Speaking For Change

It’s funny how excited we were about meetings when we were in our first role that required us to attend them; it gave us a little sense of importance. “Sorry, I got a meeting man,” we’d tell a buddy with a sense of pride. Like we were about to do something important… How quickly that novelty wears off.

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Meetings are necessary sometimes. But there’s also a reason people hate them: they are overused and misused. It’s like every time there’s a problem there has to be a meeting. If things are going well – there is a meeting. If it’s someone’s birthday – there is a meeting.

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So it doesn’t take many meetings to realize that they often are not the best use of a group’s time. Let’s look at the factors that make or break a good meeting so you can use them to keep your group engaged and productive instead of resentful and bored. Read the rest of this entry »

For an organization to serve its mission, a leader must serve its members.

“Half of our members are dead weight.”

“Other e-board members never take initiative.”

“Guys keep showing up at service events hung-over.”

The joys of running a student organization, right?

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Getting a group of 18-22-year-olds to voluntarily exert effort is a challenge. You can’t give raises to incentivize them or fire them if they don’t show up at events. But the success of your organization depends on these souls. So how do you get them engaged?

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1. Gain leadership skills.

Leadership doesn’t necessarily mean being in a position like president or vice president. Whether you’re designing banners or making executive decisions you will get a taste of leadership if you have to delegate work and help manage your peers. These skills will build confidence in you, make you more attractive to employers, and last you long through your career. Of course, serving as a Vice President or President is away to step it up a level and employers usually never complain if you bring that experience.

2. Meet cool people: make friends and build a network.

You will likely meet people that not only share a similar interest to you, but are also more active. Students involved in one org are likely to be involved in others as well and can introduce you to wide networks and more opportunities. The network you build will come in handy when you’re looking around for openings for internships, people to help critique your resume, and all the other things you’ll need help with through college and your career. Plus when you’re working late nights together and pounding questionable Chinese food trying to get that event ready for the weekend, you really have no choice but to be friends

3. Gain confidence. Read the rest of this entry »