Sorry this post is so long. I didn't really realize how much I had written until I was finished. I think I answered most of the prompts, albeit in a very roundabout way (also, I hope the prompts were only the first couple questions.) I took a bit of leeway while answering some questions, but I think it’s more beneficial to focus first on the why of social change, rather than the what. Anyway, here it goes.
As the president of a smaller fraternity, I am repeatedly faced with the same, albeit very crucial decision; to change or not to change. This choice manifests itself in many different ways. Should I change the way I interact with members of my organization in order to carry an air of authority? Should I change our recruitment system to ensure quality over quantity? Should I completely remove long standing traditions and practices that I feel do not add any value to the fraternity? Should I make changes that would please our international office but upset most of our current members, including myself? Should I change my personal identity so that my actions are more congruent with the principles that I preach?
As I continue to learn what is expected of me as a leader and what I have the power to do, I frequently take a step back and look at my position from an outsider’s perspective. This often makes me realize that the question I should be asking is not “should I change,” but “why should I not change?” After all, the only way to ensure rapid growth is through frequent change. Oftentimes, the resounding answer to this question is Fear: Fear of unpopularity, fear of failure, fear of losing my identity. And while I almost never let fear stop me from accomplishing short term goals, it quite often plays a major role in how I pursue my long term goals and aspirations.
The fear that has played the most into my decision making recently is the fear of failure. I lead a smaller group than most, so I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this fraternity will follow my lead; I have the ability to shape it into whatever I want. But as a very wise man once said, “with great power comes great responsibility.” I am now responsible for not only myself, but for 20 other men. If I fail, I am not only failing myself, but also my brothers, the alumni, and our national headquarters.
That is why it is so hard to work for social change from the top. If you are truly working towards social change, you are gambling with the resources you have at your disposal in order to make the world a better place. However, in the case of leaders of organizations, the bulk of those resources are people, who often are more important to you than the actual goal you are trying to accomplish.
To put it in terms that are a little easier to wrap your head around, it’s like being the leader of a squad of 10 men. You are sent on a very dangerous mission to save the lives of 50 starving hostages. To make matters worse, half your squad is onboard with the mission, and half are not. No matter what, you all have to go, but the quicker you advance towards the captives, the more danger you will face. Do you mount a full charge, try to save as many hostages as possible and risk the lives of your men, or do you approach slowly and cautiously, ensuring the safety of your men while subsequently dooming some of the poor hostages. This is the unfortunate decision that a true leader and catalyst of social change must make.
It is clear that there are major problems in the world that need to be addressed, and it is clear that we have a responsibility to solve those problems. But in order to make a serious impact; in order to succeed at creating social change, we have to be willing to run the risk of failing at other aspects of life. I may turn my fraternity into the most successful and respected fraternity on campus, but I may lose all my friends in the process. My fraternity might significantly improve the homelessness situation in Columbus, but shifting the focus off of internal operations might cripple the fraternity.
Going forward, I fully intend to grow the fraternity to the best of my ability and make it as successful as possible given the resources at my disposal. I also fully intend to use the fraternity to improve the rest of the community in a meaningful and lasting way. Where I happen to fall on the spectrum between “growing the fraternity” and “helping the community” remains to be seen, but hopefully I make decisions that I and my brothers can be proud of down the road.
I expect this challenge to be hard, and I expect to fail multiple times before i succeed. But in the immortal words of President John F. Kennedy, “We choose … to do [these] things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
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