February
2002 Newsletter |
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FEATURED
ARTICLE:
RESIDENCE
LIFE JOB OPPORTUNITIES!!
GRAD
SCHOOL:
Student
Staff Recognition Day - Feb 20, 2002!
$100
PRIZE - PROGRAMMING & TECHNOLOGY CONTEST!
CALENDAR:
If
you find this newsletter useful, please forward it on to the rest of your
staff!
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Jump-Start
Your Leadership Skills
by James Malinchak
1-888-793-1196
email: JamesMal@aol.com
If
it is true, as John Maxwell said, that “leadership is
influence,” then to effectively lead others you must focus your
attention on exerting a positive influence upon those in your
organization. There is
little doubt that all group members must work together for your
organization to achieve its common goals.
One of the most effective ways to influence others to work
together toward common
goals is to develop mutually respectful relationships. To become an
effective leader capable of developing these kinds of relationships,
follow these simple suggestions, which correspond with letters in
the word LEADERS:
L:
Continue to LEARN
I’m
sure you have heard the phrase, “Knowledge is power!”
How true it is. The more you
learn, the stronger you grow. Also, the more you grow, the more diverse your
background becomes. The more diverse your background becomes, the more
interesting and influential you will be to others. Open your mind to new ideas
and opinions by reading books, attending workshops, and meeting new people.
Make a consistent effort to continue your own personal learning process.
E:
Don’t Make EXCUSES
As
a leader, it is important that you are willing to accept responsibility and
admit mistakes. It will be
difficult to earn the loyalty of those in your organization if you consistently
place blame and criticism on others. People
are more willing to support and listen to an individual who doesn’t make
excuses, but who instead takes responsibility for a mistake.
After all, everyone makes mistakes.
A:
Develop a Positive ATTITUDE
Would
you prefer to be led by an individual with a positive or negative attitude? If
you want those in your organization to think positively about programs and
projects, then you must serve as an example.
Elevate your attitude to elevate your leadership effectiveness.
Many people in leadership positions don’t reach their full potential
because they have not developed a strong positive mental attitude.
D:
DELEGATE Responsibility
Many
individuals who accept leadership positions may unwittingly abuse their power.
Make sure that don’t make this mistake by “over-bossing” your
organization. Delegate
responsibility to others. This will
convey to them that you believe in their abilities, trust their decisions, value
their opinions, and have faith in their ideas.
In return, your members will show you more respect as their leader and
you will have a more effective team.
E:
Create ENTHUSIASM
Ralph
Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without
enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm is
crucial to your success as a leader. It
must begin with you before it can spread to others on your team.
Enthusiasm is contagious, so develop a passion for the project on which
you are working. Soon you will
notice the same passion spreading to your team members.
R:
Give RESPECT to Receive RESPECT
Earning
the respect of your team members should be one of your primary goals.
In order to earn respect from them, you must demonstrate a high level of
respect for them. Accomplish this
by communicating openly and honestly, listening to your team members with
understanding. Discuss problems
with them, encouraging suggestions and ideas, and support them when they
encounter difficult situations.
S:
SET Goals
The
purpose of goals is to focus your attention.
Your group will not progress until you clearly define and set goals.
Not setting goals can be compared to trying to drive a car to a place
you’ve never visited without using a road map.
How can you reach your destination without proper direction?
The same is true of anything your group is striving to achieve.
You need to set goals, your road map.
Final
Words
Demonstrating
effective leadership is an art. Mastering any art form takes time and practice. Follow these suggestions, develop your own personal style,
and believe in your ability to serve as your organization’s leader.
Soon you will be displaying the characteristics of a dynamic leader.
__________________________________________________________________________________
James Malinchak is the author of the top-selling books, From
College to the Real World™, and a Contributing Editor to the New York
Times Best-seller, Chicken Soup for the
College Soul®. He was selected 2000
College Speaker of the Year by the Association
for the Promotion of Campus Activities, 1999
College Speaker
of the Year by Campus
Activities magazine and has presented over 1,100 motivational talks.
To check speaking
availability, contact: James Malinchak 1-888-793-1196, email: JamesMal@aol.com,
website: www.Malinchak.com
© © James
Malinchak. Published with permission.
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JOBS
IN RESIDENCE LIFE AND HOUSING
Here
are some great opportunities to find employment in housing and
residence life!
Placement
Exchanges:
Southern
Placement Exchange -
March 7 - 10, 2002
The Southern Placement Exchange, held
in Mephis, TN, is a joint effort of the Southern Housing
and College Student Affairs professionals, representing SEAHO, SWACUHO
and SACSA, to to support candidates and employers
throughout those regions. For more
information, visit: http://www.residentassistant.com/jobs/southernplacement/index.htm
Summer
Placement Exchange -
June 2 - 5, 2002
The Summer Placement Exchange at South
Dakota State University is scheduled after most campuses have
closed for the academic year, and yet is early enough to
facilitate hiring for a July 1st start date, if necessary. For
more information, visit http://www.residentassistant.com/spe/index.htm
Job
Postings
The
HigherEdJobs.com-ResidentAssistant.com
Job Center is an excellent place to find or post
positions. New postings for the upcoming year will be coming soon! This
is an excellent place to search for jobs, as
well as post job openings in residence life and housing. If you
have job openings at your institution, this is a great place to
post them! http://www.residentassistant.com/jobs
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GradSchools.com
 If
you are at all interested in exploring further educational
opportunities after your undergraduate experience, GradSchools.com
is the place to start. Please support their site by clicking on
the links on the ResidentAssistant.com website. Each time you
visit using one of those links, it helps to support the costs of
running the site.
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Student
Staff Recognition Day - Feb 20,
2002!
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Technology
in Programming Contest
Share your most creative
idea or plan for a program that meets the needs of
residents utilizing technology. The program could
utilize the internet, email, instant messaging, or any other web
application to meet the academic, community
or personal needs of residents. $100 prize!
For details on
how to enter the contest, please visit: http://www.residentassistant.com/programming/contest/tech.htm
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RA Calendar
Brought to you by the Residence
Life Calendar Website by Laurie
Tennison, Residential Life Coordinator, New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology
The
calendar can be one of your greatest programming tools! Use these
dates to create great programs for your residents!
February:
Potato
Lover's Month, American
Heart Month, American
History Month, International Friendship Month, National
Cat Health Month,
National Cherry Month, Black
History Month, Canned
Food Month, National
Snack Food Month,
Great American Pies Month,
Return Shopping
Carts To the Supermarket
Celebration of Chocolate
Month
Notable Dates in February
- February 10-16 Crime Prevention Awareness Week
- February 12 Mardi Gras
- February 14 Valentines Day
- February 17-23 National Engineers Week
February
Programming Ideas:
-
Celebrate Mardi Gras
with a King Cake, Beads, and a lesson on the history
of Mardi Gras. Go to www.mardigras.com
for more info!
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Host a credit counselor or budget analyst program in honor
of National Pay
Your Bills Week.
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Have Campus police give a talk on keeping safe and preventing
crime in the residence halls for National Crime Prevention Week
-
Host a "Lonely Hearts Ball" social for those without
on valentines day. This can be an awesome activity, and
will help with the depression that surrounds single people
on V-Day.
-
During National Engineers
Week, honor those Electrical Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other Engineering
majors in your halls!
-
For Black History Month,
you could have a black inventors scavenger hunt where
residents would find at least 10 things that were made,
developed or patented by African Americans.
-
In honor of National
Snack Food Month, have a Junk Food Bonanza! This can
be a great activity. Just have everyone that comes bring
their favorite junk food. You supply the drinks. This
can be a great "Get out of your room" activity,
and you could coordinate it with another activity or speaker!
For
these and MANY MORE
calendar dates, theme weeks, and programming ideas, be sure to
visit the Residence Life
Calendar Website and the ResidentAssistant.com
Calendar Page.
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NEW!
February Planning Page
This new feature of
ResidentAssistant.com allows you to link quickly and easily to
program ideas and bulletin boards on ResidentAssistant.com for the
month of February! Be
sure to check it out!
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Student
Issues and Concerns:
These are some issues
students may face during this time of year. This information can
be useful to not only be aware of what students may be going
through, but also to plan relevant programs.
Issues Students May Face
In the Month of February
- Hourly exams and
other academic pressures approach.
- Depending upon
the weather, some people will experience cabin fever if the
weather forces them to stay inside for a lengthy period of time.
With the lack of organized activities to compensate for this,
anti-social behavior sometimes occurs, such as excessive property
damage.
- Vocational
choice anxieties set in with the onset of job interviews.
- Worry of hunting
for a summer job begins. This is especially high for students who
were unable to find work during the Holiday break.
- Relationship
anxieties increase as either couples begin to strengthen their
ties (engagement) or experiencing weakening relationships.
- Fall housing
planning begins with trying to tentatively decide about living
arrangements. March ¨ Increasing thoughts/deliberations about
suicide occur from an inability to cope with the pressures of
academic and social expectations.
- Academic
pressures increase with the approach of mid-term exams.
- With the
pressures of the end of the semester approaching, many students
start to increase their use of alcohol and drugs. This can cause
them any problems, both biologically and behaviorally.
- Existential
crisis for seniors - Must I leave school? Is my education worth
anything? Was my major a mistake? Why go on?
- Living
arrangement anxieties occur with the forcing of decisions - Should
I move out? Live in the same building? Stay with the same
roommate? Will a friend e left out of the plan?
- Summer job
hunting will be heavy over spring break. Worry about finding a job
or not finding one will cause severe anxiety.
- Trying to find
money to use for spring break is a problem, especially when your
peers are going to a place other than home and you are not able to
join them.
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If you have suggestions for this newsletter, or
would be interested in providing content, please email me via
the contact page.
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