Back to business school: the new case study
Almost every form of school and education is getting questioned, queried, unbundled, and rethought.
The same is happening in business – people are starting to as what is it for; what does purpose really mean; what’s sustainable; what’s right; what are the 2nd and 3rd order effects of what this does.
Take the two together – business and school. Business School.
That’s changing in lots of ways too.
Here’s one.
A key tenet of just about any business school curriculum is the case study.
The old case studies were focused on the big corporate names who either went out and played, became remade, or got gruesomely slayed.
The new case studies are going to be different.
Some of the new case studies will focus on the small giants – the successes that fly just the radar, not quite in the consciousness of the masses.
But more likely the new case studies will be on organizations smaller still. Not the elephants, the hippos, or the lions. Not even the deers or the rabbits. They’ll be about the mosquitos, the tree frogs, and the hummingbirds.
The new case studies will be about those people and organizations taking steps just a couple of paces away from where the rest of us – those of us who have enrolled and invested – are at.
The new case studies will be human stories.
Relatable. Real. Actionable. Insightful. Vital.
Students will gravitate to them, dig in, see the paths they can explore.
And here’s the kicker. If you’re one of those people whose footprints are a couple of paces away from those in the cohort – those who are ready to become the new case studies – you’ve just put yourself in place to tap into a fresh marketing opportunity.
We already know that one of the most powerful ways to build your brand is to have someone else tell others about it.
But this isn’t about existing customers, nor the Instagram influencers du jour.
We’re talking about the teachers.
They’ll spread the word for you, and be happy to do so.
They’ll tag you, big it up, put your name up on the big screen. They’ll ask their cohort to think about you, what you stand for, what makes you stand out.
They’ll want to share it, and their cohort will too.
Even better, the teachers and their students starved. They’re seeking someone like you, right now.
So forget the speaking gig and the PR offensive.
Become the person the teacher seeks out.
Because you’re authentic, alternative, doing it a new way, doing it a real way.
Teachers, meet the change makers.
Change makers, meet the teachers.
It’s time for the new case studies.