Light the Phire of Growth with CURIOSITY
by: Tenea McGhee
Social Excellence is: a state of perpetual generosity, curiosity, positivity, and openness to limitless possibility. A desire to intentionally connect with others. The ability to engage in deep, meaningful conversation. When it comes to the capacity to engage in meaningful conversations with potential new member-interest (PNM-I), sometimes you don’t have it to give. We get it! I often find myself saying, “Life is lifing”, when someone asks me how things are going. By that, I mean everything in life is happening, but I am managing.
However, as members of fraternities and sororities, we have to realign ourselves so that we can have the capacity to effectively be curious about the people we are observing to be members of our organization. Now, we know that it has been the tradition for some organizations to think we don’t go to them; they come to us. However, if your chapter is still struggling with membership, then I want to know how that concept is working for you.
If your organization is seeking to light the phire in your recruitment efforts – the ability to attract, select, and retain, then you all need to adopt a dynamic recruitment mindset of being curious. Merriam-Webster states that curiosity is “a desire to know.” That means, if you want to G.R.O.W., you have to…
Get
Rid of
Old
Ways
Then, one key thing you have to realize is that It’s Not About You…! Authentic and quality relationships put the interest first. Now, I know some of you may be thinking Phired Up is going too far; my organization is not trying to be thirsty out in these streets! And we’re not. If you don’t believe us, check out what Courtney Taylor, Florida International University’s Iota Pi Chapter President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., had to say.
We challenge you to dive deeper into these Three (3) Steps of Curiosity to upgrade your organization’s ability to filter out doers- those willing to put in the work, from the wearers- those who only want to wear your letters to look like they do the work!
1. Take a Book Off the Shelf- There is an organization by the name Human Library. The main premise of this group is that we all are a library of people. If that is true, as seekers of quality PNM-I, you should be curious to discover the different “books” people have within them. Don’t be that person when someone approaches you about your organization, and you ask them, so what do you know about my organization?
If you are their first point of contact about fraternity/sorority life, they may not know anything initially. They may find what you are a part of interesting and curious to learn more. Therefore, if you want to see what someone truly has to offer, take the time to find common interests and create memorable moments to see if:
a. They align with the values and tenets of your organization.
b. Have them become invested in joining your organization – Remember, people join people!
2. Become a Toddler - One thing’s for sure, toddlers are always asking questions! Why this, what’s that, how do you do this? In order to be able to identify quality PNM-I, you have to Have Some Questions that are of quality!
3. Find the Golden Nuggets - Within each intentional conversation you have, there is the opportunity to discover the golden nuggets within someone’s conversation! For example, if someone shares with you that they are interested in studying Business Analytics, don’t let the conversation stop there by saying, oh, that’s interesting.
Find the golden nuggets! Ask them, who or what inspired you to take that path? When faced with academic challenges in those classes, how do you overcome those obstacles?