Social Change and Me

"Leadership for a Better World" stresses that social change and leadership go hand-in-hand. Even though I do not totally agree with this concept (I believe that leadership does not always have to result in social change), many connections can be seen between the two. Thus, as a leader, I see many instances of social change. For me, social change most often starts at the group level with my fraternity. As I mentioned before, this soon becomes relevant on a much larger scale.

The main idea that I need to keep in the front of my mind is the difference between single-order change and transformative change. Single-order change can be accomplished within the preexisting procedures and ideals of the organization. Transformative change is much more informative and challenges these preconceived notions of what the organization should be. I have experienced single-order change and it is not effective at all. When I became a member of my fraternity and soon after the treasurer (one of the highest leadership positions in the chapter),  I was constantly surrounded by the implementation of new documentation or programs that provided quick fixes to a problem and enabled the person who created it  to show it off as a "Hey, look at me and look what I did!" However, this was really all it was good for. Most of the programs were not followed because nobody really had a stake in them. This also, brings us back to the concept of collaboration. Individuals must collaborate on an issue to make sure their actions will actually be profound and motivating enough to have an effect.

I am glad that I read this section, because it gave me a wake up call as well. I found myself falling into the same pit that many presidents before me have done. I created a new academic plan, supplementary pledge packet, new initiate packet, recruitment standards, calendars, etc. Most of these were done without collaboration between my other brothers and if collaboration did occur it only happened with one other person. I now see that I need to involve other people in the process. This is the only way change can be effective. I must promote controversy with civility so that new ideas can be brought to the table. I am happy though, because we formed many new committees at our last chapter meeting and it was refreshing to see how many people wanted to get involved. I will keep you updated on this situation, but I am glad to say that I am looking forward to reporting positive progress this year. I also hope that my leadership style will evolve through this process and participating in discussions surrounding "Leadership for a Better World."