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!