Last month I had the chance to speak at my fraternity’s Founders Day banquet. I attended a small state school just an hour outside of Dallas and graduated, let’s just say, some time ago. The banquet brought back many memories that had a huge impact on my life, most of which I would not trade for the world and some that I have tried to forget. Overall, my experience in a fraternity was much different than what has been portrayed recently in the media.
Several of us know a high school senior looking to find a college or university this fall and perhaps rush a fraternity or sorority. Before you are quick to judge the current state of Greek life, there is a path for growth and success through a social organization that may not be found anywhere else in school.
My experience was greatly impacted by having a mentor who happened to be our chapter advisor. He was intelligent, quick witted, light hearted and skilled at negotiation and motivating others. I learned a lot from him on how to lead others and he also kept my teenage brain focused, an influence greatly needed.
With his encouragement, my fraternity provided a launching pad for growing my own personal leadership skills. During my days at school, I held the positions of sergeant at arms, vice president and president, as well as other leadership positions in campus organizations. Ironically, there are so many skills I learned from my fraternity that applied to my project management and real estate career. A few examples of these skills are:
• How to recruit
• How to motivate a variety of personalities
• How to market your organization and elevate its stature above the competition
• How public relations and perception can impact your organization
• How to manage a budget and cash flow
• How to organize and seek approval for private and public events
• Why contributing to a charitable organization can benefit all
Although I am proud of my university, these were hands-on experiences and responsibilities that could not be taught in a classroom. Shortly after graduating, and on behalf of the housing corporation, I led the purchase of a piece of real estate that the fraternity still owns and uses today.
For me, my fraternity provided an unlimited pathway for personal growth, much of which translated directly to my career.
If you know young adults who are entering college and considering a fraternity or sorority, they should understand before they join that no organization should define who they are, and to look for an organization that will allow them to become all they can be. At the banquet, I left my brothers with this challenge: “What you get out of your fraternity is what you put into it.”
Brad Blankenship is managing director of project and development services for DTZ. Contact him at [email protected].
