Commitment

"At the very core of commitment is the individual and his or her innate passion or desire.  This internal passion drives Commitment and requires active engagement."

Commitment is not a character trait that can be pushed onto someone, and in order to achieve the highest results, individuals of the group really need to put forth that passion or desire to succeed.  

This can be directly related to how Chi Phi functions.  As an organization, almost all of us were the guys who sat around a table and said, individually "Yea, I want to start a fraternity.  I want to make a difference at Ohio State, and I believe my niche is the fraternal system, so I am going to do whatever it takes to make this a successful student organization."  Nobody around the table was forced to be there, and nobody joined against their will.  We collectively shared a common interest in Sorority and Fraternity Life, and truly believed that this was the path we should take to optimize our experience in a fraternity, and as a student at Ohio State.  It is now our goal and job to find others on this campus that share this common passion with us.  It is not our job to push others toward passion and commitment, because ultimately they are making the decision based on themselves, "What will I do to better this organization" "How will it better me".  When they are able to answer those questions, the recruits will find a way to join.  Chi Phi is in the unique position that most fraternities and sororities never find themselves in, and that is where we have a very united vision (Due in part to how new we are to campus).  

A lot of men and women get lost in the system, because they join aimlessly, join these organizations for the wrong reasons (i.e. a great house, cool parties etc.), or are too afraid to stand up in the crowd when they believe the organization is heading in the direction that is not congruent with what the organization stands for.  Obviously no one is perfect, but in order to succeed at the highest level, the commitment has to come from within.  You have to join the fraternity or sorority that fits you, and then join with a goal in mind. It is so important to combine vision and commitment, because you need to visualize how you want to leave your organization, and then commit down a path that will take you to that goal.  Along that line, commitment is infectious. As I said earlier, passion cannot be forced upon someone, but it can be ignited.  As a recruiter it is important to find what makes your recruit tick inside, and then show them that your organization can offer that to them: service, family, growth & development, academia, the list goes on and on.  

At the end of the day, the fraternal system has more to offer than any other organization on campus.  The ability to quantify and express those offerings in a manner that helps a non-affiliate, or an affiliate-to-be find what they want to commit to ultimately determines the success of the organization.

Values

     Value, in the simplest terms, comes from investment.  The more that is invested into the ideology of the culture one is raised in, the more higher the values that one embraces.  Values are one of the most important part of our internal being in today's world.  With the strength of outside forces being at an all-time high, it can be much more difficult to stay true to oneself than before.  Back before the media played such a huge role in our lives, it was easy to shut out other people and keep those values from being compromised.  Now-a-days there are organizations and groups of people out there trying to question our societal values each and every day.  That is why it is imperative to make time for reflection on values, and remember why they are there and where they came from.

      Sometimes reflection can be very difficult though! I know that for me it took three leadership conferences in one semester to really dig deep inside and think about what it is that I value.  I took the weekends to reflect on my life for the past nineteen years.  Thinking back to my life "pre-college" I realized how much my mom means to me, and how much I value family. Along that same line, my mother raised me to be genuine, steadfast in my beliefs, and an honest gentleman.  But throughout those conferences I realized that during my time in college so far, my independence has taken me away from those values, because I don't have that safety net to fall back on when I am not sure what to do.  Now my values haven't changed at all in my time as a buckeye, but my actions have.  I have increased my self-awareness and made my actions more congruent with my values.  It makes a huge difference when those thoughts on how to live stay at the forefront of my mind.

    Living out the values that you live by is so important, especially in a Greek organization.  They help increase confidence, and will advance the chapter that you are a part of.  Visiting them often and with depth will increase self-awareness, and it is okay to change what values you hold close to you so long as they stay congruent with what you believe in and how you live.

Consciousness of Self

"Consciousness of self isn't a goal, it is a way of life."

The above quote was definitely my biggest take away from the chapter this week.  To be a good student leader, it's important to know the difference between leading well and leading poorly; however to be a great student leader it is important to know that the people you are leading respect the way you are going about your business.  It is important for your members to see drive, passion, and vision in order to achieve effective leadership.

I believe that I have communicated drive and passion to my members, however my vision has been a little bit foggy in the last couple months.  The fogginess is partly due to the fact that I have taken the position as a "trailblazer" in starting this fraternity, but also because I have not taken enough time to reflect upon what it is that I want to accomplish as a leader within the Greek community.  Throughout the past seven weeks, I have participated in a number of different leadership summits that have given me enough time to dig deep and think about my chapter on a much larger level.  Instead of little snippets of thought that pop into my head as I walk between classes, it has been entire weekends where my only focus is how to advance my chapter through my leadership style.

Now that all of the leadership summits are through, I have finally found my vision.  I envision my organization to be a pillar of excellence once I am finished, and that will be done by following a path of a few simple steps, some of which we have already completed.

By creating a brand, we now have a product that is ready for sale.  When we first started up, we put together a "Logo" that will be placed on everything we do.  Consistency is key to every good organization.

Next, one of the main reasons students join Greek organizations is for the endless amounts of philanthropy and community service opportunities.  As an organization, we have made sure to branch out in a number of different ways to complete community service and are starting on our first philanthropy event.  When it comes to philanthropy, it is important to draw a crowd, and as a new organization that can be tough.  However through community outreach (placing ourselves at as many Greek philanthropy events helps show that we are serious about being apart of this community) other Greek organizations will be more willing to participate in a Chi Phi sponsored event.

The last piece of the puzzle to this success formula is recruiting.  Being a new organization on campus gives us very little substance to recruit new members on.  Fortunately by the end of this semester, our active members will understand more of why they are involved with Chi Phi, which will perpetuate them to spark an interest in more men who belong in fraternities. Once this happens, joining Chi Phi is a no-brainer.

My strengths such as my personality, drive and ability to relate to others will be a huge component to this chapters success, seeing as people skills are a must when it comes to being the face of an organization.  No matter what, stereotypes will exist, and so long as I make a good first impression, Chi Phi will begin to have a very positive stereotype around campus.  My family has had a huge impact on these strengths, thanks to my grandpa.  Being a retired lawyer, he is fearless when it comes to extending a hand and meeting new people, and he has always instigated debates around the dinner table.

My weaknesses could bring this organization to a screeching halt unfortunately.  I have seen my inability to delegate in action last semester, and we struggled because of it.  I always want to be the center of everything, which doesn't bode well as a leader.  I also tend to do a poor job at effectively communicating what is on my mind, which has given off a negative vibe to others, as if I have a wall up or something.  Luckily I have gotten positive feedback from my peers that I am doing a better job at eliminating these weaknesses.  Now it is important to continually receive feedback to make sure I keep moving forward.

So after this novel I have just written, I would say I am finished up finally, but thanks for staying along with me!

Controversy with Civility

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Controversy is defined as "Involving differing opinions about an idea, however positions on the issue are not staked out, with one person hoping to win over the other... Controversy draws everyone into circle around the idea, to discuss their different perspectives on it... Controversy reflects a thoughtful and considered difference of opinion." The chapter focuses on maintaining perspective, and explains to us how controversy differs from conflict.  Conflict requires winners and losers, but as leaders, we must take advantage of controversy instead of conflict when we face a difference of opinions with our peers. Controversy is inevitable, because everyone is going to have different perspectives and opinions when it comes to certain situations.

One instance that I can reflect on is when our organization had our retreat a few weeks ago.  Our main focus for the day was to brainstorm different recruiting tactics to increase the number of men in our chapter.  Obviously everyone had their own ideas, and for the first half hour, ideas were brought to the table, and nobody believed the others' ideas were any good.  This type of controversy could have very easily become conflict, as students often believe an attack on their ideas becomes an attack on their personal self.  I saw this starting to escalate rather rapidly, and decided to do my best to step in.

I told the guys "It seemed like we have a lot of problems with recruiting as a collective group, so instead of focusing on the negatives of each and every idea that was brainstormed, lets start to think of solutions that could benefit us."

This helped calm everyone down, and we ended up coming together with some pretty bright ideas on recruiting, and everyone left the table in pretty good standing.  As the leader of my organization, it was my responsibility to ensure civility was maintained throughout our meeting, and this was one of my first encounters that I felt I handled the situation properly.

There have been plenty of situations that I reflect back on that I wish I would have read this chapter beforehand, or kept thicker skin because everyone could have walked away in a much better mood.  Everything from sitting down and giving my explanation on an answer I had on my exam to helping younger members of my varsity basketball program get acclimated to how things were done in "the Big Leagues" as we called it back then are situations I wish I could have handled better.

Now, while the book claims that this is one of the hardest parts about being a leader (handling controversy with civility) I would politely disagree.  I think it is fairly easy to step up and keep a level head when trying to understand conflicting perspectives. I would argue that trying to instill this characteristic in my members is one of the hardest parts about being president.  Finally I have had a break through with a few guys, and it is absolutely wonderful to sit and discuss with them because nobody takes anything said personally.  Once people understand controversy with civility, they are able to really dig deep and have conversations and debates that will improve the organization by leaps and bounds.

So as president, I am challenging myself to take what I have learned from this chapter, and really work hard to help my men understand the importance of separating person from beliefs, and how that will help them grow during their college experience.  The men of Chi Phi stand for truth, honor, and personal integrity, and since 1824, the organization has made it a point to "Build Better Men".  And as Dr. King has stated, a true measure of a man lies in his ability to handle controversy.

Common Purpose and the Social Change Model

It seems that every chapter we read comes at the perfect moment in my presidency as the leader of Chi Phi. The first week we read an overview of the social change model, then we began diving into each and every one of the seven C's that go along with that.  This week on Common Purpose hit home for me because Common Purpose is why we are an organization right now, and Common Purpose is what will sustain us for years to come. Our biggest issue as a fraternity right now has been recruiting.  We can sit here and make excuses that we don't have a house, or we are a small group, or we don't have a strong backbone.  The fact of the matter is that people join people, and want to find a community or group with whom they can align themselves.  After reading through chapter 7 and watching Simon Sinek's "Ted Talk" on "finding your why", it became clear on how to approach people about being a part of my organization.  The attention span of the human race is ridiculously short, and nobody will remember facts, figures, and history that I am spewing out at them in a conversation.  These recruits, are going to remember an engaging conversation with someone that they like, and remember "Oh hey, that guy was a Chi Phi, I loved that conversation, I want to be in his fraternity."

Common Purpose is such a key element to leadership but so often overlooked. The best conversations in life, and the best people you will meet are the ones that you can identify a common purpose with.  Like the book said, "No matter what relational problems arise, a group with a well articulated, meaningful, and relevant Common Purpose will always have something linking its members together."  So as the semester wears on, it will be my goal to not only revisit our Common Purpose several times, but to also refine and build depth as well.

Citizenship within the Social Change Model

"The first requisite of a good citizen in this republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight" - Theodore Roosevelt

What separates a good man from a good citizen? A good man may raise wonderful and respectful children, keep a very professional decorum within the workplace, and stay faithful to his wife through sickness and in health.  However if a man lived his life fulfilling only the requirements of being a good man, he would live half of his life completely empty, as citizenship is so much more than a personal life behind closed doors.

As our book defines it, citizenship means to promote the quality of life in a community.  Where this becomes difficult is that we are all part of multiple communities.  I have made a tremendous effort to increase the quality of life within my communities (OUAB, the Ohio Union, Greek life) by being an active participant and stepping outside my comfort zone.  As a student at Ohio State, community and citizenship mean something more than just a task that needs to be handled.  I came into school with over 50 hours of community service, but only because they were required for my high school diploma.  Now, I try and actively seek out ways (such as starting a fraternity) that I can increase my citizenship.  I think our book said it best on page 153, “Community building was one of the keys to making a democratic society work.”  This rings absolutely true to the community at Ohio State.  We aren’t out there because it makes us feel good, and we aren’t out there to meet our service requirements.  We are out there because our fellow neighbors and friends need our help, just as one day we may, or may have already, needed their help.

The first step to Social Change

And so I finally have given in to the craze of blogging.  Writing has never been a strong point of mine, so I have done my best over the years to avoid it in any way possible.  Unfortunately now I can't really avoid it any longer, so bear with me until I get the hang of this.  We had such a good first class together, even though I walked in late, (sorry!).  However I think we really hit important points in the first couple of chapters of our leadership book, with foundations of social change, what we're facing up front, and realizing how much it really takes to become a strong leader and make a difference.  The quote I was really able to take away from this was "Collaboration means the people in a community decide on a vision for change together and then work together to devise the means to achieve it."  Your typical "Cowboy coming in and fixing everything and riding off into the sunset" is so unrealistic, simply because sustainability is a big deal when it comes to social change.  Having the backing of a community and a strong arsenal of people is what drives social change, and that is what we face as fraternity and sorority presidents.  It isn't necessarily about us making the change, it is about us finding the right people who can work together and make the change.  With that being said I look forward to the coming weeks with all of you as we explore leadership from the unique perspective of a Greek President.