Dr. Kat Cohen Shares Leadership Strategies To Improve Your Company’s Culture
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Kat Cohen from IvyWise for the ongoing series: CEOs Share Leadership Strategies To Improve Your Company’s Culture.
My name is Dr. Kat Cohen, and I am the CEO and founder of IvyWise, the premier educational consultancy with expertise in college admissions counseling, tutoring and test preparation, and school research. One accomplishment that is particularly important to me is our expansion internationally and our presence overseas; currently we work with families in over 40 countries to help students gain admission to the schools of their dreams. Additionally, I was recently named the Best Admissions Advisor for 2018 by Manhattan Magazine.
Krish Chopra: What are the 3 most important values that your company’s culture is based on?
Dr. Kat Cohen: My company’s hashtag and overarching motto is “Aspire. Apply. Achieve” and these 3 words also tie in with the values that are most important to my team. The first piece, aspire, relates to the practice of setting goals and creating long term plans. I always encourage my students and staff to dream big, which is something I did myself when launching IvyWise. I created a 20 year plan for my business very early on, and outlined the steps I would need to take in order to reach my vision of success. The second part, apply, is all about doing your due diiligence and putting in the work necessary in order to reach the big picture goal you have in mind. Every member of my team has their own set of long-term objectives that they are striving to achieve and everyone understands that expertise, research, and hardwork are essential in order to reach these goals. Finally, “achieving” is about the end results and having the ability to evaluate your process and progress. Setting ambitious long term goals is an important initial step, but at the end of the day, results matter. This three word phrase is a call to action that is meant to inspire the students we work with and it is also an ethos that every staff member embodies.
Krish: Managing millennials can often be a polarizing topic. Can you elaborate on your advice for managing the “millennial mindset?”
Dr. Kat: My biggest piece of advice is to instill the value of thorough research and commitment early on. The millennial generation is frequently stereotyped as overconfident, entitled, and lacking focus or follow through. Expertise in your industry is so critical, so from day one I make sure everyone on my team, regardless of age, understands that there is no substitute for research and the ability to demonstrate knowledge. Millennials tend to try to multi-task, which isn’t always ideal in a business-setting, when each project or responsibility requires an employee’s complete and undivided attention. Consequently, I encourage everyone on my team to focus in on a single task that is of high priority and really put in the time and effort it takes to complete it to the highest standard before moving on to the next item on their to-do list. Time management can be a challenge, particularly for millennials who grew up with so many forms of stimulation competing for their attention, but it is a critical skill that I encourage professionals of all ages to work to develop. I am a big believer in the Pomodoro Technique, which is a productivity method that can help you power through distractions and focus in on what you need to accomplish.
Krish: What are your “5 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Culture” and why.
Dr. Kat:
· Encourage goal setting AND sharing: As I mentioned before, I think creating both long and short term goals is essential for success. Everyone on my team has a variety of objectives they are working to meet and they have the opportunity to share their progress with staff members during our weekly meetings. Learning what another department is focusing on can help employees work cohesively and anticipate upcoming projects. For example, when our sales team shares updates on their leads, our marketing team can use this information to influence new initiatives that may be particularly relevant.
· Understand your history and learn from it: It is essential to have periodic, team-wide check ins to review your company’s progress and the steps you can take to work towards your long term goals. It may be tempting to ignore these review sessions in an attempt to push through and hammer out more work, but evaluating your progress (and pitfalls) is essential for growth. Every year, we have a Year-In-Review meeting, where we devote several hours to discussing each component of the business, and the unique challenges we faced throughout the year. Sharing this information allows my entire team to strategize and plan new initiatives in order to reach our long term goals.
· Plan team building activities strategically: Collaboration is greatly valued at IvyWise; we prioritize coming together to make sure each student receives the guidance they need to gain admittance to the schools of their dreams. Team building activities are a great way to instill a sense of collaboration and community, which is essential for any company. I recommend planning these sessions after particularly busy times, so that everyone has a chance to recap and unwind together. For example, I usually schedule staff dinners out after all of our senior students have made their enrollment decisions in order to celebrate their success.
· Get involved in something bigger: Corporate service trips are increasingly popular, and for good reason: these ventures help team members bond while also allowing your company to give back to a cause that really matters. My team recently partnered with School the World, a NGO dedicated to improving education opportunities in South America, and spent a week building a school in Guatemala. This was particularly meaningful to my staff because it relates to our industry and all of my team members really believe in the importance of quality education for all.
· Utilize technology to maximize employee satisfaction and efficiency: Our admissions counselors primarily work remotely and create their own schedules in accordance to the needs of the students they work with. Our customized portal system and top-of-the-line technology allows all of our counselors to converse with students virtually, which is what enables us to work with applicants all over the world. My team members really enjoy the flexibility this virtual model provides and many pursue additional passions that complement their counseling careers. For example, one of our admissions counselors is also a Gastroenterology fellow at Children’s Hospital. Consequently, our pre-med and STEM students have the opportunity to work with a counselor who not only has experience in university admissions, but who also understands the unique challenges associated with a career in medicine from a firsthand perspective.
Krish: Strong company culture is something that everyone likes to think they have but very few have it. Why do so many organizations struggle with creating strong, healthy work environments?
Dr. Kat:
Finding what works for your specific company and the industry you are in can be a challenge, particularly due to generational and technological shifts. Technology has dramatically changed the professional landscape: working from home is increasingly prevalent, as is the need to work “non-traditional” hours and remain on-call at all times. Some organizations may be overwhelmed with all of the professional options and decisions that come with digitalization, but companies with a strong work environment utilize these developments to maximize efficiency and employee satisfaction. I decided to focus on virtual tutoring and counseling before web-based learning was commonplace, because I understood what it could do for both the IvyWise brand and our employees. These advancements enabled us to expand our reach and work with students all over the world and it provided my team with additional convenience and flexibility. While this setup may not be feasible for all organizations, every company should constantly re-evaluate what they can do to optimize both employee experience and quality of work.
Krish: What is one mistake you see a young start-up founders make in their culture or leadership practices?
Dr. Kat: One of the biggest leadership mistakes I see young start-up founders making is over-relying on trends. I think it is essential for entrepreneurs to have their fingers on the pulse of news and technological developments, but their brand must have an identity outside of this if they are striving for longevity. My priority for my company has always been and will continue to be helping students discover their best-fit schools and the steps they need to take to gain admittance to these universities. Staying on top of technology and social media certainly helped expand my company’s reach, but trends never influenced my brand’s central mission or overarching goals. When it comes to leadership advice specifically, this notion holds true; founders need to learn what is right for their company, regardless of what is popular in office culture at the moment. My admissions counselors worked remotely before this was common practice, because we developed the business processes and technology needed to make it feasible. Instead of offering your employees a certain perk because other companies are doing it, offer benefits that fit within the fabric of your company and that are uniquely valuable to the people who work for you.
Krish: To add to the previous question, young CEOs often have a lot of pressure to perform and often wear many hats. What’s a simple time efficient strategy they can start doing today to improve their company’s culture?
Dr. Kat: Sharing time management tricks with your team is a great way to drive efficiency while also creating a dialogue about workplace productivity. CEOs and founders have to become experts at juggling multiple deadlines and learning how to prioritize, which are skills that every professional can benefit from. Instead of keeping your tricks of the trade to yourself, send out staff emails to share what works for you and encourage everyone on your team to work on maximizing efficiency. For example, I frequently utilize the Pomodoro Technique, which involves choosing a task, setting a timer for 25 minutes, and then giving yourself 5 minutes to evaluate your progress. Many of my employees have tried this technique and agree it is a great way to eliminate distractions and really hone in on a project that is high priority.
Krish: Success leaves clues. What has been your biggest influence in your leadership strategy and company culture?
Dr. Kat: Mindset by Carol Dweck has influenced how I encourage both my employees and my students to approach learning, success, and setbacks. According to Dweck, some people believe that success is based on innate ability while others view achievement as the product of hard work, learning, training, and perseverance. The latter group posses what Dweck coins a “growth mindset”, which is a perspective that encourages individuals to continue to work hard despite setbacks and view ability as something that can be transformed with practice and dedication. Leaders can encourage a company-wide growth mindset by presenting skills as learnable, conveying that the organization values learning and perseverance, giving feedback in a way that promotes growth and future success, and presenting managers as resources for learning. At IvyWise, I encourage each of my employees to continue to seek out learning opportunities and deepen their expertise in their field. Focusing on the process that leads to success, as opposed to fixed measurements of achievement, is a powerful leadership strategy that will encourage a team-wide commitment to progress, hard work, and dedication.
Krish: What advice do you have for employees that have bad bosses? How can they take control and improve a bad situation?
Dr. Kat: Regardless of your relationship with your supervisor, I always encourage employees to schedule regular check ins with their boss to discuss their progress, their goals, and the areas they need to work on. Come up with a set of mutually agreed upon objectives and work hard to demonstrate your ability to exceed these expectations. Frequently, “bad bosses” are leaders who do not properly articulate their expectations and the goals they have for their team. Employees can take control and improve a bad situation by reaching out and initiating these reviews, which demonstrates maturity and ambition. It is best to be proactive and ask to meet with your supervisor before a small discrepancy snowballs into a larger issue that compels them to schedule a meeting with you.
Krish: Okay, we made it! Last question — what’s one unique hack you or your company does that has enhanced your work culture?
Dr. Kat: Everyone on my team has a defined set of responsibilities that is unique to his or her position and does not overlap with over team members. Although we work together constantly, every employee’s role is different and designed to match his or her interests and area of expertise. Dividing up responsibilities this way is essential, as it allows everyone to focus in and specialize on the tasks that are most relevant to them. For example, within my marketing team, we have designated positions for social media, content creation and website design, and public relations. Everyone on the the team works together, but each employee has their own area of expertise and set of objectives for the year.
A note to the readers: Improving company culture happens at any level in an organization. If you learned one thing in this interview, please share this with someone close to you.
A special thanks to Dr. Kat Cohen again!
Stay in the loop — Follow me and get updates when I post new leadership articles and interviews — check me out here:
