T.J. Sullivan's Blog

While your recruitment committee is working this summer to make your fraternity or sorority bigger, shouldn’t others be working to make sure your chapter is better?

Are we placing the same expectation on our member education committee, for example, to be ready for Fall? What is your brotherhood or sisterhood committee doing this summer to be ready for August?

Let’s face it. The fraternity and sorority industry (people hate when I call it that) has done a great job of prioritizing growth. Growth means strength. Growth means money.

However, no business survives simply on bringing new customers in the door. You have to keep existing customers happy, engaged and satisfied. How is your chapter doing with the members it already has?

It is critical that your chapter leadership use the summer intentionally. Your leaders have to ask, “What are we doing to strengthen the quality of our member experience beyond recruitment?”

Start by demanding evaluation. What did we do well this past year in terms of new member education and retention? Where were the weak spots? Ask the young men or women who took part to give honest and brutal feedback. Did we have sufficient leadership in this area? Did we make it enough of a priority?

Do the same for other areas critical to chapter satisfaction. Think: brotherhood/sisterhood, ritual, social, housing. It might be smart to identify the 4-5 areas of chapter life that most impact everyone’s morale. Maybe it’s the quality of your chapter meetings. Maybe it’s intramurals. Maybe it’s relationships with other chapters.

After you’ve evaluated, identify two or three weak spots and begin conversations about how to address those. What are some quick fixes we can do immediately?  What are some long-term solutions we need to consider more deeply?

Using new member education, for example… Do we need to bring in more brothers or sisters to lead conversations on critical member education topics? Are we overtaxing our new members so much that their academic performance suffers?

Summer offers an outstanding opportunity to reflect, evaluate and identify those areas that need critical fixes. Your chapter leaders will enter into the new year with a strategic advantage if they spent the summer thinking about these things. Do it now, while things are quiet, and before the madness of the new year begins in earnest. Don’t wait until the chapter retreat. Do it now.

Identify the most critical areas affecting chapter morale and member satisfaction. Evaluate performance in those areas this past year by gathering feedback. Identify a few critical areas that need fixing. Use the summer to discuss ideas, by email, group chat, whatever. Arrive back in August ready to get to work.

Yes, thinking about recruitment during the summer is important. Some of your best minds should be focused on that. But, engage other leaders on retention, because a happy chapter is a strong recruiting chapter.

In the world of college activities, we are constantly opening up opportunities for people to apply for things.  Apply to be volunteers with our organizations.  Submit breakouts for conferences.  Apply for awards and scholarships.

Process-oriented leaders – naturally – love a good application process.  Here’s how it usually goes.

They put the word out (usually the same way they always have every year before), and they set a deadline for applications. At the deadline, they’ll either celebrate the number of applications, or lament the scarcity and extend the deadline.  They distribute what they’ve collected to a committee, dictate a process for evaluation and scoring, set up finalist interviews, review, settle for the person most people agree is the best among the applicants, notify everyone, and announce the results.

That’s the process.

But, does simply throwing open the doors and inviting applications bring the best results?

Process-focused leaders will probably say, yes.  It’s diplomatic, it allows for thoughtful consideration, and it allows a way to objectively identify the best people.

I argue that inviting applications – as a stand alone method – actually results in limited choices and mediocrity. After all, some of the most talented, qualified individuals aren’t always willing to apply.

Who typically takes the time to apply? Who is willing to compete with an unknown number of people? Who cares about winning awards? Who comes to you seeking leadership opportunities?

Answer: Top third members who seek involvement, status, and validation. You announce, they apply.

For many organizations who simply fill spots by announcing an application process, they get what they get – which is usually applications from the same small percentage of highly engaged students on their campus. If their top third is vast, then great.  They’re likely to get adequate results.

But, if you believe in finding the hidden gems in that other two-thirds of your student population, you have to do more than announce an application process.  You have to go out and find amazing people, and then you have to encourage them to engage at a higher level with your organization. They likely won’t decide to do it on their own simply because they saw your “applications now being accepted” announcement.

If they even saw it. Which they probably did not.

Convince the student who works two jobs that he or she might be an excellent candidate for Homecoming Court.  It’s something he has never even considered.

Invite the student with a 3.0 to apply for the scholarship, even though there are many people with better grade point averages. He doesn’t even bother applying for scholarships because he prejudged himself unworthy.

Find that person with an amazing story and encourage her to write a column for the newspaper. She doesn’t even know that opportunity is available.

An application process only works well when excellent people apply.  Excellent people only apply when they think it’s worth their effort.

I founded and ran a successful speakers agency for more than a decade, and I assure you, some of the most successful individuals who joined our roster didn’t respond to our annual “Call for Speakers.”  We went out and found them. We sought out people with talent, and we turned them into speakers.

Decades ago, when I worked for my national fraternity, we started new chapters by going to a campus and recruiting the best and brightest men who were not already affiliated.  Sure, some came to us at advertised informational sessions, but many of our greatest recruits were men we went out and found. These were men who never saw themselves as “the fraternity type.”  We had to engage them first before they would engage us.

It’s fine to have an application process, but by itself, it’s not a sufficient way to reach an excellent outcome. There are people on your campus or in your constituency whose talents you have not yet tapped. If your strategy is simply to “accept applications” by a deadline (and maybe do a couple of social media posts), you’re vulnerable to mediocrity.

An application process fed by a deliberate effort to identify, recruit and engage talent yields a greater shot at excellence.

Ask yourself:

Do we find ourselves at the mercy of whatever applications come in?

Are we doing enough to draw new people into our search process?

Who do we wish was applying? Where can we find these people?

How can we go to them instead of expecting them to find us?

Is our application process so intense that it discourages everyone but top third people from applying?

Are we open minded enough about the type of people we are searching for?

I frequently meet student organization officers who see themselves, fundamentally, as middle third members. They care about maintaining balance, and they avoid major time commitments and political drama, as much as they possibly can. They are happiest when people are getting along and when they can balance their involvement with other priorities in their lives.

These middle third members – by definition – have other priorities demanding their equal loyalty. They have jobs, relationships, or interests in other campus organizations. They are generally happy to be positive, contributing members of your group without the intensity of an officer position. They aren’t looking for attention, power or validation. They simply enjoy helping in specific ways and spending quality time with their fellow members engaged in activities that make your organization stronger.

But then, usually without much warning, they get called up.  Their talents are needed.  Someone drops out of a leadership role.  Or, it comes election time, and everyone looks their way.  It’s hard to say no.

Later that evening, after they’ve been elected, they panic.  How are they going to handle this huge new obligation while maintaining the balance they crave?  Did they just make a huge mistake by saying yes to a leadership opportunity?

Of course, these student leaders have every bit of the talent and commitment to excel in these roles.  But, you can’t take the middle third thinking out of them!

They will most likely approach their leadership positions differently than top third members will.  They will probably defer to other leaders and avoid taking on even more responsibility than what’s necessary for their position.

Most certainly, these middle third leaders will work overtime to meet the demands of their role while still making time for the other things that are important to them. While a classic “top third” student leader might ignore other priorities in the service of his or her leadership position (working out, eating, studying, socializing, sleeping), the middle third member will seek to set boundaries in order to meet these other priorities to the least diminished capacity possible.

I will attend everything I can, but two nights a week belong to my girlfriend. I need to work out to be functional, so I’ll get up an hour earlier each day to make sure I get to the gym. I’ll study in a secret place on campus and turn off my phone while studying so I can focus without distractions.

This middle third member in a top-third role will now go one of two ways. Either he or she will juggle like crazy and make it work, or he or she won’t.

If he or she makes it work, happiness will follow.  The leadership experience will be a good one, and the student leader will take care of those other priorities in an adequate way.  The grades won’t drop, the romantic relationship will be maintained, mental health will remain intact, and a smile will stay on their face (most of the time).

These middle third members in top-third roles will end up being some of the most healthy student leaders on campus. They set boundaries, and they manage their time with extraordinary precision.  They learn to say no, how to delegate, and how to collaborate with others to share responsibility for the organization.

But, of course, not everyone pulls this off.

Some middle third members in top-third roles find the sheer weight of demands overwhelming. When they are unable to handle the varsity level juggling, they can be consumed by stress and anxiety.

If you are an officer reading this, and you are realizing that your involvement preference is squarely middle third, don’t panic.

It’s important you do a few things to keep your sanity.

Schedule time for your other priorities.  Your sanity and effectiveness as an officer means setting aside time for those priorities. If you don’t honor those needs, your organization will surely suffer. If going to the gym is important, then schedule that time and make it a priority.  Only deny yourself that gym time if it’s truly, truly urgent.

Tell other officers that you have competing demands. If you have a job, make sure others know that there will be times when you have to choose the job over a meeting or activity. Sometimes, just letting people know this can make all the difference.  Don’t feel guilty when other officers without jobs can devote more time to leadership, for example.

Carve out quiet time.  Even if you’re an extrovert, you will probably feel more in control if you get away from your leadership role on a regular basis.  Socialize with another group of friends unrelated to your organization from time to time. Study in a quiet, out-of-the-way building on campus. Eat a meal a little farther from campus. Go home for a weekend day from time to time, if you’re able.

Stop feeling guilty about saying “no.”  You won’t be able to keep up with those top-third student leaders who make their officer positions full-time jobs, so don’t try.  Focus on doing your job, and let others do theirs.  You don’t need to be at the center of every activity. Stop worrying that others will think you’re doing less.

Have some fun.  Middle third members care about relationships in the organization.  They like to interact with members in fun, positive ways.  Don’t follow the lead of some top-third student leaders who become so consumed with their jobs that they forget to enjoy themselves. They become so consumed with tasks that they forget to enjoy the people. You will definitely feel better about your position if you’re having a good time.

When you’re done with your position, it’s most likely that you’ll happily revert back to middle third status in your organization. It will be easier to manage those competing priorities.

Middle third members can be excellent student leaders, especially when we appreciate that they are different from top-third members.  Most organizations will have a mix – some officers who live and die by the daily drama of their organization, and others who are struggling to keep the balls in the air.  If we learn to collaborate and respect each other’s needs, the top third will push the middle third to accomplish more and the middle third will push the top third to have more reasonable and achievable goals for their time in office.

This is a rewrite of one of my most popular blogs.  Enjoy!

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Before you know it, it will be election time.  Your year will be done.

You finished your term in office. You passed the gavel, and the pressure is off. All those crazy problems are no longer yours. If you’ve done your job, you made an effective transition with lots of inside advice and an offer to be available for questions. With a wink of good luck and a small dose of empathy, you handed over the monster to the new officer.

You’re free! Congrats. You can now enjoy a semester without the daily stresses of leadership. Less tension, fewer complaints, more free time.

For some of you, you’ll be moving on to another leadership position in another student organization and new challenges await. For others, you will come back from the holidays with no specific student leadership responsibilities – just a regular member. You’re now a “has been,” which can be really great, or it can be really difficult.

Please, please, please… do not be an obstructionist former officer. The last thing the new leaders need is your open criticism of their decisions. Keep your mouth shut and let the new leaders try their new ideas, make their mistakes, and handle their own political struggles. You should keenly remember how tough it is to be in that position, so don’t make it harder for them. If you can’t say anything nice, then just shut up.

Wait for the request. You will see many opportunities where your advice could help a new leader avoid a mistake, but the smart move is to wait to be asked for advice and assistance. It can be really, really hard to suppress the desire to step in. We don’t like to see people stumble. We justify meddling with the excuse that we want what’s best for the organization. The smart move, however, is to be available when the new leader seeks your assistance. If they don’t ask for it, they probably would rather you stay out of it.

Lend a hand on a project that desperately needs some attention and wisdom. Raise some money, network with alumni, inject some life into your service program, paint the basement, clean the constitution and bylaws. You’re not in charge any longer, but you can still be useful, and setting the positive example of a former officer who is still invested is powerful. This project will probably be your legacy.

Show up to things. Your year as a leader doesn’t give you a pass to skip everything from here forward. Take an interest in the youngest members of your organization, and help positively shape their experience. Again, you’re setting an example.

Support the new person, even when it hurts. When people in your organization dislike something the new officer does, the first thing they will do is look at you. Don’t roll the eyes, and don’t make clever criticisms. Even if you disagree, your most critical response should be, “Go talk to him and work with him for a better solution.” Don’t encourage dissent. It doesn’t make you look smarter or cooler to stir the pot.

Look outside your organization. Expand your resume a bit. Volunteer. Make some new friends. Sometimes, former officers become a negative, toxic presence in their organizations because they are bored, under-utilized, and struggling with a lack of validation.

As officers, we get addicted to feeling important, and finding ourselves outside of the leadership process can feel devastating.  Leaders who don’t deal well with this feeling are the ones who become the cranky former officers that everyone grows to hate.

Don’t be that person. Set the example by becoming a wise, positive, supportive, contributing member.

That is the has-been high road.

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T.J. Sullivan is now accepting speaking dates for Winter/Spring 2016. 

If your college student organization is having enormous morale, leadership and apathy problems, it might be time to ask the really big, tough question.

“What if we shut this organization down?”

Not all student organizations are timeless. Maybe your organization was relevant once upon a time, and now it’s lost its shine. Perhaps you would be smart to merge with another organization, or start a new version of your existing organization with a new name and mission. But, if nothing’s working, then maybe it’s time to bring the organization to its deserved ending.

Maybe at a retreat, simply ask, “If we shut this thing down, who would care?”

Why do we matter to our members? Why do we matter to this campus?

It might lead to a passionate defense of your group. If so, that’s awesome. Then, lead the discussion toward questions about how we serve our mission, things we do that distract us from that mission, how we communicate our value to the campus, and how we can add more life and relevance to our group.

If people don’t have a good answer to the “why do we exist?” question, then maybe it’s time to explore some big changes.

Getting in touch with your organization’s mission and relevance can be emotional, but having the conversation can shake things up and bring out the most valuable discussions possible.

Also, you can go back into the archives and read this blog post.