It takes me about four or five years to produce a new book.
First, an idea comes to me during a seminar I am teaching, or in a conversation with a colleague, or while auditing an institution’s marketing program. Then, I begin talking to colleagues and collecting notes. Eventually an outline emerges in my head. And finally, when I feel I can pull it all together in a meaningful way I commit to a marathon period of writing.
The idea for this book came when teaching in the CASE Summer Institute in Marketing and Communication. At the end of each institute the faculty would ask the participants what was on their minds as they headed back to their jobs. Collectively, each summer they would say: “If I did not have to deal with the damn politics, I could do a great job!”
Hearing this repeatedly I soon found myself responding: “There is no way to avoid the politics. It can take half or more of your time. You better accept it, and maybe even learn to love it.”
But I quickly realized that dealing with insitutional politics is the one big part of our work that we didn’t learn anything about in school. And it is indeed difficult to find pertinent subject matter, especially material that speaks directly to academic and non-profit institutions.
Learning to Love the Politics: How to Develop Institutional Support for Advancement, will be launched by CASE Books at the Annual CASE Leaderhip Summit in NYC in July. It describes universities as small cities, analyzes what it takes to teach their citizens what they need to know about marketing and advancement, identifiies their major internal political issues, and suggests some approaches for dealing with those issues.
Come to the CASE Summit and join me in a session on the topic and/or at the book signing. Afterwards I will take up some of the issues in this blog, where you can also join in the conversation and maybe even add some of your own war stories.
Some colleagues tell me that while the book’s point of departure is academic institutions, the content really applies to all types of institutions, domestic and international. Let me know what you think. As our markets become more global, this may be just the beginning of my writing about this topic.
Larry D. Lauer 
It’s great to review the “lessons” that I’ve had the privilege of seeing Larry learn and teach over many years at TCU. Of all the posts, two phrases in particular resonate: “analytical thinking” and “confidence to find a way to keep pushing ahead.” These qualities are absolutely essential in transforming an institution like TCU and other nonprofit organizations. And I can’t wait to read the new book!
When will your new book be available to purchase through the Case website like your others?
The publisher tells me it will be available for purchase by late June… at http://www.case.org/books LL
This topic has been on my mind recently as I’ve become more involved in our local school (K-12) administration and board as a parent volunteer leader. I’ve also seen it at the two-year college level, where I’m doing some consulting work. It is a universal reality, and those of us who learn to love the politics can definitely play a role in impacting organizational effectiveness. Long live Lauer!
With a renewed interest in community colleges at the US Department of Education there will be a resurgence of executive attention on all the advancement disciplines. And, of course, dealing with “the politics” of gaining academic support for marketing and advancement will take on a new level of importance as well. Your past experience with these institutions, Kelli, should serve you well in the months and years ahead! LL