You Have The Power

by Matt Mattson

be-a-leader-800x800You are powerful. You may not even realize it. You have the power to change someone’s life forever.

Remember when you first joined your organization — that organization that has made such an impact on you?  Remember how there was that one person who invited you in and made you comfortable? Think about how much that person changed your life. Try to imagine your life over the past couple of years if they hadn’t given you the gift of your organization.

You can be that person to someone new.  You have this amazing power within you to give someone a life changing gift of membership in your organization.  In fact, if you know how to tap into your inner potential, you have the power to change the lives of dozens of people with the gift of membership.

You are powerful.  You have the power to alter the way someone thinks about your organization.  The only thing you need to wield that power is a handshake, a meaningful conversation, and your personal story.

You have this awesome power. You have the power to change the worldOrganizations change the world, and organizations are just people + purpose.  You have the purpose already (that’s why your organization exists)… all you have to do is add more high quality people to it to make the biggest impact.  You are incredibly powerful.

You’re truly phenomenal.  What amazing power you have within you.  Will you use it?  Will you choose generosity and change lives… change the world?

Let Values Guide The Decision

by Dr. Colleen Coffey-Melchiorre

1josh-039I can remember very clearly the first moments of my first days as a college freshman. I was an always joiner. I would have found sorority if it was buried underneath the student union in a locked vault.

At an information fair, I went right up to the Panhellenic booth, handed in my application for recruitment, and informed the recruitment counselor that I had made up my mind about which sorority I wanted to join. She asked that I keep an open mind. This was hard to do since everyone around me, including but not limited to some of the cutest fraternity dudes I had ever laid eyes on, was telling me I would be “perfect” for Alpha Sigma Tau.

I am a little embarrassed to say that I chose AST because of what everyone else around me was saying. I liked the women in the sorority a lot and felt right at home there, but I closed myself off to other groups, not thinking critically about this life-long decision I was about to make.

I LOVE being an Alpha Tau – there is no other group I would rather be in, but it wasn’t until weeks into my new member program that I realized a) this decision was for the rest of my life and b) I was expected to understand and espouse the values of this organization.

I learned what Alpha Sigma Tau meant and fell in love with the meaning AFTER I joined. Thank goodness their values matched my values – I got lucky.

This fall, Phired Up will be piloting iValU, a tool for potential new members to understand how to apply their personal values to the sorority decision making process. I am honored to have been a major part of developing this project, and even more excited to see how this benefits young women who should think clearly and intentionally about this highly important life-long decision.

Sorority women: Do your best to help the potential new members this fall find organizations that will make them happy for the rest of their lives.

Higher Standards?

by Matt Mattson

questionIf you raised your standards for membership this fall — significantly — what would happen?

What if you only allowed students with a 3.75 GPA or better to be considered for membership? Would there be fewer people interested? Or more? Would there be more smart people interested?

If you had a detailed,Values-Based Selection Process, that made your organization significantly more selective, how would that impact your fall new member class?

Like attracts like. High quality people are attracted to high quality organizations.  If you only have to be mediocre to get into your group, then it is likely that mostly mediocre people will want to join.  If you have be be excellent, then excellent people will suddenly start to show interest.

Summertime Relationship Maintenance

by Matt Mattson

nude-sunbathingToday is a good day to take a break from your break.

Many of our readers are enjoying their summer vacation from college, and have been spending time chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool, and all shooting some b-ball outside of their school.  Perhaps you’ve been working hard on your tan (please note the important warning in the picture to the left)…  You’re enjoying your summertime break, as you should be.

But too often, the summer can put quite a damper in the work you’ve done to become Socially Excellent all school year.

Well, if you need something to break the social monotony of the summer season (particularly if you find yourself only talking to your parents or your high school/hometown friends), tap into Social Excellence.

Here’s the deal… You probably spent all last semester building meaningful relationships with your college friends, strengthening the ties in your ever-expanding social network, and then POOF!  It’s summertime.  You forgot all about them because you’re doing summer stuff.  So are they.  Well, if you think you can just head back to campus in the fall and pick up those relationships where you left off without any awkward moments, you’re wrong.  Yes, they’ll be impressed by your awesome tan, but it will take a while to catch back up on the relationship front.

So, here’s your challenge for this week.  Call 5 people from your personal network — college friends you haven’t even poked on Facebook this summer.  Call them and ask them how their 4th was.  Ask them about their summer job.  Ask them to tell you the best story from this summer.  Ask them about road trips, love connections, that scandalous picture on Facebook you saw them tagged in, etc.  Ask them if you can connect in person sometime before the school year starts.

Social Excellence means maintaining relationships, nurturing friendships, and putting in the energy all year long that your social network deserves.  Work on your relationships as much as you’re working on your tan.  After all, the success and fulfillment you experience this fall will likely be because of the people you’ve surrounded yourself with.

In summary:

1. Wear sunscreen (particularly if you choose nude sunbathing… trust me on that one).

2. Call the people you haven’t talked with all summer.

3. Be Social. Be Excellent.