With college comes new responsibilities. One of these is tackling officer positions in student organizations. This is very new territory in comparison to officer positions in high school, so if you want to make a great first impression, here’s how to do it!
1. Know Your Place
As a student group leader, it can be very easy to slip into the mindset of being “above” the other students. It is a very difficult balance to manage peers because you are their friend.
It’s important to figure out how your organization operates in terms of leadership. Are you “in charge” of your peers at a job or in charge of the decisions of a club? That will determine your balance of friendship and management as a leader. For example, for a club leader, it is a 50/50 balance of friendship and leadership, whereas a manager of peers in a professional job has more of an 80% leader/manager and 20% friendship balance.
So, a part of knowing your place is knowing when to be harsher towards your fellow club or organization members. It is likely that you are not the only person in charge. So, let’s say you are the president of an organization, and your treasurer has missed the last two officer meetings. At this point, it is fair of you as the president to step in and speak with the treasurer, but remember to be kind and fair and hear him or her out as a friend and a manager, not one or the other.
2. Make a Plan
Make a plan with your fellow leaders! Consistency is key to successful management, especially among your peers. Figure out how to deal with conflict and how to delegate (who is supposed to deal with money, notes, contacting fundraiser sponsors and other responsibilities?).
The best way to do this is to meet with the other officers and write out a formal plan. Make a list of all the tasks that need to be done, and then distribute the tasks between officers and members. Be sure that it is all written down and accessible to everyone.
3. Lead by Example
A leader leads by example, which means being professional, respectful and friendly to those around you. As a student group leader, you can’t expect everyone in your club or organization to be friendly to new members if you aren’t yourself! In my personal experience, I get along with and respect my leaders more when they lead by example rather than just instruct others.
4. Show Initiative
As a student leader, you are in charge of yourself, obviously! You need to come up with your own ideas and initiate tasks for your club, because you are the boss.This has a lot to do with time management. Whether you want to use a planner or a digital calendar, it’s up to you. Write out goals and ideas for the club, and make time to talk with the other officers about it.
5. Be Fair and Listen
When you are in a position of leadership, it is easy to fall into playing favorites with friends and people who have been around longer. Be sure that as a leader, you can put aside bias when you are making decisions in regards to the club or organization. The best way to do this is to focus on the facts, not the feelings. If you need to, write them all down, and look into the pros and cons. You need to listen to everyone in your organization openly and without bias, but make your own decisions at the end of the day.
6. Enjoy Your Time
Being a leader in an organization is a special experience. When you’re a leader, you have a lot more say in the direction the club or organization goes, and you really form solid relationships with the other officers, so enjoy it! Don’t get caught up in the stress. Take a moment to talk about something besides officer related things and just talk like friends. Go out to eat with some of the club members and put away the paperwork.
These tips should whip you into a brag-worthy student leader in no time at all. Be sure to share it with your fellow officers and friends!
