So I first must apologize for the severe lack of blogging going on by the Phi Kap staff lately! We like many of you had the holidays, vacation, President's Academy and now many of us are prepping for some spring chapter visits (so we look forward to actually getting to SEE some of you!).
I've been thinking a lot lately about goals. I chose not to make a New Years Resolution this year as I never actually follow through, but instead I was inspired by the new MTV show The Buried Life to go back and review, revise, and work towards my Bucket List! When I was in grad school I made the list and recently I expanded my list to 100 things I want to do in my lifetime! (I am now officially admitting to being an MTV addict, so if you aren't as nuts as I and haven't seen the show yet, check these guys out at www.theburiedlife.com ).The difficult part of course is deciding where to even start on my list. Whenever we as staff do strategic planning with chapters, we often have to have this same conversation. Where to prioritize and how to start breaking down each goal into something more manageable for the short term? Take each goal and give yourself strategies or mini goals to help complete them! Think about balancing short term and long term goals, as well as prioritizing what you or your chapter find the most important to accomplish. It is helpful to have some accountability as well. We encourage chapters to share goals with a staff member or advisor to help keep them on track!
So to start the goal momentum I'm going to share some goals on my bucket list that I'm working on:
#5 Run a half marathon (Rob and I will be running this in May!)
#21 Pay off my grad school debt (by following a budget with monthly goals!)
#23 Learn to make a Key Lime Pie (my favorite dessert)
#57 Visit all 50 states (thanks to Phi Kappa Theta, I've added PA this year)
Now that I'm putting some of mine in the open, I hope it encourages all of you to revisit what you want both personally and out of your Phi Kappa Theta experience. How do you plan to get there?
So are you willing to share your personal goals or chapter goals for accountability? We'd love to hear them! Leave us a comment!
Showing posts with label Chapter Development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chapter Development. Show all posts
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, March 23, 2009
Re-Chartering and the "Typical Fraternity"
The continued growth of our organization is thrilling to me. I am so excited to announce that our colony at the University of San Diego will be re-chartered the weekend of May 1, 2009. The colony is comprised of the most impressive young men I have had the pleasure of working with. They are an incredibly well respected group on campus and as individual leaders they are second to none. They are very involved on campus and contribute so much to the university and the community. These men truly uphold the ideals of Phi Kappa Theta. They are fun, intelligent, motivated, respectful, and passionate. I can’t wait for my return visit in May for the Installation.
In other colony news – I have spent the last week and half working with two of our other colonies out east. The dynamic of these two groups could not be more different. The one thing that they have in common is that the members of both colonies are athletic and play(ed) sports. It’s always interesting to watch the dynamic of a group of men or to compare the dynamics of two different groups that are at the same place in their “life” as a colony/chapter. This led me to a very interesting discussion about being the “typical Fraternity.”
You would be surprised how many groups label themselves as “not the typical fraternity.” Sometimes it’s true but normally it’s not. Once in a great while the group is even the textbook definition of “stereotypical Fraternity.” Perception is reality and its fun to see how people perceive themselves and the differences of that versus how other people perceive them. Some may argue that only a couple members of the group are “stereotypical frat guys” but “the rest of the group is not.” I challenge that with the idea that your weakest member still represents your entire chapter. Your chapter can only be as great as your weakest member. Imagine all of your members to be just one egg in a large carton of eggs. If you go to the store to buy eggs what do you do? Open up the carton and look at them all. What do you do if one of the eggs is broken or cracked? You put the entire carton back and look for one without a broken egg. You are judged, just like the eggs, by your weakest member. People do it all the time. Think about another organization on your campus. Maybe you had one bad experience with one or two people but naturally you reflect that on the group as a whole. Remember that when you think about the image of your chapter. Remember that when you decide to not hold each other accountable. Remember that when you have members who misrepresent our organization but you let them stay members because you’re too lazy or afraid to suspend them. You perpetuate the behavior of your chapter. Every member is responsible for the image and behaviors of their chapter and its members. Thank you to the groups who believe in this concept. I know it’s not always the easy choice but it is the better one. PTAU!
In other colony news – I have spent the last week and half working with two of our other colonies out east. The dynamic of these two groups could not be more different. The one thing that they have in common is that the members of both colonies are athletic and play(ed) sports. It’s always interesting to watch the dynamic of a group of men or to compare the dynamics of two different groups that are at the same place in their “life” as a colony/chapter. This led me to a very interesting discussion about being the “typical Fraternity.”
You would be surprised how many groups label themselves as “not the typical fraternity.” Sometimes it’s true but normally it’s not. Once in a great while the group is even the textbook definition of “stereotypical Fraternity.” Perception is reality and its fun to see how people perceive themselves and the differences of that versus how other people perceive them. Some may argue that only a couple members of the group are “stereotypical frat guys” but “the rest of the group is not.” I challenge that with the idea that your weakest member still represents your entire chapter. Your chapter can only be as great as your weakest member. Imagine all of your members to be just one egg in a large carton of eggs. If you go to the store to buy eggs what do you do? Open up the carton and look at them all. What do you do if one of the eggs is broken or cracked? You put the entire carton back and look for one without a broken egg. You are judged, just like the eggs, by your weakest member. People do it all the time. Think about another organization on your campus. Maybe you had one bad experience with one or two people but naturally you reflect that on the group as a whole. Remember that when you think about the image of your chapter. Remember that when you decide to not hold each other accountable. Remember that when you have members who misrepresent our organization but you let them stay members because you’re too lazy or afraid to suspend them. You perpetuate the behavior of your chapter. Every member is responsible for the image and behaviors of their chapter and its members. Thank you to the groups who believe in this concept. I know it’s not always the easy choice but it is the better one. PTAU!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Kansas Iota
After the Midwest Regional Conference was over I spent a couple days helping out the Kansas Iota chapter. Something that I continued to be impressed by with men versus women is that men are much more accepting of help. When working for a women's group - if I would have asked an award winning chapter if they wanted assistance they would have laughed and sent me on my way. Yet EVERY Phi Kap chapter so far has been accepting and appreciative of help. As small as that seems - it's encouraging and motivating.
I had some really great conversations with this chapter and its leadership. They have some amazing men in that chapter and I see great success on the horizon for them. I believe that much of what they are going through all chapters go through to some extent. Everybody has issues with involvement and commitment. Most chapters are segregated - sometimes 70 of guys doing 100% of the work and the rest are "dead weight." Sadly, at times the number is 50/50. I really enjoy challenging the process and people to think outside the box. Here's what I think - give the best care to your best customers. That's how businesses are successful. Imagine a chapter to be like an upscale restaurant or club. The regular patrons who are there the most and who spend the most money get treated better. They get better tables, VIP access, and overall more time and effort is spent keeping those customers happy. The customers who come on occasion or one-time customers are the ones that the normal amount of effort is used for. Courtesy, respect, friendliness - just as you would expect. The customers who cause issues like damage or liability are tossed out without question because the business risks it's reputation by keeping lousy customers. OUR ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE RUN WITH THIS CONCEPT IN MIND! It's the same thing! We're providing an experience to our members. It baffles me that chapters allow the complacent members to hold them back. I'm not saying kick them all out but you also shouldn't cater to them when they are not the best members. Simple, real life example.
With that said - I challenge all of you to not allow you complacent or uncommitted members to hold you back. Keep moving forward and if they hang on then great. If they fall off just know that you will pick up better guys along the way that can keep up.
Thank you so much to Kansas Iota for being so gracious, friendly, and open with me. I think it was a mutually beneficial experience and I look forward to the next time I see them again.
I had some really great conversations with this chapter and its leadership. They have some amazing men in that chapter and I see great success on the horizon for them. I believe that much of what they are going through all chapters go through to some extent. Everybody has issues with involvement and commitment. Most chapters are segregated - sometimes 70 of guys doing 100% of the work and the rest are "dead weight." Sadly, at times the number is 50/50. I really enjoy challenging the process and people to think outside the box. Here's what I think - give the best care to your best customers. That's how businesses are successful. Imagine a chapter to be like an upscale restaurant or club. The regular patrons who are there the most and who spend the most money get treated better. They get better tables, VIP access, and overall more time and effort is spent keeping those customers happy. The customers who come on occasion or one-time customers are the ones that the normal amount of effort is used for. Courtesy, respect, friendliness - just as you would expect. The customers who cause issues like damage or liability are tossed out without question because the business risks it's reputation by keeping lousy customers. OUR ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE RUN WITH THIS CONCEPT IN MIND! It's the same thing! We're providing an experience to our members. It baffles me that chapters allow the complacent members to hold them back. I'm not saying kick them all out but you also shouldn't cater to them when they are not the best members. Simple, real life example.
With that said - I challenge all of you to not allow you complacent or uncommitted members to hold you back. Keep moving forward and if they hang on then great. If they fall off just know that you will pick up better guys along the way that can keep up.
Thank you so much to Kansas Iota for being so gracious, friendly, and open with me. I think it was a mutually beneficial experience and I look forward to the next time I see them again.
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