Stepping into a leadership position in a SigEp chapter can be a life-changing experience. For undergraduates, serving in a leadership role in SigEp offers you an opportunity to develop skills and habits that will make you better prepared for the professional world.
Many of the skills and habits you need to be successful will be taught during the upcoming Carlson Leadership Academy. Below are 14 ways you can prepare for the leadership program.
1. Transition into your position. To prepare for Carlson as well as the rest of their terms, each executive board member meets with his predecessor. Each incoming officer should be given all the information he needs to transition into his term and, most importantly, outgoing officers should share the challenges associated with their position so that the new officer can go into Carlson looking for solutions.
2. Review SigEp’s resources and guides for your position. Executive board members have the ability to set the tone and direction of the chapter and determine its success. Each executive board officer now has their own resource page that includes an officer guide, supporting resources and relevant web pages. Before Carlson, read over all of the documents for your position.
3. Invite a large and diverse delegation to attend Carlson. Some chapters send at least 14 brothers to Carlson. Each member of the executive board finds a brother to attend their respective tracks with him to cultivate brothers for future executive board positions. It is helpful to send as many brothers as possible to the recruitment track. This can bring a tremendous return during recruitment, as many of the lessons can be implemented in a chapter’s recruitment plan. By immersing our newest brothers in the ideals and leadership that are taught at Carlson, they will become even greater leaders in our chapters and communities.
4. Make Carlson a chapter tradition. Stevens Tech RLC has several traditions for Carlson. From traveling together on the Metro North train to having breakfast as a group the day after Carlson, they cherish the opportunity to be together and enjoy the experience as a chapter. On Sunday morning before heading back to campus, they book a private room at the hotel to enjoy breakfast together and reflect on what they learned during the program. They discuss takeaways, ideas and the importance of the networking that each brother has done over the past few days. This breakfast discussion is a great way to conclude Carlson, as it aligns everyone in attendance and prepares them to bring the lessons learned back to their chapters.
5. Set expectations for attendance. Ensure that your brothers know the time commitment for Carlson and are prepared to fully invest in the experience. Take 15 minutes after a chapter meeting to gather all of those attending and set guidelines for the weekend. Let them know that they should be onsite and prepared to start prior to 8 p.m. that Friday night, when officer tracks begin. They will not want to miss any of the important programming that takes place that evening.
6. Use all designated spots. Each chapter has five pre-paid undergraduate registrations, two discounted registrations for additional undergraduates and one pre-paid registration for a designated volunteer. All of this is covered through the chapter’s fall bill. So, don’t waste your money—make sure each and every one of those spots is taken!
7. Seek support from your university. Most schools offer financial support for student organizations to attend conferences. Research these opportunities from your fraternity and sorority life office and take advantage of it if applications are available.
8. Dress for success. For Friday, all brothers should wear a collared shirt and slacks. For Saturday, business formal (coat and tie) is required. Make sure your chapter knows the attire guidelines for the weekend. You and your chapter brothers don’t want to be the ones standing out for being underdressed. Come prepared!
9. Bring business cards. If you haven’t done so already, invest in personal business cards! Not only are business cards handy to have at networking events or career fairs, but they are also great to share with other brothers in leadership roles at Carlson. Encourage your brothers attending to get at least five business cards (or contact information) from brothers at different chapters so you can start sharing ideas and networking with one another.
10. Bring your chapter’s goals and mission statement. Before you make the trek to Carlson, be sure to take a look at your chapter’s combined goals and vision for the semester and year, and then bring them to Carlson. There, you will receive lots of training, information and tips, so it is important that you can align to them to the specific goals of your chapter.
11. Let professors know about Carlson. It is always a good idea to let your professors know about a class absence, but take the opportunity to tell them more about SigEp, Carlson and the other educational opportunities our Fraternity provides. They will be glad to know you are spending class time at a personal development conference, and it also lets them get to know you and what you are involved in better.
12. Network ahead of time. Reach out to other chapters in your region to see who else is attending. A great way to plan ahead is to set up a meet and greet with another chapter to learn from each other, whether it be on Saturday night or at breakfast on the last day.
13. Review the LROB. The Lifetime Responsibility of Brotherhood is filled with useful information that you will use throughout your lifetime. What better way to use and practice its teachings than at one of our leadership programs? The LROB will also prepare you to discuss the topics within your executive sessions.
14. Go through the experience with brothers from other chapters. Step outside of your comfort zone and meet new brothers from other chapters. This collaboration with other chapters will help you to implement new ideas and solve problems within your own chapter. This will also build your bonds of brotherhood with the vast network of brothers throughout your region.
Originally published in January 2013 by Bryan Baranyay, Stevens Tech ’14. Revised and republished January 2016.
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