SCHool(S) of thought
‘Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.’ ~ Aristotle
That might be Greek to some, but it fully resonates with me. (I also think you could swap “lead” for “teach” but that’s for another class). Teaching is something that I got into somewhat accidentally, but it makes perfect sense that I did since the profession is in my blood (I am the child and brother of long-time educators).
I’m drawn to the profession because it combines many things I love – storytelling, interacting with and coaching smart, curious people, and learning new things myself (cc: leadership). I’ve been involved in higher ed since I stepped foot on campus as a freshman, and (so long as they keep having me) I think I’ll stick around. Below is a snapshot of the places where I’ve taught — and the places that taught me.
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
I first began teaching at Northwestern, my alma mater, in 2005. I was recruited to help create a new graduate program in Sports Administration and spent five years on faculty, building courses in sports marketing, the history of sport and business, and, somewhat oddly, sports law. A few years later I got recruited to join the faculty of the Medill School as part of the new San Francisco campus. I’ve been teaching in the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) master’s program since 2016, and have created new graduate courses in storytelling and product marketing.
Stanford came into my life via the brilliant Jennifer Aaker, who roped me into teaching within LEAD, the executive education extension of the Graduate School of Business. I worked with her on two courses, one focused on the power of story, and the other on leadership and humor.
Unusual Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, created The Academy for their founders and prospects. I taught a full-day, interactive seminar on positioning, and was for sure the runt of the litter with luminaries like Adam Grant on the teaching roster.
Reforge is an incredible platform where tech practitioners teach other tech practitioners using proprietary frameworks, case studies, and “Artifacts”. I was tapped to build a course on brand marketing, designed to help founders better understand how to think about brand as a critical “full-funnel” and “always on” concept vs. the common misperception that it’s frivolous or top-of-funnel only in its application. Shameless plug: you can take the course here.
THE THIRD DEGREE
In high school, there was only one college I wanted to go to: Northwestern. My dream was to major in broadcast journalism at the famed Medill School and become the next Tom Brokaw. Those dreams were dashed when I got the dreaded rejection letter. Ouch.
Fortunately, I had some excellent plan B options and ultimately decided on the University of Florida. Over those four years, I played on and captained the men’s volleyball team, studied abroad in Madrid, and graduated with a degree in psychology (which has come in handy as a marketer and a leader).
After a postgraduate internship at one of the premier college football bowl games, I was very excited about sports marketing. To further my education in the business of sport, I applied and was accepted into the University of Texas’s Sports Management master’s program. While in Austin I was the grad assistant coach for the top-10 women’s volleyball team, was published twice in different academic journals, and had my first experience teaching a college course.
I didn’t imagine I’d go back to school for a third time, but while coaching at Northwestern I realized I didn’t want to stay in the profession beyond my four-year commitment. To help transition into a career in marketing, I applied to two graduate programs, Kellogg and Medill, double-defeating the ghost of rejection past when I was accepted into both. Huzzah! I chose Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) master’s program, where I was initially treated like an outcast due to my unusual professional credentials as a coach. But I eventually won my classmates over, so much so that they elected me to deliver the student address at graduation. And our commencement speaker? Tom Brokaw!
Go Gators! Go Longhorns! Go Wildcats!