Pros and deltas

Pros and cons lists, we've all made them before. You identify the good and you identify the bad, then move on from there. Simple and easy way of assessing the problem, right?

I am completely against this way of thinking, specifically in work projects. It does not take any special talents to point out the flaws in a project. It doesn't even really take a whole lot investment; invite any person off of the street and they could do the same thing, and they could quite possibly come up with the same exact results. Just pointing out the flaws does nothing for the project and doesn't speak to any of your abilities, other than of course, being a negative Nancy (sorry to all you Nancy's out there).

Of course, you could always just keep to yourself, however, from my experience, holding your tongue at the meeting leads to venting elsewhere. "Venting" and complaining to your unsuspecting friend, cowoker, etc. gets you absolutely nowhere and doesn't help the project. What happens when you don't speak up? Something you think is wrong could be something that customers, clients, or members of the organization think are wrong; this could be something that damages your teams reputation because no one actually spoke up.

Speak up; if you have a problem or think something is wrong, say it. But if you REALLY want to be effective, don't just list the pros and cons, list the pros and then suggest the deltas - by deltas I mean the symbol for change. Don't just list what is wrong, come with solutions to what you see as a problem. Don't just dismiss a coworker's idea, give them suggestions on how to make it better. That is a part of being a team, that is true team work.

By coming up with solutions or even ideas to further a project is far better than just letting your angry brew inside of you. The whole part of being on a team is so that you can collaborate; everyone can do amazing things on their own, but when people work together, that's when the real magic happens.

Just remember next time, your voice is valid, you have so much more innovation in your mind, so put it to good use; think about what you see, and see if you could possibly make it better. Be open to criticism, just as your coworkers are open to your suggestions. Being on a team is about pushing each other to be better so that ultimately you can create a better product.

And let me tell you from experience, using the pros and deltas model, has lead me to a lot less venting, and a lot better projects!

- Lauren

The big BUT,

I am interested in communications; how we speak to one another, how we converse or discuss, and how we interact with one another in different setting (i.e. family, romantic relationships, etc). Earlier this year, I read a book called Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott (honestly, it’s deals with work a lot, but also personal relationships. I think it is an amazing book if you are invested in learning how to improve conversations and thus improve your life in both work and home) and one point she brings up is the use of words, specifically, But. But, it’s a small word that makes a huge impact. You may not realize it (I know I didn’t), the word makes a big difference and has a somewhat of a negative connotation. I understand that sometimes but is necessary, but in a lot of conversations, it makes it the person talking seem a little condescending, argumentative, dismissive, and even rude.

Think about it.

Having a problem with your partner’s behavior? “I love you, but…” But what? But implies that there is something wrong, something is wrong, and it almost even cancels out the whole I love you thing.

Listening to others ideas at work about a proposal? “The program seems like a good idea, but…” But there is something I don’t like or there is something terribly inaccurate about your idea, but my idea is better. These are all things that could be said in a more direct way with out sugar coating the truth, which is what you should really be saying.

But creates the biggest problem, in my mind at least, when you ask for others input on an idea of yours. If you ask them, listen to their input, it IS valuable.  If someone offers their opinion, don’t feel the need for a reBUTtal. “Yes, yes, I see your point, but (insert some reason why your idea still prevails and the input given is irrelevant here). In a lot of cases, the use of but negates that first, and usually more nice statement.

But CAN be a form of an objection, however that's not always the case. But is necessary sometimes; sometimes, but is very useful at the right time. I'm not saying completely erase the word from your vocabulary, just think about when you use it. Susan Scott suggests an assignment in which you replace “but” with “and”, it is very eye-opening to how much we use “but”. You will catch yourself and see the positive outcomes of using and; but really, it IS necessary sometimes.

Try the assignment, and your eyes WILL be opened and you will see just how big your but really is.

- Lauren

Sorority Recruitment

As I said before, I am a member of a sorority, Gamma Phi Beta to be exact. It has been such an amazing and life changing experience. I am such an advocate for student involvement, and I think that Greek life can provide you with a chance to get involved with something more than yourself. Gamma Phi Beta has provided with so many networking and leadership opportunities that I may not have had otherwise. But this wasn't supposed to be the point of this post, so I digress.

I am the Membership Vice President (MVP for short) for my sorority; when most people hear this, they think "Oh, she's in charge of recruitment" which is one of my duties, but I think the most important part of being MVP is just in the title, Membership. It's about getting new members, making sure the current members stay happy (happy and excited members make for a motivated and growing chapter), and keeping our lifelong sisterhood alive and connecting with our amazing alumna. A membership in Gamma Phi Beta is for a lifetime, so I find it quite silly to focus all of my efforts on one aspect that.

If you know anything about me, you know I strive to be the best at everything that I do, and part of that journey to be the best is realizing that I don't have to figure everything out on my own. So on my search on how to improve the membership experience for my chapter, I bought a book: I Heart Recruitment by Colleen Coffey and Jessica Gendron. I think this book is a MUST for any sorority woman who is passionate about leadership, recruitment, public relations, and/or membership; it is a fresh look at what has always been.

I don't want to give away too much about it, but this book really takes a new perspective on recruitment and challenges you to look at why you do things and what your efforts are spent on. Recruitment isn't one or two events throughout the year, recruitment is a process that you do 365 (and sometimes 366) days a year. What you do outside of recruitment is just as much a part of your actual formal/informal recruitment activities. More importantly, "You can't recruit who you don't know", so being Greek is great, but if that's all you aspire to be, then you can't advance your chapter all too much. Just some things to think about! Another thing to constantly remember is that "people join people"; meaning, those women going through recruitment don't join because of your sweet matching outfits, nor do they join because of your food and beverages you serve, they join because of you and your members. So maybe it's time to start thinking more about your conversations and less about your decorations. Just pick up the book, read it for yourself, and I'm sure you'll have an even more positive outlook on membership and recruitment!

Honestly, I recommend this to any sorority leader, because it pushes you to be better and gives you the tools you need to advance your chapter! Want to learn more? Check out Phired Up Productions - they have so many amazing tools and resources for Greeks.

There will be more book reviews to come throughout my blogging career, because I am quite the book nerd. Up next will be Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Until next time loves!

- Lauren

Time to begin

So, here I am getting ready to unleash my thoughts to the world and I think to myself "why would anyone care?" Not because of any self-esteem issues or fear of rejection, but really, why?

It's hard to care about what you don't know about, and that is the first lesson. You can't be passionate about what you don't know and you can't make educated decisions on what you don't know. So, in case you were wondering, I am going to say just a little about myself.

I'm a current student at university pursuing a degree in communications, more specifically, public relations. I'm a sorority woman and proud of it. I love all things social media, but more importantly I love communications at the core and seeing how words can change so much. As you will see, I am all about community involvement; I believe that we can do great, extraordinary things alone, but when we work together we can make wonders happen.

I could go on forever about myself, but hopefully through my posts you'll see more about who I am and what I believe.

- Lauren