CHAPTER FIVE

Tamiera Harris sits in a middle school classroom in North Philadelphia handwriting an essay about her dream of getting a PhD. At the end of the paper she writes

That was a big dream coming from a little girl who was raised in the Richard Allen projects in the early nineties, a 13-year-old girl who was sharing a small bedroom in her aunt's tiny apartment with her grandmother, three siblings, and a cousin. Drug dealers and gangs carrying guns and knives were right outside her door. Girls her age were getting pregnant in stairwells. Her daily life was filled with obstacles. She was always moving and changing schools. But from a really early age, Tamiera knew she wanted more.

Television and education were her way out of poverty.

ROLE MODELS AND ENCOURAGEMENT ARE POWER

Fast forward to 2013. When you talk with Tamiera the words focused, determined, and driven come to mind. And when she claims, “I keep my heels and my standards high,” you know she means it.

“Growing up, I was inspired by shows like the Cosbys and HGTV,” Tamiera says. “Bill and Claire Huxtable were successful and instilled family values. They stressed the importance of education. And HGTV showed me how everyday, hardworking people were going after the American dream of owning a home.

“My grandmother urged me to dream big. She encouraged me every step of the way. She's always been in my corner.”

Tamiera had one other very important hero and role model in life: a teacher named Margie Goodwin-Washington. Tamiera's early love of learning and dreaming big did not go unnoticed by Ms. Goodwin-Washington, who approached Tamiera about applying for the Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP), an extremely competitive program that streamlines a young student's education towards MD and PhD graduate degrees.

One of Tamiera's biggest concerns about the application process was not having the right clothes for the in-person interview. Tamiera remembers Ms. Goodwin-Washington saying, “Whatever we've got to do, we are going to get you to that interview. We are going to make it work.” She took Tamiera shopping and helped her buy a professional black suit from New York & Co. for that life-changing interview. It was the very first time Tamiera had ever stepped foot in a shopping mall, and she remembers every second of the experience. “Having this almost-stranger just step in and really take an interest in me … was the most remarkable thing that has ever happened in my life,” says Tamiera. And in the summer of 1998, “I was accepted as a trainee. Under PSTP, I completed research projects at Temple University, University of Chicago, University of Toronto, and Merck Research Laboratories.”

Today, Tamiera is a Villanova University graduate, and has her MBA from DeVry University's Keller School of Management. She's currently a full-time clinical project manager and working on that dream of a PhD in health services at Minnesota's Walden University, all while making time to work on a book called Projects to PhD, her way to give back to the community where she was raised. She hopes to inspire others with a plan and a way out through education, setting goals, and simply by being a positive role model.

Tired yet?

Tamiera is also currently one of 10 hand-selected ambassadors for The DriVen Class, a community of encouragement that DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management supports. It's in that role that she is living her childhood dream “to let people know that they can achieve their goals no matter how many obstacles are placed in their path.”

DeVry University was heading toward their 80th anniversary when they first approached us in 2010. They wanted us to help them build a sustainable word of mouth movement to encourage sharing and to celebrate DeVry and Keller students' success stories. And there were many, many amazing stories of success.

As a for-profit university, DeVry has traditionally been lumped in with the for-profit university media controversy that has been swirling about online and offline in recent years. That also made them the brunt of many late-night jokes: “How'd you get into to DeVry University? Um, I just walked in the door.”

We started talking to corporate staff, teachers, students, and alumni, which is when we began to realize the real injustice of those jokes. Greg Cordell recalls with frustration in his voice, “Here we are, listening to story after story of people who are maybe working full time or part time and going back to school. They were doing it for themselves and for their families. They're people who want to make a difference in their lives, and who we should be encouraging and celebrating. Furthering your education is something we should applaud as a society. Doing that insight gave me a reason to fight. Call it passion, call it whatever you want; that's how I began to internalize the opportunity.”

We also found out that DeVry is a really good investment. For the year ending with the October 2011 semester, in all DeVry programs and locations combined, 86 percent of graduates in the active job market were employed in their chosen field within six months of graduation. Students are employed in their field of study within six months of graduation. As one teacher put it, “I tell my students on their first day of class, welcome to the first day of your career.”

We sat in on a few of those first-day classes and heard many inspiring stories. A lot of the stories were similar; most of the students had experienced some sort of learning break in life. Many had faced some sort of hardship: a lost job, a medical setback, or a financial hit, but they had one thing in common: They were determined to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.

Vicky Hammond was in on most of that early insight, and tells us, “The unifying passion beneath all of these conversations was that education was a gateway to a ‘better something,’ a better life for my family, my kids. Everyone we talked to had this internal drive to move forward. And education was the way to do it.”

SOMETIMES A COMMUNITY NAMES ITSELF

We all want to feel a part of something bigger than our own lives. So we asked ourselves: How could we help the students and alumni and faculty come together to create that “something bigger” by helping them become champions of themselves? Could we create a powerful community of encouragement? The people we had discovered in our insight were determined, courageous, let-nothing-stand-in-their-way kind of people—but what else was there about them?

And then something came to us. When you look up the word “class” in the dictionary, you find these kinds of definitions:

• A number of people forming a group around shared attributes, a common bond, or shared goals.
• A group of people prepared for learning.
• A place for learning.
• Having qualities of exceptional merit; among the best.
• Elegance and dignity.

The people we had come to know and admire were in fact in a wonderful class of their very own. They were redefining growth, leadership, and education. It was evident to us they were already becoming a celebrated new breed of students and lifelong learners, a group of determined individuals: a DriVen Class. Together with the DeVry/Keller internal teams, we felt as if we had quietly unearthed the community name for this remarkable group of people. The DriVen Class began with a clear and simple mission to build a community of support and encouragement for people who were reaching for that better something. As Geno puts it, “This was a community built on helping people find a drive and push to move forward in their lives. It was oddly simple but pretty powerful and different at the same time.”

WE WERE SEARCHING FOR LEADERS WHOSE PLATES ARE REALLY FULL

We placed posters at all of DeVry's 90 campuses, looking for people to lead The DriVen Class community. We sent emails and made campus visits to meet with students and staff face-to-face. One of the things that struck Vicky as she went with the DeVry team on a monthlong tour of campuses in search of DriVen Class Ambassadors was that “The people we met on campus and who responded to our recruitment efforts are driven, of course; so they are busy. Their plates are already full. But yet they're passionate about giving back, and that was something they were all determined to find the time for.”

In no time at all we had over 300 people apply to become ambassadors and help encourage other students to stay in school, face obstacles, and take care of themselves on the journey. We wanted people with different perspectives and experiences, who were willing to express themselves online (via blogs, Twitter, and Facebook). We wanted natural storytellers who were personable and willing to travel to attend local and national events. We wanted them to unite and become a force of positivity, support, and encouragement.

Justin Gillmar, the Director of Social Media for DeVry puts it well: “We live in a world where we are constantly beaten down in a lot of ways, whether it's your job, your personal life, your relationships, the media, or things that are going on in our society. There is a lot of negative stuff that goes on in our culture. To be able to create a positive and supportive space—a place you can go if you need a pick me up or just an encouraging word, where you can see motivational stories of someone overcoming an obstacle—is really a powerful thing. You see so little of it. If we can create that place with The DriVen Class, both online and offline, people will be drawn to each other and good things will happen.”

We culled that list of 300 people down to 100, and then narrowed it again by interviewing the final 40 via Skype over a period of a week. Together with the DeVry/Keller team, we made forty 30-minute Skype calls that week. It was amazing to see these potential leaders in their homes telling their stories to us in person. Robbin recalls Chase Fritchle, the Senior Social Media Specialist for DeVry, turning to her at one point at the end of a long day and saying, “I will honestly never look at my job the same way again.” When we asked Chase about that remark a couple of years later, he reflects, “Their stories were just amazing. It was hard to imagine some of the obstacles [these individuals had] overcome and see how that really drove them to continue their education and to push forward. Just seeing their passion and desire to really make a difference in others' lives, well…” Chase stops for a moment and then simply says, “It just sat well with me.”

As we sat in the front conference room of Brains on Fire that week, we felt as if each and every student that DeVry and Keller served had a remarkable story waiting to be told. Suddenly marketing a large university became very personal and very, very human. It became about Tamiera, Harold, Beth, Amber, and William, and all the other ambassadors. It became about real students with real stories. There was no going back.

IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Being a community leader or ambassador is a big job with a lot of responsibilities. While The DriVen Class Ambassadors were going to receive a small part-time salary for their commitment, the biggest reward of all was access to senior management and ultimately to each other. Greg Cordell explains, “It wasn’t too difficult to differentiate between the people who were doing it for just some more money and the people who would have done it for no money at all. And you of course want the people who would have done it just because they believe it's the right thing to do.” When you are looking for leaders, you are looking for people who believe what you believe so passionately they are willing to do it for reasons beyond money.

HOW DO WE CARRY THE TORCH FORWARD?

Igniting community and building strong bonds requires that we place people in an environment that allows remarkable experiences to unfold. We selected the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as the site to make those very first remarkable experiences happen for The DriVen Class Ambassador training.

Laura Dagys, the Marketing Manager of Social Media for The DriVen class, says “I've been with The DriVen Class since it was born. It was crazy to see how quickly the ambassadors connected. In the span of a day, they became a family. Not a lot of people get to hang out at the Olympic Training Center and jump in the foam pit for gymnastics or play sitting volleyball and learn together how to overcome obstacles. Those shared special experiences connected The DriVen Class Ambassadors quickly, and also served as a very physical reminder of how much they had in common. Even though they were from all walks of life, they shared a certain drive within.”

Geno recalls his experience at the three-day training sessions in Colorado and laughs, “We were all suffering from oxygen deprivation. This group came with a quest and thirst for learning. It was hard. We had long days. But we also had a lot of fun and it was very inspiring. The Ambassadors shared some very touching stories about where they had come from and where they are today.”

“We play a lot of games where everyone, including us, has to participate and share personal stories. Everyone was just an open book,” says Greg. It's important to find ways to get the leaders sharing beyond the surface. And games and play create an environment that breaks down walls. We become more kid-like, more ourselves when we are given permission to play.”

The Ambassadors learned a lot about themselves and each other during that training. There was a powerful motivational speaker, a former special Olympic medalist, who shared his story. We also held sessions on the history and vision of DeVry/Keller. The ambassadors learned how to blog, be a trusted voice to others, and to connect on a personal level. We spent time talking about how to use the conversation tools and create events offline to encourage others to join The DriVen Class Community. The goal for training was to empower the ambassadors with knowledge so they could genuinely take shared ownership in building a strong and meaningful community.

They also made this promise to themselves and each other that weekend:

A COMMUNITY HAS TO BE READY TO CONNECT AND EVOLVE

In addition to blogs from the ambassadors, the website thedrivenclass.com encourages students, alumni, and faculty to share their own inspiring stories. After a year and half, we've gathered some remarkable ones.

Most importantly, we've learned a lot. The website for The DriVen Class just underwent its first major upgrade based on what we've learned.

When you're dealing with a community, you can't be afraid to take risks. You have to be willing to adapt and ask: What have we learned? Community should shift and grow. DeVry has bimonthly check-ins with all the ambassadors, and we're always adapting and adjusting. There's never a fear that we won't make the mark, because we know that if we fail in one respect, it's guiding us to make change for the better.

The new website allows visitors to create profiles and tell stories more easily. They are also able to share their college work online for others to see and have the opportunity to collect online badges for milestones and achievements. Additionally, class members have the ability to connect based on specific areas of study. It has been a great testament to never being afraid to keep the movement evolving. You are never done when it comes to community.

Chase shares with conviction, “Our students deserve to be put in the spotlight. We have some incredible students. We have some incredible faculty and staff. It's exciting to get those two talking, and sharing the things they are working on together.”

SPEAKING OF CONNECTIONS…

Dave Messner is a determined 44-year-old DeVry student who does most of his course work online. He was two weeks away from graduating from DeVry and starting the Keller Graduate School of Management when we talked to him about his experiences with The DriVen Class.

David explains, “I worked in the insurance business for 20 years before going back to school. I started part-time in October of 2010. One of the things that really piqued my interest about DeVry is the fact that you can get an online education, so I could do it on my own time and at my own pace.

He continues, “The DriVen Class has really given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people. I don't have a background in professional motivation or anything like that, but I do like helping people. The DriVen Class community is a great platform to not only get help from people in a cooperative, team-like setting, but also to help others. I visit the community a lot of times as a motivational tool for myself. If I have a quiz or a paper to write or even my midterms or finals in front of me, I sign into The DriVen Class and read a bit. It just seems to get me going.”

When Tamiera talks about Dave Messner, you get the feeling she's talking about family: “Dave has such a bubbly personality,” she says. The 29-year-old and the 44-year-old met online in The DriVen Class community and were connected by their determination to reach for, as Tamiera puts it, “something better.”

One day when Tamiera and another ambassador were having a Meet and Greet on the DeVry King of Prussia campus in Pennsylvania, Dave surprised them both by driving 90 miles to meet with them in person. They put him to work right away. “Tamiera gave me a big hug,” says Dave. “They wanted my help. It was just great! I met some great people that day and got to talk to them about my own experiences, which was fun to do. I really value the lead ambassadors and everyone in the community. Everyone's very professional and very uplifting. Their excitement just jumps out at you. Even if you're reading something online, it's almost as if you are right there with them.”

SPARKING WORD OF MOUTH IN THE CLASSROOM

Dave's excitement is honestly hard to describe in words. He's worked really hard for his degree and frankly, he deserves to be excited—and proud.

“I sometimes wonder if I don't overdo it,” says Dave. “For every course I've taken over the last year, I send an email to the entire class at some point during the semester telling them about The DriVen Class. I took an on-site class recently and my professor gave me a chance to stand up in class one night and talk about it.”

Dave continues, “I asked if I could have some DriVen Class notecards to announce my graduation and they sent them right away. I want to recognize The DriVen Class as being a part of my milestone of finishing school.”

A COMMUNITY IS ABOUT PEOPLE

It's not about Twitter or Facebook or blogs or social media. In fact, not one person we talked to mentioned the tools. When you dig into the real life stories of just two of the DriVen Class community members (and trust us there are many, many more), you get that message loud and clear.

From Justin at DeVry, “I guess what we do is marketing. It's also the people business. We're interacting with people all day, every day. You can't help but be affected by your interaction with people.”

The DriVen Class has changed the way Justin and his entire team look at the work they are doing in the world. “What's my biggest lesson?” Justin says, “Don't be afraid to give the megaphone to somebody else. Don't be afraid to put the pen in your student/alumni/customer's hand and let them tell their version of your story. Relationships are so powerful.” There is a huge lesson for all of us here coming from a very big organization. Don't be afraid to put the pen in your customers' hands and let them tell their version of your story.

From Laura, “It's something that goes a bit deeper than the day to day. We're clearly trying to get students in the door, push them forward, get them through their classes and get their degrees. But this encouragement is about more than getting through a class; it's about life, and finding success. Most of us don't have enough support and encouragement in our lives. Encouragement—that pushes us to do more and be more.” The DriVen Class is doing just that by creating a positive conversation and supporting a place to find that much needed encouragement, even in really, really tough times.

It's a circle of encouragement.

After 22 years of work at an insurance company, Dave lost his job in November of 2011. Yet as a member of the DriVen community, it's easy for him to be optimistic about this experience: “Everybody was so encouraging to me during that difficult time. They actually helped me make the choice to go to school full time. The reason I've stuck with The DriVen Class is…” Dave Messner stops mid-sentence to slow himself down. “It's kind of funny. I guess we both needed each other. The DriVen Class was just starting and I happened to be there to get the support that I needed personally to make it through a very, very troubled time. To tell you the truth, I don't know where I am headed, which is kind of scary, but really exciting. I think of it more as a positive than a negative. I can't imagine where I would be today without The DriVen Class.”

HOW CAN YOU REALLY MEASURE THE ROI OF DAVE? OR TAMIERA? OR ANYONE?

It's hard not to smile when we hear Tamiera and Dave's stories—especially when we recall Justin's earlier words about The Driven Class:

“People will be drawn to each other and good things will happen.”

“It's not that The DriVen Class has to pay off in delivering this level of engagement or this many members, per se,” says Justin. “It's more about the fact that we've only got a limited set of resources, and which bets do we make to drive our business. ROI for us is really about perception and reputation, and those things are very hard to measure. What is the value of raising the level of positive sentiment by 2 percent? What's the value of one really good story that 10,000 people see or hear—and that changes perceptions about our university? You can start to make up some metrics there, but it's impossible to really know. We have learned a ton in this last year, and I think The DriVen Class is going to be the most important thing we have as we move forward, at least from a social and community standpoint.”

We asked Tamiera three more questions when we last spoke to her. The first two were: What makes you happiest these days? What makes you smile? She told us, “When I go back to my childhood and remember saying, I want to graduate from college, being able to check that off makes me happy. I want to be able to buy a house, being able to check that off. I want to get married—and I will be married next year. I like being able to carry myself in a way that people respect. I am living the life I imagined.” And the third: So, what's your favorite set of words from a song? Her answer: “Don't ever give up on me…”

WOULD YOU BE MISSED?

It's easy in the midst of our never-ending to-do work to forget about the value we add to others' lives. But that's the very reason we're in business in the first place. So take time to remind your employees about that.

GATHER A SMALL GROUP FOR 30 MINUTES, AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

Who would miss us if our business ended today?

Would our customers be able to find another business that treats them as well as we do?

Would our employees be able to find another employer that respects them as much as your business does?

It might be nice to also do this same exercise with your customers, adapting the questions a bit.

Listen for and discuss the possible shared hidden passion conversations inside the answers to why customers and employees would miss your business.

If you happen to discover that your business wouldn't be missed, then you've got some serious matters to address!

BREAKING SCHEMAS

What's something routine that your company does and that your customers have come to expect—something they never challenge? Gather a group and make a game of it.

FIND IT AND BUST IT OPEN

Pretend you are working in an alternate universe, and list activities that are the somewhat opposite of what you are doing today, or activities that upend your expected services or products. Look for ways those ideas can help you break your schema.

Deliver stuff? What if you took stuff away? Or why not deliver happiness or jokes or ________?

Make shoes? What if you destroyed them? Or why not make footsteps?

Create marketing tools that connect people? What if you isolated people? Or why not be village matchmakers?

What if your customers worked for you? What would they do?

Make sure that, while you're exploring, you follow the ideas that are true to who you are. Of course don't throw anything out, but you'll be able to feel when an idea is different for its own sake and when an idea is different in a way that provides authentic insight and excitement.

How has this conversation helped you to think differently about the business you are in?

FIND THE FOUNDERS' STORY

Ask several teams of three to pair up and go in search of the story behind your company's roots. Have them present the story in their own way. See if you can get permission to interview the founder/founders if they're still alive. If not, figure out whether there is someone else they can interview, and where they can find artifacts. Empower teammates to tell the story of that journey and what they discovered visually by creating a book or video or music track—something more inventive than a PowerPoint deck. It can be as simple as sheets of 8.5” × 11” paper with cut-out photos, or as elaborate as an iMovie. The sky is the limit, as long as you keep the budget low (ideally, under five bucks). Capturing the founders' story can help to rekindle the passion employees have for your company, and serve as an emotional reminder to employees why the business exists and who it exists to serve.

THESE QUESTIONS MIGHT HELP THE TEAM GET STARTED

Why did our founder(s) start the company or organization?

Who was our company's first customer or donor?

What were our company's first days like?

What turning point led to our first success?