Being a Successful President

Being a successful President

The following are tips that will help brothers be succesful presidents during his or her term. It should be noted, however, that this document is not all-inclusive for each chapter. These should be considered the minimum duties and your school/chapter may choose to assign further duties at their discretion.

• Know the responsibilities of each chapter officer: Delegate responsibility to officers to ensure that tasks are completed properly and efficiently. As the chapter president, you are responsible for ensuring that each officer is fulfilling his/her duties. You may need to delineate goals or delegate specific tasks; however, offering information, advice, suggestions, and constructive criticism will help when assistance is needed. It is extremely important to delegate, so that you are available to supervise and be available to handle emergency situations.

• Master the National Constitution, NID, NOP, chapter bylaws, chapter operating policies, and university/college regulations. Ensure that all policies are abided by and enforced: The rules and regulations set forth in the National Constitution, NID, NOP, and chapter bylaws and operating policies serve to protect the ideals, image, prosperity, and financial stability of Phi Sigma Pi. As your chapter's chief officer, you will need to know these documents thoroughly to properly enforce them.

• Preside at formal and informal chapter meetings: Have a comprehensive knowledge of parliamentary procedure and follow the correct rules recommend in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. Work closely with the parliamentarian to ensure that business meetings are run efficiently. Prepare the agenda in consultation with the executive board. Regular business meetings are essential to the operation of your chapter. The success of these meetings will largely depend on your leadership skills. It is your primary duty to see that all meetings run as smoothly as possible. Before each meeting, prepare an agenda, make sure there is adequate meeting space, and provide all necessary materials and equipment. Follow the agenda closely and act as facilitator when necessary to keep the meeting moving, efficient, and productive.

• Serve as the chairperson of the executive board: As president, you are solely responsible for ensuring that the executive board meets on a regular basis to discuss chapter issues, events, and the upcoming business meeting. You will find this intimate time with your fellow officers will allow specific goals to be set and solutions to be proposed for chapter issues.

• Serve as spokesperson and most visible member of the chapter: Because the president oversees all chapter officer and committees, he/she acts as the chapter's spokesperson and liaison when one is needed. All contacts, such as the university's administration, faculty, other chapters, other fraternities/sororities, other campus organizations, and the National Headquarters, are important to the welfare of the chapter. Therefore, the president should be qualified and knowledgeable about Phi Sigma Pi and represent the views, feelings, and attitudes of the chapter. Make yourself a visible part of your campus, student activities office, and student government.

• Maintain a close relationship with the National Headquarters: As president, you will need to ensure that all correspondence received from the National Headquarters is properly noted, acted upon, and answered. Keep lines of communication open with National Staff, more specifically with your region consultant. They are there to assist your chapter, so keep them informed of chapter progress and any problems you or your chapter may be experiencing.

• Plan and think long-term: Maintain and strengthen the chapter's activities and accomplishments in organization, recruitment, initiation, alumni, campus and community relations and publications, financial operations, and other chapter endeavors. Organization is essential to a chapter running smoothly. This should be done through chapter calendars and meeting agendas. Start early. Have a master calendar of events ready for the upcoming semester/quarter available for each member at your first meeting of the academic term. If you do not initialize planning, no one will start, and you will be playing catch up the whole semester/quarter.

• Ensure that the chapter's initiation program is meaningful, appropriate and promotes the ideals of Phi Sigma Pi The initiation program should be a process of learning, inspiration, cohesiveness, and achievement. As chapter president, you should review the initiation program to ensure that membership is achieved in a positive, dignified, and constructive manner and that the chapter's requirements are in agreement with the National Constitution, NID, NOP, chapter bylaws, and university/college policies.

• Serve as the risk management adviser: Risk Management is essential to every chapter of this fraternity. As chapter president, you need to ensure the safety of the chapter and each of its members by helping the chapter develop a risk management policy, various risk management programs, and enforce risk management.

• Train and assist your successor in office: A true leader stimulates others to become leaders. Officer training is vital to the continued success of your chapter. As chapter president, you need to ensure that officer training takes place between all respective chapter positions (e.g. officers and chairs), especially training the newly elected president. Chapters should elect officers at least four weeks prior to the end of the semester or quarter so that the current officer and the newly-elected officer have the opportunity to work together before the newly elected officer actually takes office.

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