages with me as we bring the concept to reality.

My days are filled with digital buildouts, social media flurries, book sales, writing, and consulting. This is the most satisfying and exciting year of my career, and I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to share what I’ve learned. When you are disrupting, you are creating something novel and unexpected. There is no actual comparator. You are skating to where the puck is going to be, to quote hockey player Wayne Gretzky.

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To read the full article, head to Authority Magazine using this link.

In CEO World Magazine, Karla Raines welcomes CEOs to a new era for differentiation strategy. A company’s roadmap to success begins with a clarity of customer, proceeds to a steely-eyed review of new competitors, and ends with a renewed commitment to delivering on your unique differentiators. Unpack these ideas in “Three Steps to Differentiation Success.”

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The pace of change is unheralded. Broad consumer trends quickly become widely adopted norms. Clubhouse competes with Zoom and Facebook as people seek new ways to connect and converse. Why watch (or listen) to someone else’s story when you can narrate your own?

My work with purpose-driven organizations spanning arts and entertainment, education, and financial services offers strategic lessons for executives in highly competitive industries like yours. Does your company have a differentiation strategy, one that converts competitive advantage into a decisive multi-year direction? It’s time to update your playbook.

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This piece has been published online at CEO World Magazine. To read the full article, click the button below.

On HR.com, Karla Raines describes her journey of becoming a Master Strategist. What does a Master Strategist look for during a client engagement? How does a Master Strategist embrace uncertainty? Read more in “Lessons in Leadership from a Master Strategist.”

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My career is defined by board room moments when I needed to educate, persuade, convince, and motivate leaders to embrace unique strategic opportunities.

I am referring to senior teams and boards of directors making high-stakes decisions of multi-year consequences involving notable investments. Following the meeting, they would set about convincing staff and stakeholders that change was desired, not merely necessary, and the calculated risks worthwhile. Those leadership moments held the power to change each company’s future. Would the executives resonate with the empathy-based and data-driven customer insights? Would they embrace their unique competitive advantage? Did they have the discipline to say “no” to say “yes?” Or would they shy away, stuck in their comfortable world view, furrowing their brows when the data did not align with their preferred conclusions?

The answers to those questions depended on who was in the room. Experience taught me what to spot. I was on the lookout for demonstrated strategic understanding, comfort with uncertainty, resolve to set aside today’s pressing issues and lofty aspirations. Those characteristics would define the moment’s success.

I view my consultant role as that of a leader walking alongside my client.

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This piece is being published in full on Differentiationzone.com as a four-part Discovery during the month of April. To read the full article now, head to HR.com using the button below. Otherwise, head to our Discoveries page.

In Student Affairs Today, Karla Raines explores how frequent media reports show new students are changing their views of institutions’ plans on a daily basis. Confronted with uncertainty, many students and their parents are questioning your commitment to their best interests. One disgruntled parent’s feelings about paying full tuition for an online‐only experience creates a flurry of shared sentiment in a matter of hours. Soon you discover a new Facebook group is gaining members, each with a complaint about your college. Even if your campus is off to a smooth start, your students and families are influenced by the opinions of others. Read more in “Lessons in Leadership from a Master Strategist.”

This piece was published by Wiley’s Online Library. To read the entire article, purchase an access option through their website.

On University Business, Karla instructs higher education administrators on how to create a continuum of communication across campus to COVID-proof retention, say one university’s vice chancellor for marketing and communications and a strategic planning consultant. Read more in “Disrupt Student Retention Strategies Now to COVID-Proof the Future.”

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COVID-19 upended traditional recruitment strategies. Campus visits and in-person connections made while traveling are no longer go-to options on which to rely. On the heels of mitigating melt almost exclusively online, the focus must shift to virtual-only recruitment strategies, which has never before been attempted this fall.

A reputation takes years to build and sometimes moments to dismantle. It will take significant time, talent and energy into a set of never-attempted strategies to create the outcomes needed to succeed. Every year, the recruitment calendar operates the same—nurture, recruit, yield and enroll. Repeat. The transition from recruit to commitment is a relay that involves strong baton passes from admissions to the registrar, then over to student affairs. Once a student begins jumping those hurdles, admissions is on to the next cycle, and other campus units are charged with delivering a high-value student experience.

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This piece has been published online on University Business. To read the full article, click the button below.