Preparing for Officer Transition

Guest Bloggers - Sarah Cohen and Christina Ferris, Educational Leadership Consultants

Officer transition is no doubt an exciting, exhilarating and thrilling time. You made it through the entire nominating, slating and election process and now see a world of possibilities before you and your chapter with your new position. You have more ideas than you know what to do with and you already know exactly which awards you are eligible to win for your chapter. While your enthusiasm is the kind that Delta Zeta likes to see in someone in an executive board or committee chair position, you may need to slow down just a bit and remember there is one more big step between you and your eternal Delta Zeta glory: officer training. You may have been dreaming of the sorority presidency since the moment you walked through the doors or had the makings of recruitment chair greatness in your blood; however, without the proper transitioning and training, all that talent, promise, passion and drive could go to waste.

Training is a complex process. You need to bond with your fellow officers, learn the ins and outs of your position, what resources are available to you and what is expected of you as a leader in the chapter. While many of tricks of the trade can be found on Metro, Delta Zeta’s private social network site, here are some red flags that you should look for before any official training starts with your exec board and chapter advisor.

First, do you have a manual? If not, check with your predecessor to see if she still has it or if her predecessor does. If not, you might want to get yourself a nice, three ring binder) to house the material you will be organizing in your position.

Second, is your material held in a holiday-designed Express bag from 3 seasons ago? If so, see above.

Third, think about what year you were born in. If you have a binder/manual that seems awfully full, check and see if there are any forms that predate your existence. If there are, feel free to dispose of them (by recycling them, remember Pink Goes Green!!). As a matter of fact, unless you are the treasurer, you can get rid of anything over 3 years old. 

If you’ve cleared these hurdles, great! Now it is time to take in the information that your chapter advisors, former exec members and materials have to offer. Make sure to take the time to thank the outgoing members of your executive board, you will soon understand all the time and energy they put into your Delta Zeta chapter. Appreciate your fellow executive board members, as they will be your sounding board for the next year. And most of all, enjoy the opportunity that you have been given to make change in your chapter, and relish the change that will likely take place in yourself.