Focus on the Basics - People & Purpose

By
Josh Orendi

So here's the thing... Chapter leaders often spend countless hours working to resolve problems associated with finances, housing, alumni, university relations, apathy, risk management, retention, poor leadership, time management, diversity, stereotypes, etc.

Many of these issues are big problems that take big efforts to dent, let alone fix. Investing your time fixing these problems makes as much sense as putting $1,700 rims on a 1996 Dodge Neon. The problem isn't your wheels, it's your car!

The #1 thing YOU can do to solve all these problems and aid the long term success of your chapter is ... (drum roll please) ... replace yourself! Look at your list of problems and ask yourself which ones would begin to take care of themselves if your chapter had significantly more leaders who were your level of quality and above. The answer: All of them.

See, there are only 2 priorities that strong leaders need to focus on to make their organizations great. People & Purpose. Everything (yes, everything) comes after that.

Take personal ownership in recruitment by replacing yourself at least 5 times before you graduate (That's what I call leaving a legacy). The second part is appointing yourself as the man who will force powerful conversations about your organization's Purpose every chance he gets (if you need help, consult your ritual book). Organizations obsessed with their purpose produce remarkable people and do remarkable things.

Keep it simple. People & Purpose. Think about it.