But Truly Leading goes beyond the basics, and addresses those skills that more advanced leaders need.  “How to Inspire Others,” “Being a Better Leader,” “The Power of Ceremony” and “More Effective  Meetings” are aimed at lifting an emerging leader into greater success.

I’ve also included chapters on some very important foundational needs, such as creating a mission statement and some advanced concepts in recruitment.  Organizational training needs are addressed in chapters covering both planning and training retreats, along with presenting a full-blown campus leadership conference.

Truly Leading:  Lessons in Leadership is chock full of leadership tips, suggestions, and guidance.  It is brisk reading, written in a style that reflects the my personal experiences as a life-long leader.

If you’d like a copy, it’s available directly from my website store, or you can purchase it from Amazon.com.  It’s also available as an eBook from the Kindle Store.  It should be available at the Apple bookstore and Barnes & Nobles.com in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for letting me announce this here.  Okay, Fellow Contributors:   it’s time for you to write your new book!

QR Codes are those little square boxes with black markings. It’s a modern version of the barcode. By scanning the code, you can be directed to a website, an email address, a phone number, or get any short message.

QR codes have been around for a long time, but they’ve become popular because of smartphones. If you have any Barcode App, you can easily scan a QR code for additional information.

Simply create a QR code for the Facebook page of your next campus event, and include it on any printed promotional material. People can scan the code, and be directed to the site for more (and portable) information.

Or how about some “guerrilla marketing?”. Post a flyer with JUST the QR code– nothing else. That will tempt a lot of students into scanning it just to find out what it’s all about.

It’s easy to create a QR code. There are many free sites that will create them for you online in a flash, like http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

If you like to see how they are being used in the music world, check out this article: http://bit.ly/eujni3

And if you want to see how it works, grab your smartphone, run your barcode app, and scan the QR Code below!

The Pomodoro Technique™ is deeper than just setting a timer and going to work. The whole purpose is to change your mindset about time and work. It’s not just a silly idea,
but it’s synthesis of concepts proposed by Steve McConnell, Tony Buzan, Hans-George Gademer and Tony Gilb in a variety of areas and disciplines.

It’s built around three basic assumptions:

First, that you will come to see time differently. It’s not the enemy. By changing your view of time from “becoming” (the abstract, dimensional use of time), you eliminate the
anxiety associated with working under a deadline.

Second, that better use of the mind results in a higher level of consciousness, clarity of thought, and more effective learning.

Finally, that using simple tool like a timer reduces the complexity of applying the technique and makes it more effective and efficient.

Of course, there is a website that explains it all. And, while there is a book, you can download it free.

You might think that it would be difficult to apply this in your own office, as it calls for working uninterrupted in 25 minute cycles. There are, however, ways to interrupt and to
keep track of those interruptions. And now — during the Summer when students are fewer and farther between — it might be a useful method of getting through that endless “To-Do” list we all face.

Some connections between programming and academics are easily apparent.  When you bring in lecturers and other speakers, their primary purpose is to educate. Speakers from environmental and human rights groups aren’t there for fun– they’re there to teach your students about the world.

But there are other, not so obvious co-curricular uses for your programs.  Reach out to the faculty on your campus. There are professors you already know who are supportive of student activities. Meet with them and discuss how student activities can be supportive of their teaching, too.

Some departments will have an distinct connection.  The music department on your campus produces graduates with great musical skills.  Perhaps the students (and faculty) could benefit from a master class presented by a performer you are bringing to campus.  Maybe the performer could speak to music majors
about the “real world” of the music business, and help them to create a career plan to follow after graduation.

The comedians that you bring to campus also have relevant skills and experiences to share.  They have appeared on stages all over the country, and they may have been featured in films and on television.  Wouldn’t the students in your theater or drama department love to talk with a real live successful
comedy star?   See if you can’t set up a question and answer session with theater majors.  What valuable lessons your students could learn about life in New York City or LA!

The human mind is an amazing thing, and your campus probably has a number of psychology majors trying to understand it. Wouldn’t they learn from interacting with the hypnotist or mentalist you’ve booked on your campus?

Most humanities classes have a requirement for students to attend a number of cultural events during the term, such as a concert, a play, an art gallery, etc.  Your humanities faculty could certainly select a number of programs from your upcoming semester’s events for students to attend.  Just imagine thirty or forty (or more) students boosting your audience when an entire humanities class shows up.

Another very obvious connection is with spoken word performers.  Poets practically live for poetry, and would leap at the chance to speak to an English class.  That might jump-start a freshman’s appreciation for poetry, and produce a future Billy Collins or Sylvia Plath. 

The mass communications department on your campus may have a class in the history of the cinema. By co-sponsoring with them, you could present a film series of classic motion pictures that would serve the entire student body in addition to the film classes.  Everyone should have a chance to see Citizen Kane or The African Queen, not just film majors.

This isn't as easy as it looks.  I know you've experienced resistance (and resentment) towards your programs by faculty.  But try putting the past behind you, and reach out to your faculty again.  To quote Rick in Casablanca, it might be "the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Striving for our own professional growth can fall further and further back on our list of priorities.  I have a wonderful definition of leadership that I try to keep in the front of mind:  "Leaders facilitate action and guide change."  That means that leaders make things happen; and, they guide the things  that are happening to them.  Here are a few suggestions to help you keep "ahead of the curve" as we take action and shape our own future.

1.  Read– and read widely

It takes time, and that is a rare and valuable commodity.  Still, true leaders,
are
hungry for information, trends, and conversations from everywhere in
our world — not just higher ed. Reach out to new sources of knowledge.  Grab a new newspaper.  Read a new (or old) book.  Get curious. Read about things you don't know, instead of just reinforcing what you already know.

2.  Synthesize new ideas

The book of Ecclesiastes reads "there is nothing new under the sun."  It's just as true today as it was three thousand years ago.  Yet ideas
are the essence of leadership.  Understand you don't need to create new ideas.  The ideas are already out there.  You need to find them, and apply them to your needs.  Is texting any different that passing a note in class?  No, it's just the contemporary application of an old concept.  Synthesize new applications for old ideas.

3.  Lead from where you are

Waiting for a position or title to empower you is the biggest possible waste of potential.  You don't need a more important job– or job description– to lead.  Start leading now.  Embrace your possibilities.  Strive to be the best.  Demonstrate your own vision and integrity, and become the leader you seek.

Jill captured these for you, and I wanted to make sure they got
posted.  If they don't make sense to you, drop me a line and I'll try to explain. I hope you find some inspiration for low-cost programs on your own campus.

FiftyOne Hundred and Six Ideas in Fifty Minutes

1. Sitcom Night

2. Lunch with Lawmakers

3. Singing Contest-College Idol

4. Biggest Loser/Winner Weight Loss
   Competition

5. Most Pushups, etc. Beat the
   Trainer

6. Olympics Sports Competition

7. Open Mic Night

8. Rock Band/Guitar Hero Battle

9. Battle of the Bands

10. International Festivals

11. Ability Day

12. Lip Sync Competition

13. Grains of the World-i.c. Coffee

14. Dances of the World

15. Art Shows

16. Local Battle of the Bands

17. Car Show

18. Stereo Competition

19. Game Night Sporting Event

20. Midnight Madness w/ Intramurals

21. Election Night Party

22. Texas Hold’em

23. Casino Night

24. Holiday Bizarre

25. Gingerbread House Making

26. Karaoke Night

27. Microwave Cooking Contest

28. Iron Chef

29. Home-grown secret postcards

30. Halloween Costume Contest

31. Pumpkin Carving

32. On-Campus Trick-or-treating

33. Staff Trick-or-Treating

34. Trunk-&-Treating

35. Haunted House

36. Ghost Tours

37. Pumpkin Toss/Bowling

38. Turkey Bowling

39. Halloween Dance Party

40. Day of the Dead

41. Christmas Caroling- Nursing home

42. Jail and Bail

43. Kiss a Pig

44. Craft Night

45. Board Game Night

46. Retro Game Night

47. Twister Tournament

48. Dining Etiquette Banquet

49. Fashion Show

50. Murder Mystery Dinner Theater

51. Glow-in-the-dark Easter Egg Hunt

52. Dress for Success

53. Interview Dressing

54. Spaghetti Luau

55. Dancing w/ the Staff

56. Glow-in-the-dark Frisbee Golf

57. Happy Friday Motivation Message

58. First-Class Mondays-Hand out
    cheesy items

59. Happy Hour Mondays-Mocktails

60. Finals-Snacks

61. Midnight Breakfast

62. Massages

63. Makeup/Spa Day

64. Last Comic Standing

65. Campus-wide Pillow Fight

66. Oreo Stacking

67. Largest Twister Game

68. Bingo

69. Marshmallow Wars

70. Beauty Pageant

71. Drag Show

72. Cow Bingo

73. In the Dark-use flashlight

74. Cup Program-Roofies w/ Sheriff’s
    Dept.

75. Sidewalk Chalk Contest

76. Window Decorating Contest

77. Lincoln-themed Jeopardy

78. Jeopardy Game

79. Who wants to be a Millionaire?

80. Pop Culture Trivia

81. Take it or Leave it-Deal or no
    Deal

82. Reality TV Show

83. Amazing Race

84. Dorm Room Makeover

85. Diversity Uno

86. 24 Hour Make a Film

87. Boxes and Walls-Diversity Events

88. Date Auction

89. Shack-a-thon-homeless awareness

90. Oscar Party

91. Cut-a-thon – Locks of Love

92. Dr. Pepper Hour

93. Tasty Cheesecake

94. Best (fill in the blank) Showdown

95. Chicken Wing Competition

96. Chinese New Year

97. Super Bowl Party

98. Ipod Party

99. CD Party-Swap Music

100.Afternoon Tea

101.Sample the
Wine

102.World Religion
Panel

103.Mad Hatter Tea
Party

104.Mad Pottery
Tea Party

105.Pack of
Clothes from Goodwill and have Fashion Show

106.Pool
Tournament

It makes sense at first glance.  Wondering what to program on campus?  Ask your students!  Brilliant.  And wrong.

Here’s the problem with surveying your students in order to plan your programs:  They don’t know what they don’t know.

The vast majority of the students on any campus are blissfully unaware of the universe of student activities programs that are available.  They don’t attend APCA and NACA conferences.  They don’t read Student Activities Journal, Programming  or Campus Activities magazines.  They don’t even read this blog.

They essentially have no idea of what’s available in the marketplace.  They don’t know what they don’t know.

Ask them what bands to book, they’ll tell you "My Morning Jacket" or "Fall Out Boy."  If you ask about comedy, they’ll tell you Chris Rock or Dane Cook.  Odds are, your campus can’t afford those acts.  Or at least not all of them.  So you haven’t gained much from your survey.

But more importantly,  my original premise:   They don’t know what they don’t know. 

Ask your students:  would you like to stick your hands in different colors of hot, molten wax?  Really?

Yet we’ve all seen students at conferences line up for hours, waiting to produce their very own "Wax Hands."

Ask your students:  would you like to see a ventriloquist?  Really?

Many students may not even know what the word means.  Yet we’ve all seen students rolling in laughter over Dan Horn, Jeff Dunham, or Taylor Mason.

I often liken entertainment surveys to asking children about dinner.  If you ask the average child what he or she wants for dinner, they’ll tell you what they know:  they want a Happy Meal.  And if that’s what you always give them, they never learn to appreciate more exotic food like broccoli or sushi.  Don’t we all know college students whose diet consists of burgers and chicken strips– because it’s the only food they learned to like?

Take your co-curricular duties to heart.  Remember that you serve an important teaching function on your campus.  Avoid a regular diet of "Happy Meals" for your students.  Book some unusual programs, events that aren’t even on the students’ radar.  Your students– and your campus– will be better for it.

That’s a useful tool.  But let me offer you another tool. Dream Big.
Set an extraordinary goal, something that’s not “smart.”  Set a goal
that’s a real long shot, something that’s not easily attainable or
realistic.  Companies sometimes call them “BHAGs”– big, hairy audacious goals.

Why would you want to set an impractical goal?  For one simple reason:  big goals are inspiring.

It might be difficult to make that 8 a.m. Organic Chemistry class if
your only goal is to pass.  You might be more inspired to get up early
and study if your goal is to be a great heart surgeon.  Sure, medical
school could be years away from now, and practicing medicine even further way if you plan to specialize in cardiac surgery.

But having that big goal may make the difference between actually getting up and going to class or sleeping in and just barely passing (or flunking).  It helps to be inspired. 

When I was in graduate school, my fellow grad students had an
expression to deal with all the tedious busy work we got assigned:
“anything not worth doing is not worth doing well.”  But when we were
inspired by a big goal, we would come in early and work latedoing all the little things it took to achieve it.   

Come up with that organizational goal that will inspire your
members.  Having that big dream can make the mundane chores seem more
important.  Think of the difference it makes to have a big goal.  Could you get your members to participate in a fund raising car wash if the goal was to take all of the members to see a movie? 

Now, imagine if the goal was to take all of the members to the national convention in New York. 

See the difference a goal makes?  Inspire your members with a big goal.  You just might attain it.

When I first heard of the Five Whys, I was told it was an ancient Chinese technique.  Later I learned it was neither ancient nor Chinese– it had been developed by  Sakichi Toyoda at his automobile company to aid problem solving.  Whatever the source, it’s a useful tool.

A quick example:  My car won’t start.  Why?  Because the battery is dead.  Why? Because the alternator isn’t working.  Why?  Because the belt broke.   Why?  Because it was worn out.  Why?  Because I didn’t follow the maintenance schedule. 

So the root cause of my car failing to start is my own neglect of the required maintenance.

The concept is to peel back the layers of an issue, and get down to the true problem or concern.  But is also works in helping to determine a purpose.  I like to use it to analyze a situation, condition, proposal, or issue.

It’s especially useful in developing a purpose or mission statement.  While assisting an SGA to create a mission statement, I began by asking them why the SGA existed.  "To be the voice of the students" they replied.  Why?  "So the administration will know the students’ opinion on important school issues."  Why?  "So the school can better meet the students’ needs."  Why?  "So more students can get an education."  Why?  "So they can become successful productive citizens."

So the SGA’s real purpose is to help students become successful graduates.  That’s a totally different idea and more powerful purpose that just being the "voice of the students."

While it may seem a little hokey, and the number five is pretty arbitrary (could be three, could be six), it does seem to work.  Maybe looking at the path we’ve come will make the path ahead seem more clear.

The next time you’re faced with a decision, issue, or question try the Five Whys.  You might just get down to the "heart of the matter."