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A social media executive on the importance of building relationships and staying humble

June 16, 2017

Though his career path took a few twists and turns, Jaime Stein (Morning MBA ’11) has always had a plan.

Stein, who is currently the global director of enterprise client strategy at Hootsuite in Vancouver, has taken on a number of different roles — from play-by-play broadcasting for the Toronto Argonauts, to managing digital media with the Canadian Football League (CFL), to developing the social media strategy for the online banking group Tangerine, formerly known as ING Direct Canada.


“Throughout the program, I was tweaking my management style. I would bounce ideas off classmates and professors and pick up new strategies.”

—Jaime Stein (Morning MBA ’11), Global Director of Enterprise Client Strategy, Hootsuite


Throughout his career, Stein has always been interested in roles where he could engage with customers and fans. It’s this passion for building and strengthening relationships that continues to drive him in his work today and has inspired him to become a leader in social media and marketing.

“From my point of view, my career moves have been calculated,” says Stein. “I’ve sought work with people and firms that understand that the way we communicate is changing. Because of this, I’ve had some amazing experiences.”

New ideas, experiences and ways of communicating

In 2008, Stein, who had recently started a new job as the CFL’s manager of digital media, wanted the skills to succeed in his new role. He pursued the Morning MBA program at the Rotman School with the intent of learning management fundamentals on the go.

“One of the best parts of the Morning MBA was that you could take insights from class and apply them in the workplace right after,” says Stein, who was particularly interested in learning leadership strategies and ways to motivate teams.

“Throughout the program, I was tweaking my management style. I would bounce ideas off classmates and professors and pick up new strategies.”

There were a few success stories. After learning about the Monday Morning Action List — a project management tool where teams must set deliverables and deadlines and revisit these priorities weekly — in the Getting it Done class, Stein began using the device in his weekly meetings at work.

“It became legendary in our group,” he explains. “It was an effective way to keep us accountable and to bring everyone up to speed.”

The School also exposed Stein to new ideas and trends. It was at the Rotman School where Stein was first introduced to Twitter. In his first semester, he attended an event featuring Rahaf Harfoush, who served on former U.S. President Barack Obama’s digital media team during the 2008 presidential campaign.

That night, he created a Twitter account. Within a few weeks, he was posting and updating prolifically.

Navigating into social media work seemed like a natural next step for Stein. At the CFL, Stein developed the league’s initial social media strategy. Looking back on his career in sports journalism, he recalls how he was constantly searching for ways to incorporate the views, opinions and insights of sports fans.

“I’ve always been curious about human connection,” he explains. “I fell in love with social media because I saw that it was another way to build those relationships.”

Learning lessons

Stein is still learning. When he comes to Toronto, he’s sure to drop in on his former teachers, including Professors Brendan Calder and Avi Goldfarb, to run a few workplaces challenges by them.

Stein still remembers how his professors helped him refine his management style, particularly when it came to leading groups and delivering feedback.

“As a young manager, I tried to give my staff feedback but it didn’t seem to land,” recalls Stein, who brought up his initial struggles in his next class with Calder and program instructor John O’Dwyer.

“They both pointed out that I hadn’t asked my team if they wanted the feedback. It’s something I’ve never forgotten — feedback is a gift and you need to ask people if they are ready to receive it.”

And he continues to draw on many of the other lessons he’s picked up during the MBA.

“The single most important thing I learned was the importance of humility,” says Stein. “The biggest threat to success is ego. I left with the understanding of the importance of working as a team.”


Written by Rebecca Cheung


About
Jaime Stein

Class year

Morning MBA ’11


Hometown

Vancouver, BC


Industry

Social Media, Marketing


Current job title

Global Director, Enterprise Client Strategy
Hootsuite
Vancouver, Canada


Previous employment

Customer Success Executive
Social Media
Hootsuite

Senior Manager
Social Media,
Tangerine
Toronto, ON

Manager
Digital Media,
CFL
Toronto, ON


Previous education

Bachelor of Journalism
Ryerson University
Toronto, ON

Bachelor of Arts
McGill University
Montreal, QC


Morning
MBA
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