Three quick stories, one important point.

Story #1:
Last week, before my soccer match, I watched a little league softball game on the field next to us. Surrounding the field was a collection of parents multitasking between the game, their blackberries, and babysitting their, even younger, offspring. One parent in particular was having a hard time keeping her little one under control. Her kid kept racing up and down the sidelines while mimicking a train. He put his hand in the air, pumped his fist, and as he passed us let out a loud, “Choo Choo!” Then 30 seconds later he’d come steamrolling back. The kid clearly had extra energy and needed to let it out. The parent, and most parents would agree, didn’t try and stop him from running, instead she calming kept looking a few yards ahead to clear away any dangers that might be in his way. The little kid was motivated to run, so instead of trying to stop him, the parent took on the role of laying tracks for him to keep running.

Story #2:
My brother and I were playing Frisbee Golf and he lodged his frisbee square in the middle of a mud pit. I quickly looked around for a large stick and without much thinking took two steps into the mud pit, reached out my arm, and started to retrieve his frisbee for him. With my foot half covered in mud, my brother said, “never get in the way of a motivated individual.”

Story #3:
At this year’s ACPA conference in Philadelphia, the conference organizers hosted a special social media strategy session with several individuals to talk about how they could better leverage social media for the ACPA community. Throughout the session it was clear that someone needed to step up and lead the charge. Looking around the room, there were many capable individuals, but the question was who was the most motivated and ready? Kathy Petras raised her hand and agreed to lead the group. Since then,  she has been a wonderful leader, and had we had enough data to work with, probably could have predicted so because Kathy was already a trending leader in the community. She was a newer associate that recently took on a leadership position in another committee as well as led an ed session for the first time this year. If we were to tally up her actions, we would’ve seen she was a trending leader and was hunting for her next level of growth. In this case, leading the social media adoption committee was a perfect fit for her.

Point:
Every student group/classroom can be broken up into varying levels of engagement. Based on a specific student’s engagement level, they want to be treated in different ways. A fully involved students wants to be treated in a totally different way than a student lurking on the edge of the wall. A student’s engagement level is constantly shifting though, with a hope of always trending towards more involvement. It’s up to the leaders of the community to thus recognize the individual engagement level of each student, and also to recognize how an individual is trending. Find out who the Kathy is of your community that is trending towards being a leader, then lay down tracks for her to continue to be great, because the worst thing a leader can do is get in the way of a motivated train.

Most student club advisors will tell you that club engagement goes through waves; some years are rockstars and others are duds. Almost every club starts the year with aspirations of rockstardom, but within a couple weeks, the excitement and motivation of the leadership team fades, and thus, the entire club activity withers. In pondering this problem, I’ve been talking more and more about an idea called engagement-based leadership (EBL), meaning that leadership is not a one-time elected thing, but rather an ongoing, ever-changing position rewarded based on engagement. Before I talk more about EBL, first let’s dissect the problem of why student leaders fade within a month of being elected.

Several years ago, I walked the second day of a 2-Day Avon Walk For Breast Cancer with my wife and some friends. Anyone who’s ever done the walk knows how grueling it is. Blisters alone are painful, but the average Avon walker can expect to endure multiple layers of blisters building up until his or her entire foot becomes one big blister. It’s disgusting and painful and makes the second day of the walk intense. The organizers know that completion of the walk is extremely difficult without a continuous onslaught of support from spectators and volunteers. That’s why for every walker, they commit to line the entire path with at least five cheerers. On the last leg of the walk, my feet blistered up and shot a pain through my body with each step. Mentally and physically I was ready to quit. My motivation was gone. But then, as we turned the corner, there was a smiling old lady sitting in a wheel chair, wearing a cap to cover her bald head and holding a sign that read, “I’m why you’re walking, Thank you.” Like a bolt of electricity, my whole body reenergized and plowed toward the finish line. Imagine if the only rewards for walking the race were in the beginning when they pumped us up, and at the end when we crossed the finish line? The attrition rates would be horrendous!

Like the Avon walk, student leaders begin the year excited and motivated about the idea of the journey they’re about to start. They might have just attended an award ceremony where the outgoing leaders were showered in praise for the hard work they did throughout the year, which further motivates the incoming leaders. So much support. So much praise. And then, let’s say within a month or so, reality sets in. The real work starts, and the “blisters” of being a leader build up. But unlike the Avon walk, with a motivational checkpoint waiting for you at every street corner, the next motivational checkpoint for student leaders most likely won’t be for another six months, during their outgoing ceremony when they are praised for all the hard work they did throughout the year. Thus, within the first couple months of being a leader, the excitement and motivation fade and the attrition rates go up. It should be noted that some leaders drop off for other reasons, such as class overload, work overload, or personal issues.

What’s a solution look like?

As the advisor, you could make sure to set up a collection of individual checkpoints for your leaders throughout the year, so you make sure they stay excited and motivated. At bare minimum, let’s say you create checkpoints that happen once per week for ten minutes where you praise them for the work they are doing and remind them of the bigger picture of student engagement. Just one leader multiplied out for eight months, that’s just under five hours of your time. Now expand that to 50-300 leaders. If you don’t think you have a life now…

Enter EBL. The goal is still the same, keep the leaders motivated on an ongoing basis so they can survive through the typical student leader burnout, but in EBL, the tactics change. In EBL, you are moving the motivational checkpoints away from you as the admin/advisor and pushing it to the students. EBL builds in a peer-to-peer motivational system that is ongoing and ever present. Now it doesn’t matter if you have 50 or 5000 student leaders. Actually, the more leaders you have, the better.

How does it work?

It’s no secret I’m a fan of Whole Foods (also known as Whole Paycheck). Because there’s a WF on my way home from work, I tend to frequently stop in and grab a few items. Over time, I realized that WF is one of the top five places I visit the most every week, which makes me a pretty darn engaged customer. In fact, WF should probably be rewarding me for being so engaged. Enter FourSquare, Yelp, and SCVNGR. For those unfamiliar with these three sites, they are, simply stated, mobile check-in tools. I can be anywhere in NY and check in that I am there via my mobile phone. Nothing special yet, until you start to receive prizes, titles, and recognition for checking in more often. For a while, I was crowned the Mayor of our WF because I was the most engaged customer. But then my speaking travel schedule picked up and for several months I disappeared and rightfully so, someone else took over as Mayor.

EBL rewards students based on their engagement. The more engagement “points” you score, the more rewards, titles, and recognition you receive. To repeat from above, leadership is not a one-time yearly elected thing, but rather an ongoing, ever-changing position that is rewarded based on engagement.

There certainly is much more to debate and discuss here, but consider this post only a surface-level introduction to the idea. I’m not interested in getting into the weeds just yet, so I purposefully left out many of the operational details. This isn’t a pitch to integrate FourSquare, Yelp, and SCVNGR into student activities, because engagement is more than just being there. Engagement also could mean clicking on a link, reading/commenting on a post, or expressing your opinion at a meeting…etc.

The Value of EBL?

Admin/Advisor – Student Leader attrition rates will drop, which means student leaders will stick around longer and be more active in their clubs. The increased activity will make clubs more successful throughout the year. The admin/advisor also won’t have to do as much individual student leader motivational check-ins.

Student Leaders – Like a video game, the rewards and benefits built into EBL will keep the student leaders motivated throughout the entire year on an ongoing basis. They are going to have more fun because their clubs are more active and engaged. They also won’t feel as much guilt about dropping off the map and letting the club die due to some personal issues they didn’t plan for ahead of time. A new leader with the most engagement points is ready to step up to Mayorship.

Students – They will have a larger group of active clubs to join. After joining they don’t have to rely on a disengaged elected leader to keep the group going. Leadership is open to anyone who wants it and is willing to work for it.

Wrap Up

EBL is a blend of game theory and student engagement theory. Every student affairs professional knows the pains of deadbeat leaders and thus dead groups. EBL is a new paradigm in thinking about leadership. If we want to break out of the normal student engagement levels of 16-40%, we have to think differently. The ideas, tactics, and tech tools we use have to embody this new way of thinking. It’s not just about making paperwork more efficient, that’s just extracting more energy from the resources you already know exists. It’s about exploring new potential energy that is sitting dormant in the 60-84% of the rest of your student body, that’s a massive untapped pool of energy.

Every student leader has an agenda, I’m sure. I mean, we all do. For a lot of student leaders, perhaps being involved is a way of making them look more marketable when applying for jobs.  For others, maybe it's a way to gain a social circle of friends.

There are definitely underlying reasons our student leaders are doing what they’re doing. (Look up Dr. Sara Boatman’s “GRAPE Theory of Motivation”.) However, the bottom line is our students do a lot of awesome stuff and get little in return. In fact, they’re paying thousands of dollars for access to their leadership roles.

As a younger professional – only three or so years removed from grad school – I still vividly remember what it was like to be an overly involved student leader. Student Government. Student Activities Board. Resident Assistant. Circle K. On and on and on…

I reflect back on these years often. It’s a useful thing to do, considering I interact with student leaders as a professional today.

One of the things I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is Nevitt Sanford’s notion of challenge & support. A fair balance of the two is essential in helping foster growth in our students. Each of us is charged with striking a balance of challenge and support to help our students develop into mature, educated, and independent adults.

My interest in writing this blog entry today is to engage you all in a discussion about the support component of Sanford’s theory. What are we doing to support our student leaders? Specifically, what is it that we are doing?

Oftentimes, we don’t think about the specific things we do to support, encourage, and praise our student leaders. I’ve recently done a lot of thinking about how I can better support my students. I’m afraid that sometimes we, as student affairs professionals, are so set on challenging our students that we inadvertently neglect the support component.

I’ve challenged myself to do more intentional things in the coming weeks to support what they are doing as selfless student leaders. Specific things – such as unsolicited letters of recommendation, thank you notes, public praise, and even small treats in their mailboxes.

These kinds of things don’t cost much (and we all know that’s important in this time of scary budget crises); but they mean so much to our student leaders. After all, it’s not like they’re reeling in big paychecks for their dedicated service.

So, my question to you is, What are you doing – specifically – to support, recognize, and praise your student leaders on an ongoing basis?

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."    

The modern mission statement is far different than it’s predecessor.  How can that be?  Isn’t a mission statement just the purpose for an organization?  Shouldn’t it be simple to capture your purpose in a few words?

Here’s the difference in the modern Mission Statement:  it explains why. 

Old school mission statements defined what an organization did.  Contemporary mission statements define why an organization does what it does.

See, it’s really the why we do things that matters.

Let me give you an example.  I worked with a history and natural science museum to create a new mission statement.  Their old mission was typical.  It explained what the museum did:  maintained a collection of native plants, animals, and historic buildings and presented programs to the public.

I started out the rewrite by asking everyone why the museum was important.  I talked with staff, volunteers, board members, visitors, any one who had an opinion.  Why was all the stuff the museum did important?

I discovered that the museum had a higher mission than just collecting artifacts.  All of the collections were simple tools serving a bigger goal.   

In the end, this became the new Mission Statement:  "The Museum promotes knowledge and understanding of the area’s cultural history and natural environment, inspiring people to enrich their lives and build a better community."

The real mission of the organization was to inspire people to enrich their lives, and to thereby create a better community.  That was why volunteers gave their time.  That was why staff members worked long hours without complaint.  That was why donors provided funding.  Collecting artifacts and presenting exhibits just assisted in reaching that end goal.

Think about applying that lesson to your organization and office.  Take a look at your mission statement.  Does it define what you do?  Redevelop it so that it explains why you do what you do.  What is your ultimate purpose?

Yes, there is.

Many organizations across the country are adopting a meeting process called "Consensus."  It’s effective and efficient for most groups, and it doesn’t require the learning curve of "Robert’s Rules" for new members.

"Robert’s Rules" was first published in 1870, and incorporated the so-called parliamentary procedure as used by Congress.  It was presented as the best way to run a meeting.  Perhaps it is the best way to run large meetings, conventions, Congress, and other rowdy assemblies.  But for smaller groups, it’s rather confusing with it’s formal motions, debates, precedence of some motions over others, and more.

Consensus is a simplified method of discussing an issue and reaching an agreement.  It is important to understand that consensus doesn’t mean that  everyone be in agreement.  It does mean that everyone has to be willing to accept the agreement that is reached.

It works like this:  an idea is brought to the floor.  It doesn’t have to be a motion, or even a formal proposal– just an idea.  The idea is discussed, and likely it will be improved from the input of others.  When a general agreement appears, you test for consensus by stating the current version of the idea.  If everyone agrees, you’ve reached consensus.  If there is dissension, then you can continue the discussion until a more acceptable version is reached.  When you’ve reached consensus, or when there is a willingness to accept the current proposal, then– in those familiar parliamentary terms– the "motion is approved."

In reality, this may likely be the way your organization already operates.  And, after you’ve already reached consensus, you revert back to parliamentary rules, asking for someone to make a formal motion, a second, and then calling for a vote to make it "official."  If you were using Consensus, it would already be done.

Mark Shepard has an excellent introduction to Consensus here.  Then, if you like the concept, there is another, more formalized guidelines available here.

Check this out, and see this alternative to "Robert’s Rules Of Order" doesn’t make more sense for your organization.   

In short, it allows you to set up one number that rings on many phones (cell or office) simultaneously. Each user can pick it up or ignore it. If all ignore it, the call goes to voicemail which gets e-mailed where ever you want. There are lots of other cool features, bells and whistles which you might find creative uses for.

Great way to make everyone accessible.

Best of all (ready for this?) it’s free! Ahhh the internet.

I see student groups skipping office hours all the time. Especially in that critical logistics moment right before events, where everyone is at the event and no one is in the actual office to answer that critical question . . .

This would solve it.

Check it out, it’s called Grand Central:

(It took Tom about 10 minutes to set up Swift Kick.)

“I hate meetings!”  Does that sound like your board members?  Unfortunately, meetings
are a necessity.  It’s how we get things done.  It’s how we make things happen.  It’s how
we consolidate our individual efforts into a more powerful force.  If your campus activity
board members hate to meet, then it’s time to do something altogether different. 

Most people get put in charge of an organization with very little training other than their
own personal experience.  That means it’s hard to be a good chair yourself, even if you’ve
experienced meetings with an effective chair.  Meeting management skills must be
developed and practiced.  This month, I thought I would share with you a number of
techniques for more effective meetings. 

Before the Meeting

Begin by “defining” the meeting.  There are basically five purposes for any meeting:

1.  To Exchange Information
2.  To Make Decisions
3.  To Solve Problems
4.  To Explain Issues
5.  To Share Concerns

Note that these are all “action” statements.  Meetings are for action. 

It is important for your members to know why they are meeting.  If they don’t know the
purpose of the meeting, then they may skip it.  Or, they may attend because they are
required, but not really participate.  Make sure your meeting has a purpose, and explain
that purpose to your members.

Schedule the best time and place for the meeting.  If you’re in charge, it can be tempting
to set the meeting time when it’s the most convenient for you.  But one major function of
any meeting is to bring your members together.  So make sure that it’s a time and place
that is best for the majority.  If there is not a single convenient time for every one, then
rotate meetings so that the most members can attend the most meetings.

Set the beginning and ending time for your meeting.  Your members are busy people.
Their time is important.  You will have more success with both attendance and
participation if your members know how long the meeting will be.  And here’s a hint– if
you keep your meetings to one hour or less, you’ll find them both more efficient and better
attended.

Create and distribute your agenda in advance.  Everyone attending should have a copy of
the agenda well before the meeting.  If you are handing out agendas to members when
they arrive, you’ve missed any opportunity for any real preparation.

Have a “consent agenda.”  Reports from standing committees, minutes from previous
meetings, treasurers’ reports, and should be included in the consent agenda.  Then, for the
sake of brevity, you can simply move and second the consent agenda.  There is rarely a
reason to read the previous minutes aloud, or to present a verbal  financial report, when
the members can be expected to review the material in advance.  Of course, members can
ask that an item be removed from the consent agenda for discussion, if necessary.  Then
you can move on to the important items on the agenda.

List an anticipated action for each agenda item.  That explains why the item is on the
agenda, and what you expect from your board members.  For example, don’t just list an
agenda item as “Spring Formal.”  State the action you expect:  “Spring Formal:  form
committee of 5 members.”  Or, “Spring Fling Band:  make final selection.”  You can have
discussion or information items:  “Create new Coffeehouse Program for Fall Semester:
information and discussion.”  Having an anticipated action explains why these items are on
the agenda.

During the Meeting

Take useful and pertinent minutes.  Don’t get sidetracked trying to document every single
word spoken at your meetings.  Make sure your secretary, recording secretary, staff
member, or whoever is in charge of minutes captures the main ideas and tangents that
occur.  You must also record any actions (such as motions, seconds, and votes) to
demonstrate that proper procedures were followed.  It’s also important to include any
items which will be discussed or resolved at a future meeting, and any assignments that are
made.

Follow your agenda strictly.  Don’t allow new business to supersede the original reasons
for the meeting.  Don’t let members interrupt the meeting with questions or information
that is unrelated to the item at hand.  Your members all received the agenda in advance.
They should be familiar with the business to be accomplished.  Therefore, you can move
forward and call for the anticipated action with each item. 
Adjourn on time, or agree to stay later. For example, twenty minutes before the scheduled
end of the meeting, the Chair might say: “If continue to discuss the bands we are
considering for the Spring Fling, we will need to stay an additional fifteen minutes to
select the CAB members to attend the APCA National Convention.  Can everyone stay
that long, or should we end this discussion and move to that one immediately?”

Make sure that each member says at least one thing at every board meeting. While this is
primarily the Chair’s responsibility, everyone can help make this happen.  For example:
“Brittany,  you haven’t said a word on this. Who do you think should be the first
performer in the new coffeehouse?” 

Encourage “dumb” questions, respectful dissent, and authentic disagreements.  We gain
more from defending our positions than we do from simple agreement.  Find a chance  to
be encouraging at every meeting: “Chip, that’s not a dumb question– I didn’t know the
answer, either.”  Remember, too,  that compromise is important, and that you will
generally get a better program by combining ideas from different sources than just
accepting the first concept on the table.

Set the time and place for the next meeting.  If your organization doesn’t meet regularly,
then you’ll need to set each subsequent meeting at the current one.  While selecting the
day, time and place for your next meeting, don’t forget the members who are absent at this
meeting.  If some members can’t meet on certain days and times, then find a way to
include them at the next meeting.   

After The Meeting

Prepare the minutes promptly.  It is important to capture both the facts and the spirit of
the meeting as quickly as possible.  That way, if the secretary has a question it will still be
fresh in the minds of others who attended.  It the minutes aren’t written immediately you
run the chance of missing not only the essence of the business, but the actions that were
taken as well.

Review and evaluate the meeting.  How did it go?  Did certain members dominate the
discussion?  If so, you may need to find a way to limit their input.  Were there distractions
from the agenda?  Then find a way to keep your members focused and on task.  Did the
meeting run too long?  Pacing is vital to keeping a meeting flowing, but remember to keep
your agenda realistic.  Trying to force too much content into a meeting can be a recipe for
disaster.

Meeting Etiquette

There is more to an effective meeting than just the above items.  Those attending the
meeting must demonstrate civility and consideration.  Showing respect and courtesy is
vital in today’s world.  As our actions rub against each other, manners serve as a social
lubricant to smooth the friction of our lives.

Let me offer these suggestions to those who attend meetings.  They are simple and
obvious– and therefore frequently overlooked.

Be prompt.  That means arrive early or on time, but don’t be late.  Latecomers delay the
meeting, create confusion and interfere with the flow of business.  Make it a point to be on
time.

Avoid interruptions.  Turn off your cell phone or pager, don’t log on and check your
email, put away the gameboy.  You need to be paying attention to the business before you.

Be cognizant of time.  You should certainly say what you want, and participate in the
meeting, but not to the extent that others can’t get the floor.  Don’t dominate the
discussion.

Refrain from distractions.  Avoid whispering those humorous or obnoxious comments
to your neighbor.  Don’t shuffle your papers, or use the meeting to sort your files and
clean out your notebook.  Don’t pass notes and giggle.

Stay for the entire meeting.  Don’t slip out early.  Important information is often
announced during the last few minutes of a meeting.  In fact, holding some items until last
can be a good strategy by the Chair to keep members focused and present. 

Show courtesy and respect for your fellow members, for the Chair, and for the
organization you represent.  And, while not everyone can learn to love a meeting, you can
certainly make them more efficient and more effective.  What’s not to love about that?

Coming into the new academic year is a lot like New Year’s Day.  Fall
is a great time to set new goals for yourself and your campus activity board.  Let your
“New Year’s Resolution” for this new academic year be to do a better job leading your
board.  Here are some great ideas for improving your leadership skills, and improving the
effectiveness of your Program Board.

Communication

Resolve to do a better job communicating this year.  In today’s world, we have access to
incredible communication technology, yet we seem to be even more out of touch.  Use
your email, your cell phone, and your IM to maintain keep your program board better
informed about upcoming events and meetings.

 
Set up a list serv or simply an email list for all of your board members.  Keep everyone
informed of ongoing discussions, upcoming deadlines, and the constant concerns of your
student leaders.  It is so much easier to make decisions when your executive committee
and your general members are keep in the loop.  Communicate!

Office Hours

Before about five or six years ago,  committee chairpersons had to physically be in the
program board office to make phone calls and conduct business.  Today, we can do
business from anywhere– which is why it even more important to maintain office hours.

 
You should designate regular hours each week when you will be in your office.  Use that
time to focus on board business, return phone calls, reply to emails, read your mail, and
all that other boring stuff that is so easy to put off.  By setting and keeping office hours,
you’ll be more productive, more informed, and a better leader for your program board.
Your office hours are not the time for doing homework, surfing the Internet, or text
messaging your friends.  Use the office hours as an excuse to concentrate on your job of
leading the program board.  Take care of board business during office hours, and you’ll
be amazed at how efficient you can be.

Meetings

There are many ways to improve your meetings, and make them more effective for your
and your board (Click here for More Effective Meetings).
Some very simple actions can lead to big results.  Set up a regular meeting schedule, such
as every Tuesday at 7 p.m.  Set a beginning and ending time for each meeting, and stick
to it!  Your board members are far more likely to attend your meeting if they know it will
only last for one hour. 

Email out the meeting agenda in advance, so your board will be informed and ready to
act.  And, have an anticipated action for each agenda item.  For example, don’t just list
“Fall Festival” as an agenda item.  Include the action you plan to take:  “Select the band
for Fall Festival.” 

Finally, keep accurate minutes of each meeting, and send them out with the agenda in
advance of each meeting.  That will keep everyone informed about board business, and
upcoming decisions.

Appreciation

Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and your committee or board members are no
different.  Effective leaders express their gratitude strongly and openly.  Think about the
ways you express your thanks to your committee members.  Does it really reflect your
thankfulness for their work?  Come up with new ways to say “thank you.” 

Write thank you notes.  Everyone appreciates a handwritten note.  How about a thank you
gift?  It doesn’t have to be expensive to show appreciation.  Buy some movie tickets
(sometimes you can even get them at a discount from AAA or your credit union!) or a
meal card from a local restaurant.  How about a nice fountain pen, for those fancy
signatures?  Go browse through the local Dollar Store– you’ll be surprised and the cool
stuff you can get for a buck.

Try something clever and creative.  Thank your members for completing a major
assignment by giving them a giftwrapped bottle of aspirin and antacid tablets, and thank
them for eliminating your headache and ulcers!  They will know you appreciate their
work, and who doesn’t need some aspirin at some time?

Ceremony

Add some ritual to your activity board.  Think about great organizations, and how
effectively they use ceremony, pomp and circumstance.  If you’ve ever pledged a
fraternity or sorority, you know all about ritual.  But it’s really used everyday and every
where for positive effect, whether we’re inaugurating a new President or singing the
National Anthem at a ball game.

When I was president of the Tallahassee Museum, I began every board meeting with a
group recitation of the organization’s Mission Statement.  It was vital for the board to be
familiar with the mission of the Museum, and that ritual guaranteed that they said it at
least once a month.  Plus, I had it printed at the very top of the meeting agenda, to
symbolize that it was the first thing to consider at every meeting.  It was a very effective
ritual!

Start by creating a ceremony to induct new members to your board.  It can be as elaborate
or as simple as you want, but do something more than just introducing new members at
their first meeting.  Have a pledge or swearing in ceremony.  Have a secret handshake or
sign.  Do something to make your organizational membership seem as special as it is.

How about a ritual for changes in leadership?  It should be more than just having a new
chairperson run the meeting.  Create a “pass the gavel” ceremony, when power actually
changes hands.  Recognize new leaders with a special event or dinner.  Great them with a
chant (huzzah!!) or cheer when they take over.

 
Eliminate Committees

Can you hear the cheering from your Program Board when you announce that you’ve
abolished committees this year?  Nobody likes to serve on committees.  They meet too
often, for too long, they never get anything done, and once you get on one you can’t ever
seem to get off the committee.  Well, bid committees goodbye!

This year, institute a “Task Force” system to meet your goals.  How is it different from a
committee?  To begin with, a task force has a specific goal– such as produce Spring
Fling– as opposed to the music committee which might have to produce numerous
events.  Second, it has a clear completion date.  Your Spring Fling task force is over the
day after Spring Fling!

You’ll find it much easier to recruit members for a task force than for a committee.  The
assignment is clear, with a beginning and an ending, for a specific length of time.  When
the task is finished, then you can recruit good task force members to another new task.
Give it a try!

Training

Make this the year that you begin some formal training for your board members (Click here for Retreat Ideas).  Plan a retreat at the
beginning of the year to do some team building and to learn the skills they need to serve
on the board.

If it’s too late to plan a retreat at the beginning of the year, then do a retreat at mid-year.
There is no better time for training, because you will have already uncovered their
weaknesses as a board.  You may find board members who don’t cooperate;  here’s the
need for team building.  You may find poor attendance at your events; here’s your need to
teach promotion and publicity techniques.  By the middle of the year, you will plainly see
what your board needs in order to be more successful.
You may need to schedule your retreat at the end of the year.  That is also an excellent
time for training.  Just make sure that you’ve already selected your new officers for the
coming year.  Then you can really take the lead in training them to do the very best
possible job on the program board.  Just remember, there is no wrong time to do training.

Lead By Example

Let your final “New Year’s Resolution” for the new academic year be to lead by example.
We all seek two things from our leaders:  Vision and Integrity.  Demonstrate your vision
clearly to your activities board.  Let them know your goals for the board, and how you
intend to achieve those goals.  Demonstrate your integrity by the way you live your life
everyday.  That’s what great leaders do.