On a recent hazing prevention project, we asked students how they felt about a series of situations commonly associated with hazing. To our great surprise, 75-98% of students found each situation to be unacceptable.
The lesson? We don't need to preach about the perils of hazing. Or hammer home the rules. Or argue about what's ethical. They get it!
Is ritual it just a formal, routine observance? Or does it have the power to create change? In some traditions, ritualistic ceremonies are believed to bring about a physical change in the natural world: dances bring rain, a community feast secures the next harvest, prayers bring safety, and various superstitions bring about good luck.
I have a co-worker who can be difficult to work with. He’s not difficult in a bad way, but difficult in a way that makes you work harder to be better. He is very detail-oriented and wants to be overprepared for any scenario. Last week before a product presentation, we were reviewing all the equipment and information to make sure we had anything that our new clients might need. I hurriedly tried to reassure him that everything would be ok, but he insisted we double-check every last detail.
Most men who will join the fraternity this year are 18 years old right now. On average, they will live to be 75.6 years old.
This means they will be with Delta Tau Delta for approximately 57.6 years, or 2,995 weeks.
They will be alumni for 53 years, or 2,756 weeks.
They will chapter members for approximately 3.5 years, or 182 weeks.
And for the next 6 to 8 weeks, they will be your new members.
Your job as a new member educator is not to achieve the pinnacle of fraternity within 8 weeks. It is to help new members lay the foundation for a life of excellence. Consider what this means for your education program:
To view the rest of this blog, please visit the original post on Delta Tau Delta's site.
"They have to respect us!” This phrase comes up time after time when we are coaching fraternity and sorority leaders on how to improve their new member education programs. They insist that ‘respect from new members’ be listed as one of the goals. Every time I hear this, the voice of Eric Cartman starts shouting in the back of my head, “Respect My Authoritah!” For those who may not remember, here is a refresher: In season 2, Cartman becomes the sheriff of South Park. Despite constant efforts to be taken seriously, no one gives him the respect that he believes he deserves. In one scene, Cartman rides up on his big-wheel, pulls over his friend Stan’s dad (who was driving the speed limit), and begins challenging him:
I like my couch. It's comfortable. It's familiar. If it were possible, I could lay there for weeks at a time. It's in exactly the right spot in my living room, and everything I need is at my fingertips: my Chex-mix, my drink, and the remote control. At some point, though, it will be time to snap into action. There's no question: work needs to be done - I need to move - I'll be happier later for getting up now. But there are a million forces sucking me back down. There are only 15 minutes left in this show. My head hurts. I'll have time to do that later. There's another episode of Jersey Shore on next.
In a recent Made to Stick column in FastCompany magazine, Chip Heath and Dan Heath challenged the ‘Talent Bus’ metaphor – the idea that your goal as a leader is to recruit talented people, get them in the right seats, and drop off the slackers at the next stop. Using research from Harvard Business professor Boris Groysberg, they show us that this talent/no-talent dichotomy doesn’t exactly translate into reality. Groysberg studied highly talented Wall Street analysts, and learned that their performance often suffers after switching to a new firm. Despite their individual abilities, they were trumped by the culture, systems and support available in the new environment. In other words, even the most talented passengers can’t go very far if they’re on a broken-down bus.
Two weeks ago, Dallas Cowboys rookie Dez Bryant refused to carry pads for veteran teammate Roy Williams, and then later changed his tune. More recently, Tim Tebow accepted a ridiculous haircut in order to gain the respect of his teammates. A number of sports reporters then brushed off this poor example of role modeling as an ‘age old tradition’ which should be celebrated and upheld. (Read Searching for Heroes to learn more). Yesterday, Peyton Manning chimed in with his take on the issue and told a very different story. So, are haircuts, errands, and pranks really hazing? Should we be so concerned? Are they truly harmless? Which athlete’s example should we follow? The answers range dramatically depending on whose opinion you ask. This is one of the great challenges in overcoming hazing practices: how can these seemingly insignificant incidents fall under the same policy which targets alcohol abuse, sexual assault and physical attacks? We need some clarity here.
After a 44 year absence, the North Korean soccer team finally returned to the World Cup in 2010, only to lose three games in a row and return home. This is a crushing story for the country, but it is also to be expected for any team’s first appearance in a major tournament. Unfortunately, officials in North Korea didn’t see the same silver lining. According to a story on ESPN today, “The team and coach Kim Jong-Hun were summoned to a July 2, six-hour meeting at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang and subjected to severe criticism.” Team members were confronted in front of 400 onlookers before being forced to reprimand their coach. The coach was also chastised by officials for betraying the country’s leaders.
I read Awesomely Simple by John Spence today. It is an excellent book that contains some of the best lessons that I learned in his "Strategies for Success" workshop, along with a few additional insights that he has discovered over the years. One quote in the chapter about developing a "Vivid Vision" particularly struck me: "If the vision is written down in a hundred places, painted on banners, and carved in a giant rock in front of the building but is not a living part of the culture, then it is the same as not having one."
