Recently I started working for a Creative Writing Center. The job is enjoyable, and the last few months have mostly been ramp-up for the changes I want to instill. I’ve been doing a lot of learning and a lot of figuring out the lay of the land. I have real goals and desires here. I also have one heck of a competitive streak. We are one of two centers in the state of Arizona and we have always been the ‘other’ center. I find that plainly unacceptable. I also recognize why it is, based on history and staffing. They are just better than us. Sucks to admit it, but that is the full truth.
They will not always be better. I’ve decided to dedicate my work energy, my in-office hours (if you will) to changing the culture and perceptions of the place. We do a lot of things–so many that it is difficult to categorize and organize all that we do. This also leads to a lack of deep assessment of what we do and what we decide to continue. We have a few highlight events, but for me the main thing is having a strong and active media presence that informs people we are here and we are good at what we do. Walking hand in hand with that is the idea of getting better at all of the stuff we do. We need to find a way to measure impact in all areas and to clearly rebrand ourselves, so folks see the reboot effort.
I have a great team that I work with, and I believe we will get this done both quickly and competently… Once we figure out what we want to be.