A few years ago, Ron Lang was appointed chief executive officer of SunGard Higher Education, a company I have served for more than a decade. In my opinion, Ron possesses many positive characteristics of an effective leader. One thing in particular I found impressive was how, shortly after he assumed his new role, he established and publicized three key values to help guide the company. Those values have become familiar, not only to SunGard’s employees around the world, but also to many of its customers (I love it when they tell me what the values are). Here are five reasons I think his leadership in this instance has been particularly effective:

1)      Ron introduced three key values that were simple and easy to understand: the fact that SunGard Higher Education is one company (comprised of several solutions and services but speaking with one voice); an outside-in approach (primary focus on the needs of the customer); and speed (to market). A fourth value, operational excellence, was added later. Because these four values are simple and easy to comprehend, they can be readily communicated by anyone from corporate executives to maintenance workers.

2)      Ron is a good communicator. He holds town hall meetings, blogs and vlogs, visits the company’s many offices and engages in dialogue with employees, and of course, spends time visiting with customers. He uses every opportunity to talk about the four values and cites examples of how they are being implemented. Those examples might take the form of a comment from a customer or an employee who has made an exemplary contribution. The stories help reinforce the values’ importance and help employees understand how and why they are critical to the company’s success.

3)      By regularly providing examples of how these values are implemented, Ron helps employees understand how they can “adopt” and align them with their own individual roles and responsibilities. By connecting with the “why,” employees take ownership in the values and discover ways to contribute to their implementation.

4)      Every one of the company’s strategic objectives aligns with the key values. Most companies and institutions do some sort of strategic planning, but oftentimes those plans end up on a shelf. Continually drawing the connection between strategic objectives and a company’s values gives the plan “legs” and helps it remain focused on achieving results.

5)      And finally, under Ron’s leadership, the company uses its values as a benchmark for determining its progress in meeting the objectives. It serves as a vehicle for reminding people how far along the company is in meeting its goals, and the values remind them why the goals are critical to the company’s success. Continually reviewing the values adds up to increased accountability.

Has your institution documented its values? Does every person in your organization readily understand those values? Do they understand how to apply those values to their own roles and responsibilities in order to help ensure the organization achieves its goals? And does your institution regularly discuss and celebrate its values?

A few years ago, the now-defunct Motto Magazine created what it considered the nation’s Top 10 college taglines. Number one on the list was Cornell University with this gem: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study,” a quote from namesake Ezra Cornell. Close behind were Stanford University (The wind of freedom blows), Dartmouth College (A voice of one crying out in the wilderness), and Brown University’s “In God we hope,” which is probably recited by students around test time.

Really? The best mottos higher education has to offer? Which begs the question: are mottos or taglines really beneficial to colleges and universities?

According to Eric Swartz, principal of Tagline Guru and the man behind dozens of mottos you know by heart, the answer is a qualified yes. Eric and I had a conversation recently about the role of mottos in helping to brand institutions.

‘I like to think of mottos as the exclamation point at the end of a 30-second elevator pitch or the conversation starter if you’re getting into an elevator. It needs to have legs. It has got to tell a story. And that story is who you are, what you do, and why the world should care. It’s your brand story. If you can’t link to that or a central marketing message or some sort of strategic plan, it exists in a vacuum. It’s meaningless.”

Eric says a competent tagline that defines an institution’s mission and embodies a set of values can be more successful than a clever, disembodied phrase that stands alone. “It may be a fine tagline in and of itself, but you want to be able to use it strategically to connect with your audience. That’s where cities and companies have done well by leveraging the brand and the brand value that goes with it (think what happens in Vegas!).”

It is often easier for younger institutions to define their brand because they don’t have to take into consideration a lot of history and tradition. And one of the problems with an umbrella motto for a large school is it has to be able to satisfy all of its different schools and colleges which may have their own brand expressions. “The higher up you go,” he says, “the more generic the message becomes. You don’t want to go too far in that direction because it then loses its specificity. It needs to feel unique to that institution and not like anybody else’s.”

Eric says college administrators often make the mistake of creating mottos that appeal more to themselves than to their students, alumni, and prospective applicants. “They are not wearing their marketing hat, they’re wearing their mortar board. To be successful, they need to think beyond the ivy walls.”

If you’re interested in creating or refining your institution’s motto, I suggest you check out Eric’s website at: www.taglineguru.com before you pick up your pen. You’ll find a wealth of information there that will save you time and effort.

Would you be willing to contribute $20 to save the life of a child? What if someone gave you a really great read by more than 60 of your favorite authors in return for your generosity?

 Seth Godin and his team have declared today End Malaria Day:

 http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/that-buzzing-in-my-ear-didnt-mean-i-was-about-to-die.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

Purchase a copy of End Malaria on Amazon and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to purchase Malaria bednets in South Africa and save children from this dreadful disease that causes more deaths among youth than from HIV/AIDS. It’s a worthwhile program and think how great you’ll feel after saving lives.

Still not sure what impact social media is having on our global society? You might want to take a couple minutes and view this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0EnhXn5boM&feature=share

Any questions?