Making Time for Yourself

Sometimes it's very easy to get so caught up in what you're doing, you forget to make time for the other things in your life. It's important not to neglect yourself because if you do, you'll likely get burnt out.

Performance in your role will probably be even better when you're able to exercise good time management including the time for yourself.

Ways that you can do this is to:

1. Delegate! Make sure you aren't the only one doing everything that needs to get done.

2. Let go! Others will learn through practice. Don't let them completely fail but remember that sometimes you're just a guide.

3. Make lists for people so they know exactly what you expect. Also make lists for yourself, with things that you would like to accomplish in the present and in the future.

Remember that being a leader shouldn't be the only thing you are. It should just make you a better version of yourself.

This is a photo taken before formal, which was definitely a fun night without responsibilities!

Time Management

One of the hardest parts of being a leader is having good time management. The stress from being so active and responsible for the well being of an organization is sometimes much greater than the people who are regular members realize.

In college, we're all here for school before anything else and it's hard to remember to put assignments above the organization that can become such a huge part of your life. Both classes and other organization members expect your all and it's up to you to put balance in that.

To do this, I recommend completely forgetting about the word structure. Things happen and it's ok to let them happen. We're only here once so if you feel like spending a night at an event run by your organization rather than working on a paper that's due in less than two days, go for it. There is no way you can plan everything.

Just always have in your head that everything will get done somehow. And guess what? It will.

It's hard to get everything done, but when you're determined, you're bound to be successful. Above all just do your best.

Attitudes

Everyone has emotions. Sometimes we let them get the best of ourselves, but as a leader you learn to control that part of yourself. You can't be the one to break down because you are the picture of strength and perseverance to the other people in your organization.

Attitude is another important aspect of a good leader. You must be encouraging without being easy, tough without being bossy, supportive without being overwhelming, helpful without taking to much on, and so on. 

It's hard to find a balance and to always be the backbone of others but it's also extremely rewarding when done right. At the end of a stressful day when you feel like everything is going wrong, there's nothing better than to have the respect and support of the members in your organization. Stay strong and positive!

It's important to be happy!

Advertising

Advertising and marketing your organization in a positive manner is very important because it gains positive attitudes towards it.

When you are trying to run things effectively without a good number of people to carry out all of the necessary jobs and tasks, it becomes very difficult and nearly impossible.

Membership is crucial to the health of a club or organization and advertising can help heal yours when it's hurting.

Here are some ways to advertise:

1. Online--create a website! Almost everyone goes online these days and uses sites to do a once over check on things. You could even create a blog. Social media pages like Facebook and Twitter are also extremely important to keep up to date and can let tons of people know about the same thing all at once.

2. Posters--hang them everywhere! Having a great logo or slogan that makes your organization more recognizable to all is really helpful. Have someone good at graphic design help you, but just remember sometimes the more simple rather than overwhelming ideas work just as well.

3. Hold an event! What better way to gain more advertising and membership than showing people what you're all about?

Here is a recent poster made by my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha.

Communication Tips

Sometimes organizations have a hard time with communicating either with each other or with other organizations they may be reporting back to.

A key way to make sure each person is getting everything back to who they need to is simply by repeating things a lot and checking in. This may seem somewhat elementary, but it's still one of the best ways to get people focused.

Sending emails and communicating with the people in your organization is really important because it shows what good communication does look like.

Having an open and understanding attitude is also important, that way if people are confused they would feel comfortable asking for help. If you are intimidating or closed off, they might not come to you for guidance which is what good leaders are for!

Programming/Event Planning

As a leader, there are a lot of events and programming that needs to be done.

Some people think that these things are stressful but if you're organized and able to delegate, then things should run smoothly.

Some tips to keeping things together are:
1. Plan ahead! No one likes to do things in a rush. It makes most events or programs less organized and less fun or productive.

2. Make sure all who should attend know about it! Don't be afraid to get some good PR going.

3. Add some fun! If the programming is on a slightly boring subject or is something necessary, make sure there is something that attendees can get out of it. Also, if it already is a fun event, add something new or different they haven't seen before!

4. Make sure you have all of the necessary materials ahead of time. This way, you'll know you have everything and won't be in a bind at the program or event.

5. Know your budget! No one likes to go over budget or stress over money!

Keep these things in mind next time you're thinking about planning something for your organization.

A Greek week event that I helped plan.

Running an Effective Meeting

When you are a leader of an organization, you will most likely be expected to run meetings at times.

In order for meetings to run effectively and efficiently, meetings should be conducted on a regular basis with a consistent time and place. Members should know the purpose of the meeting:

The basic purpose of meetings is:
-to exchange information
-to solve problems
-to make decisions
-to share concerns
-to explain issues

A successful meeting has a few key elements. Some of them are a time frame or an agenda, a defined purpose, and a definition of roles so that everyone knows what to expect.