Reflection

"Think ahead, Don't let day to day operations drive out planning"

Sometimes I think people get so caught up in day to day operations that they really forget what they want to do in their leadership position. I know I am guilty of this, there are so many things to get done each day and so many emails to respond to you sometimes wonder what are you doing for the future and how are you going to get there. A big thing I have learned throughout this course and during my time as president thus far, is that everyday is a new day you cannot let what happened yesterday rest on your shoulders the next day. Everyday is a new day to try and reach your goals and make the chapter better than you found it.
I know one way I can utilize this experience to better my chapter in the upcoming semester is by sharing what I learned about the 7 c's to my executive board and having them consider reading the book. Going along with that I think a lot of people sometimes think oh I am in a leadership position I will automatically make change, but this is not the case. You need to be a change agent and do something for a group that is bigger than yourself. A lot of what I am trying to do is better the chapter not just for my sake but for the sake of everyone in our chapter and the sake of the greek community as a whole.
I think our chapter does very well with citizenship. We try and be great citizens of the greek community. Everyone enjoys going to and supporting other chapter's philanthropies. One area to improve with this is going to all four councils' events not just IFC and PHA. We also do really well with controversy with civility, if there is ever a disagreement about something that effects the whole chapter members will argue with controversy with civility until they reach a consensus. We also do well with collaboration whether that be in our chapter or with other groups on campus. In our chapter girls share common goals and want to make change and they do so together by collaborating. We also collaborate with groups on campus, we just got done hosting our first annual Hustle for Hearing 5k with the Student's Academy of Audiology which we collaborated very well with to raise money for speech and hearing in the Columbus Area.
Some areas we need to work on regarding the 7c's include common purpose, consciousness of self, and congruence. Within our chapter I would definitely say we all have common purpose of the values we were founded upon it is just a matter of whether everyone in the chapter lives out those values. There will always be that 10% that does not like anything you do and they do not agree with your purpose. in the future I am going to try and create buy in a with a few of them to get them on board for my or the exec board's ideas. This will also create commitment with everyone in the chapter. Not all of our women are conscious of self, either they do not know what their values and beliefs are or if they do they do not share them with others for fear of embarrassment. I am going to work harder to make people feel comfortable to stand up for what they believe in, I think this could really create some change within the chapter. Finally congruence, since congruence is an individual value I cannot force women to be congruent with our values but we can show them what are good ways to live out our values and make them want to be congruent. We are getting better at this by putting more emphasis on ritual and hosting fun and serious ritual workshops. On any given day there is no way everyone in my chapter lives on the 7c's but they all know there is always room for improvement.

Passion

"nothing great in this world has been accomplished without passion" 

I can honestly say I do not think about my passions on a daily basis, but I know by thinking of what comes naturally to me, and about what I would do for free, what and what puts a smile on my face I easily identify the passions in my life. I know one of the things in life I am very passionate about is my family. My parents mean everything to me and I thank them every chance I get for the opportunities they have given me. Along with my parents my aunts and uncles and cousins are also a big part of my life. Growing up an only child my cousins were like my siblings, we did everything together. They also influenced my decision to come to Ohio State. Currently 3 of my cousins go here and its great to hang out with them and knowing they will always be there for me. I am also very passionate about my academics, I knew coming to Ohio State I would be able to further my education at a great university. I also knew by joining a sorority there would be an emphasis on academics and furthering our educations. As president I really want to re-motivate the chapter to do better in school. Sometimes it gets hard but at the end of day I actually enjoy learning new things. I am also very passionate about Delta Zeta, I can honestly say my college experience would be nothing without my beautiful sisters. Right before formal recruitment I was looking to transfer back home because I had not found my place at Ohio State yet. Naturally DZ saved me and here I am today. It has been the best 3 years of my life. I have met so many people and learned so many things, I honestly never want to graduate (even though its a year away) I know I have to :( Finally I would be lying if I said I wasn't passionate about sports. Ever since I was little I loved sports, my dad coached my soccer and basketball teams and I ran cross country and track. I grew up with a father who always listened to sports radio so I picked up on stuff in the car. That is part of the reason I wanted to come to Ohio State because of the great sports teams they have here and the traditions associated with them. My passions can definitely be seen through the way I lead. I want to make change in things that I am passionate about that is why I wanted to make a difference in Delta Zeta. 

values and commitment

"Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them".

When you are a part of a sorority you know that your values are not going to align with all of your sisters. Because of this you have to find a way to transform them into group values. Being the president of an organization does not mean that your values or ideas are always right it is stepping back and listening to other people's ideas and seeing their values as if they were your own. Using everyone's values a group can come together and set specific values and goal for the organization. When my exec board was first starting their term we had a retreat and everyone found out what type of leader they were and we developed goals of what we wanted to accomplish and what we valued as an exec board. One of the things we wanted to focus on was not pre gaming before events as an exec board. So because of this the exec board and I do not pre game for events and by leading by example we hope the rest of the chapter will eventually follow. Although the rest of the chapter may not value this as an exec board we have developed a group value of being responsible before social events by not pre gaming. 
I do not believe that it is possible to always be a person of congruence everyone always makes mistakes. You can be incongruent with your values once in a great while but it cannot be a recurring problem. Someone who is incongruent with their values on a regular basis will not be  good leader because no one will take them seriously. Being a leader one needs to realize they are held to a higher standard and because of this people watch and remember everything you say and do. As a leader you need to evaluate whether or not something you do is really worth being incongruent. I truly believe it is easier to be congruent if one person knows what they value in life. If you do not know what your values are it is hard to be congruent with them. 
To me commitment is giving something your all even when you are not required to. For example on a high school basketball team there are many players that all say they are committed. To me they are not all committed, the ones that play because they love it and give it their all no matter what are the ones who are truly committed. Ones that their parents force them to play and slack off in practice are not truly committed. This can be seen in our chapters. There is always that one girl not matter what you ask her you know she will do it for you because she is committed to the chapter, it means something to her. When I think of committed I also think of dedicated. When you are committed to something you are also dedicated to its cause. I am committed to my family, academics, Delta Zeta, and my health. 

Values

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” 
― Roy Disney

Everyday you come in contact with things and events that make you test your personal values. I think our values come from the environment we are a part of and some we are just born with. The idea of nature vs nurture. I honestly think your values have to do with more of nurture. I know personally I value almost all of the same things that my parents and my family does. My parents raised me to reach for the stars and surround myself with people who would help me reach my goals and align with my own values. You can assure you are spending time on things you value by being aware of what you are doing and thinking before you do something, does this really align with what I believe in. In high school my dad would always tell me "think before you do something" of course I made mistakes at some points but I definitely learned form this and it has allowed me to become more congruent with my values and actually live out what I believe in. Some things I personally value are family, acceptance, trust, forgiveness, love, drive, friendship, my sisters, learning and independence. I am spending most of my time on learning, my sisters, friends and family. I need to focus on acceptance I value when people accept me for who I am so I need to be congruent with that and not judge people but accept them for who they are. I also need to focus on forgiveness when something goes wrong whether it be with a friend or with one of my sisters I am one to hold on to it forever and not forget about it but I need to show that value more and forgive and forget.

Personal values can be contributed into shared group values through adaptation. Being a leader I realize that I will not always be right and other people will have ideas that align with their values and this goes along with acceptance and listening to their values and adapting them to the group idea to develop ideas that create shared values for everyone. I personally do not think it is possible to always be a person of congruence there are times when you will slip up and that is when you need to step back and realize I was not aligning with my values and learn from that mistake. I think being a leader in the greek community helps because your sense of congruence develops and you are more aware that everyone watches what you do. That is why I strive to lead by example and display my values in my actions so people cannot come at me and say well you said this but did this so what should I believe or do. I want to be someone who is congruent in their actions so people take me seriously and value the ideas I bring to the table.

Vision statement

When first starting to think about my vision statement I thought about all the things that I enjoy doing and being a part of. I love my family more than words I honestly don't know what I would do without them. My cousins are my best friends. College would be nothing without Delta Zeta and the opportunities I have been apart of. Although school sometimes is stressful I truly enjoy learning new things everyday. I also love working out it is such a great stress reliever for me and allows me to eat the food I want to eat. I love watching sports all my life I have grown up going to different sports events with my family from Detroit Tigers baseball games to LPGA golf tournaments to college football and basketball and now Blue Jackets hockey games, Ohio State football, basketball and hockey games, I can say sports are a big part of my life. I would also say leadership is a big part of my life I grew up and literally everyday my dad would tell me "be a leader not a follower" and that has lead me to where I am today, President of Delta Zeta sorority at The Ohio State University. When thinking about my vision statement I also thought of things that I struggle with and need to work on. One being my impatience, I am very impatient and when I want something done it should have been done five minutes ago. Since taking on the presidency I have learned to let this go a little bit because I know not everyone works at the same pace as I do. I also struggle with instant gratification, I like to get things right away. When I order a package online I expect it to be at my doorstep an hour later, naturally this doesn't happen. I also struggle with being sympathetic to others, I am not the friend that you come crying when something has gone wrong, of course I will be there for you but that is not how I am. I have learned I need to be sympathetic because there will be times in my presidency when people come to me and just want to talk and I will be there to listen. I would say my personal vision reads something like this

"I lead a life of giving 100% in everything I do, to the best of my ability. I know there will be hard times but things could always be worse. There will always be people to lean on when you need help, family, friends, exec board, advisors, no matter what other people are going through the same problems as you. Remember in order to play hard you have to work hard. School  can get tough but you will be rewarded in the end. I know how much I enjoy the experiences I have at Ohio State and in Delta Zeta, needless to say the future looks bright. Remember to be mindful of other's emotions and make time for yourself."

Week 5

Vision: What is the ideal future for this organization?
Aims: Why does this organization exist?
Values: How do we agree to treat ourselves and others as we pursue our mission and vision?

In my chapter I would say we all have a clear vision and that stems from the aim of the organization and our values help shape our vision. Vision, aims, and values are definitely all intertwined within one another. One vision we have as an organization is to recruit the best girls each and every year and to grow as a chapter. Our values help shape that vision because we recruit girls who share the same values as us. Our creed is a good representation of Delta Zeta's values

"To the world I promise temperance, insight, and courage. To crusade for justice to seek the truth and defend it always. To those who my life may touch in slight measure may I give graciously of what is mine. To my friends understanding and appreciation. To those closer ones love that is ever steadfast. To my mind growth To my self faith that I may walk  truly in the light of the flame".

If we recruit women who do not exemplify the aims of the founder's in our creed then we will not have a clear vision and women will not share the same values. That is why it is important to evaluate the women in your chapter, get to know them and the things they value so you can continue to grow together.

Controversy vs. Conflict a fine line. Conflict has two distinct sides and people align with one side or the other. While controversy has different opinions on the issues but different sides are not staked out and people can come together and listen to each other to come up with a solution. No one likes to deal with conflict so I think people need to start looking at differences more from a controversy with civility lens and allowing each other to speak in a dialogue about the differences and what each side wants to do instead of making it a conflict where someone always has to loose. Controversy with civility is much more productive than conflict. This is often hard with girls, when there is a conflict someone thinks they are right and will not listen to what the other person has to say and it turns into a screaming match to see who can talk the loudest. Although this does not happen frequently next time it does I am going to step back and see how the situation can be handled from a controversy with civility standpoint instead of a conflict standpoint.

Blog 4

In a world where everyone is a part of groups or teams I find that many people interchange the words collaborate, cooperate, and compromise. The biggest difference is that collaboration is reaching a mutual goal, something that the whole group agrees on. I think this is very hard in groups because everyone has different opinions and no one ever wants to deviate from what they want to do. Because of this there is usually always compromise or cooperation and not collaboration. Personally I view collaboration as the most successful way to get people together since everyone is reaching a common goal instead of cooperating on individual goals or compromising to meet in the middle. It is challenge when one or more members does not to work collaboratively you have to somehow convince them that the idea or project is worth their time, sell it to them so they will want to work together to reach that common goal. I believe competition can be motivation to collaborate if the competition is with another organization. I know from personal experience Delta Zeta comes together to collaborate and reach a common goal of winning when they are competing against other organizations or teams. This was recently demonstrated when our buckeyethon team collaborated and all had a common goal of being the top Greek fundraising team. With the competition of beating other teams our women collaborated to raise as much money as they could, because of this we were the greek chapter that raised the most money for Nationwide Children's Hospital and Children's Miracle Network. Our chapter has also recently collaborated with our advisors to create a professionalism capsule about how to deal with interviewing, email etiquette and much more. This came up when one of our executive board members saw girls sending her unprofessional emails she expressed this concern to the advisors and they decided to collaborate and create a capsule to teach girls about professionalism (the common goal). The capsule was very informative and the chapter enjoyed it. All in all sometimes collaboration can be hard but in the end the result is worth it.

Citizenship and Collaboration

Citizenship: active community participation as a result of a sense of responsibility to the communities in which people live. After discussing citizenship this week in class I have come to the conclusion that one can be a part of a community without actually being an active citizen of that community. I think with Greek Life in particular there are the active citizens on every chapter who help out whenever needed and then there are just the chapter members who just sit by and watch what goes on but do not get actively involved. I would say Delta Zeta's view citizenship as working to give back to the communities which they are a part of. This takes time working together and realizing what Delta Zeta's vision is so we are all on the same page. I know one area of citizenship that our chapter excells at is service. Whenever there is a service project multiple girls always sign up and are excited to give back. They enjoy doing service because they see how it benefits other people. Another idea we talked about in class is social capital, and how a communities success are more likely if the citizens are actively engaged with each other. I know in Delta Zeta we try to attend everyone's philanthropy events and if not we at least try to give a donation because this helps us become more actively engaged with other chapters on campus spreading the word about Delta Zeta and gives us a better chance of success within the community.
Shifting from citizenship to collaboration, I view collaboration as a group of people working together toward a common goal. Something I loved that was discussed in this chapter is that collaboration tries to achieve mutual goals while cooperation is based on helping each party acheive its own goals. I think people get collaboration and cooperation confused all the time. I like to think of collaboration as a win win situation. You sit down with your group and discuss everything each person wants and come up with a solution that does not compromise anyones ideas but collaborates them all into one idea. Collaboration deals a lot with trusting one another, something that takes a while to be built up but can be lost in a instant. In order for people to trust me I pride myself on keeping things private that need to be kept private. If someone comes to me with a concern I will not go tell another sister because then the person who came and told me would lose trust in me. Another way to build trust is to trust other people. I know as president that I cannot do everything and sharing ownership is a big part of building trust. When you trust other people with specific leadership roles or leaderless groups they will in return trust you and what you are doing. We also try to create powerful compelling experiences to help build trust. I know when I was a sophomore we had a chapter retreat and went on a scavenger hunt around campus. I had never felt so closer to my sisters until that point because we all worked together and trusted each other to get the scavenger hunt done, it was a great experience.

We cannot wait for Change

President Barack Obama once said "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek" I think alot of times people get caught up in the fact that change will eventually happen and forget that if they want something changed themselves they need to go out and do it. After reading the chapter on citizenship it is a lot about being an active part in something bigger than yourself and that is what we strive for as sorority women and fraternity men. When you are a part of something bigger than yourself you have to contribute as a citizen and make change.
An individual can do something to create change which can then cause a chain reaction that will eventually contribute to the whole group and get everyone on board. Right now our new member educator wants to changed the new members meetings from Sunday nights to Monday night. this change of dates would be viewed as a single order change. Her reasoning for this is that sunday is used to catch up on homework and many people have other things going on. At the same time Monday is chapter day so new members would be encouraged to come to formal dinner and their meetings would be right after formal dinner creating a meeting environment that is formal much like chapter. Allowing the new members to get in the habit of wearing business attire to dinner and their meetings on Monday to get ready for chapter. personally I feel like this is a great idea but some other members of the chapter do not agree. I think this could eventually turn into second order change, changing the organization fundamental values and assumptions. By making the new member meetings on Monday we place more emphasis on our value of professionalism. Because I know when I was a new member our meetings were on Sunday and I never showed up in chapter attire it was always sweatpants or leggings and a T-shirt. By having the meetings on Monday we can create second order change and get the new members to value the professionalism aspect of being in a sorority and how that can help them in the future. In conclusion, on individual can start change but when they get the rest of the group to support them there is no stopping their idea of change.
Another aspect of change that I think is sometimes forgotten in the Greek community is how powerful the greek community is. In the chapter on citizenship, working together was discussed and how members must identify in some way with the community but not necessarily in the same way. Our similar identification as a member of the greek community can be used to create citizenship by doing greek wide community service events, doing community research, getting politically involved, or being socially responsible. If we as a community take action against something we are passionate about it could be very successful because we are such a large community.

My Development as a Leader

As I have just started by term as president of Delta Zeta sorority at The Ohio State University I can see how my views on social change are different than they used to be.  I am the kind of person who believes in leading by example. As president I am someone the whole chapter looks to for guidance and support, If I am not being the best I can be and leading by example then the whole chapter will suffer. Before becoming president I did not view social change as such a hard concept for people to understand. Constantly there are issues people want resolved. A problem I have been having in our chapter is people do not deal well with change and when someone wants to change something for the better, not everyone will agree. With that if the change is for the better you cannot always please everyone you just have to do what is best for the group as a whole. In chapter four it states "It is about creating values-based umbrella large enough to accommodate the various interests of followers, but focused enough to direct all their energies in pursuit of a common good(105)". This is something that we try to strive for in our chapter but sometimes it gets hard. We are so diverse everyone wants something different and it is hard to please everyone. That is why we have developed many leadership positions and policies that accommodate almost everyone like the umbrella in the above quote. 

When I was younger I used to view social change as one person changing things for the better but during my time in Delta Zeta I have found much more gets done when there is a collaborative environment. "When leadership is not done in secret and imposed upon followers but is a collaborative and empowering process between leaders and followers, the organization can accomplish more than ever thought possible (106)." Without the help of chapter members, chair positions, and executive officers I would not be able to do what I do. I get so much accomplished with the help of everyone else around me in Delta Zeta. When one person has an idea and shares it with everyone else whether it be a normal chapter member or a chair position we all listen to their idea, suggest other options and come up with a plan to implement it. Showing that with collaboration much more can be accomplished. I know I would be lost without my executive board standing with me helping us accomplish more and more everyday.

I have also come to see that social change can take a very long time but if you do something each day for the better change will eventually come. I am not the kind of person who is very patient but since I have taken this position I have learned that I need to be patient and work with people in order to get things done. Along those same lines the book brought up a great point about maintaining the change that has been made and avoid slipping back into old habits. For example we just got new furniture on our first floor (formal and informal room) and there is no eating or napping on these couches. This is a very big change because before we had old couches in the informal room so people used to eat and nap in the informal room all the time. Because of this we need to maintain the change by reinforcing people not eating/napping in the informal room and speaking to people who do so the change can be for the better making both rooms look nice for years to come. This goes back to leading by example, if an exec member decides they are going to eat their takeout in front of the tv in the informal room on the furniture then everyone else will think it is okay, when it really is not. I know that since my term as president is just beginning through the obstacles I face i will develop new view on social change and will continue to learn to approach things differently. You learn more as you go and I am sure over the next year I am going to learn so much about leadership and the right way to lead a group of people and effectively making social change for the better.