New hazing prevention posters unveiled

CAMPUSPEAK has a new series of hazing prevention posters. I think they look fantastic.

All four posters give you the inner thoughts of a young man or woman who has dealt with tough personal issues and is now being hazed. One woman (in the design shown here) is a sexual assault survivor. A young man, who is a student athlete, dealt with childhood abuse. One has dealt with depression, and the fourth has a history of substance abuse. All four posters encourage students to "STOP HAZING NOW: You have no idea what buttons you're pushing." The posters then direct viewers to the site for National Hazing Prevention Week.

Find all four designs here. They are available in packs of 10.

Your link is appreciated

I've been writing this blog for about six months now, and it's a lot of fun. I'm doing my best to make it not only a place to purge a couple of decades worth of leadership lessons, but something that will inspire some thought and action. The ideas keep coming, so I guess I have a lot to purge.

I appreciate those of you who have helped get the word out about the blog. I especially appreciate those of you who have helped get some links out there on websites which are driving more traffic to it. I started the counter at "0" and we're almost to 4,000. That's pretty cool.

This blog can be accessed at either http://apathymyth.blogspot.com or simply at http://tjsullivan.com. Spread the word. Mention this blog in your postings and link to me on your websites. And, as always, feel free to reprint or use any of the postings in any publication or on any site that you think is appropriate. Just give proper attribution and direct the readers back here to this blog as part of the reprint.

I'm off to the Association of Fraternity Advisors meeting in Cincinnati and will return with some postings next week. If something particularly amusing happens, perhaps I'll post something FROM the meeting. Thanks again to all of you who are regular readers.

Our greatest patriotic obligation and honor

Theta Chi's fraternity blog, The National Eagle, has a story this week about one of their members who recently died in a roadside bomb attack in Afganistan. Major Jeffrey Calero, 34, was a member of Theta Chi from Rensselaer Polytechnic where he studied engineering. He was also a Green Beret.

That's Major Calero in the picture. He was promoted to the position of Major posthumously. He had turned down promotions twice because he wanted to stay with his unit. He was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in Queens, NY. He died in a town called Kajaki in Southern Afganistan.

I want to take a moment on this blog and thank Theta Chi for posting this kind of story. It really surprises me how little the average citizen thinks about the men and women serving in hostile territories overseas – especially this time of year as we bounce between Christmas parties and door-buster sales at the mall.

I have a few fraternity brothers currently serving. The two closest to me, Bret and Michael, are serving in non-military capacities as contractors on special assignment. Bret was a student who I advised some 18 years ago, and he is helping the Afgani government set up their public defender system. Michael is one of my favorite people on the planet – the sweetest Marine I know. He is doing something more covert and spy-like, and he's much closer to the dangerous action. I worry about both of them frequently.

We're five years into this military action in Iraq and Afganistan. As of my writing, we have lost 3,876 military personnel. This number does not include contractors like Bret and Michael, or the thousands of citizens of those countries who have died.

Every time I see a story like the one on Theta Chi's blog, or in my local newspaper about a veteran in rehab from injuries sustained in a bomb attack, I realize that the impact on our society is going to be huge for decades. Recent stories about homelessness have indicated that more than 400 veterans from Afganistan and Iraq are already among the homeless in our country, and we face a crisis of homeless and mentally ill veterans in the decades to come. It's important that we all begin the work now of helping the men and women who answered this call – regardless of how we personally feel about the politics that sent them there.

This holiday season, I urge you to do SOMETHING to honor those serving. Make a gift to a local veterans charity. Call your fraternity headquarters and get a list of brothers or sisters serving in Iraq or Afganistan and send them something to let them know you care. Organize a volunteer effort that gets students from your campus interacting with disabled vets getting care at your local V.A. hospital.

Get active on some of the issues facing veterans. If you need a place to start, click here to learn about the biggest issues facing vets.

Is your campus prepared for the veterans who are coming back? Are there mental health services specifically for students who are vets? How accessible are your residence halls for vets with disabilities? Is there a student organization on your campus for students who are vets? Has your student affairs staff ever spent an hour or two discussing how to serve these special students?

Operation Homefront is one of my favorite organizations helping veterans families. Think about making a contribution. I'm also a fan of the National Military Families Association which recently ranked as one of the top four veterans charities by Charity Watch.

It's our moral responsibility to take care of our veterans. Whether it's remembering them, assisting them, or lobbying for them, taking care of them is our greatest patriotic obligation and honor.

Ask some questions before taking over

If you are a new officer rotating on to your organization's leadership team, it is vital that you take the time RIGHT NOW to gather some of the inside information that will help you do your new job effectively. The person who has this information is the person who came before you in the position.

Even if you don't like this person, you owe it to yourself to sit down with him or her and gather some information. It will save you immeasurable time later and will help you make your first weeks in the new position more successful.

Here are a few questions I would ask my predecessor before launching into my term in office:

1. If you could do any part of this past year differently, what would it be?

2. What person outside of the executive council was your best resource? An advisor? A person on campus? Someone in a different organization? Why? Who are the people who can help me do the best job?

3. How did you organize your time to handle the demands of this position?

4. What were some of the mistakes you made early on that I could avoid?

5. What is the single most time consuming or annoying duty that comes with this position? Do you have any suggestions for making it more manageable?

6. What are the "sacred cows?" What things did you try to change or influence that people fought you on?

7. If you had another year in this position, what would you change or improve? How can I build on what you've accomplished?

8. What was the biggest surprise that you encountered in the last year doing this position?

9. What duties exist outside the "job description" that I should be prepared for?

If you are an officer who is transitioning out, answering these questions can really help the person following you. Often, new officers are so excited to jump in that they never take time to learn what came before them. This is a typical mistake. Even if you just take these questions and answer them in an email that you send to the new officer, that might be helpful.

Always take the blame, always share the credit

One of the best pieces of leadership advice I ever got was this: "Always take the blame, always share the credit."

When something goes wrong, the best thing you can do is to step up and take the hit. Sure, there are probably others who contributed to the screw-up, and maybe you did nothing at all to cause the problem. A full analysis might show that blame is mostly deserved by others. But, you're the leader, and no one likes a leader who passes off the blame to others. The best thing to do is to take responsibility and show how you're the right person to make the situation right. Those who contributed to the error now have reason to work even harder for you to get things back on the right track.

When things go right and everyone is heaping you with praise, push it off to others, especially to those who contributed in small ways to the accomplishment. When someone says, "Great job!" to you, you say, "Thanks, but I have to say, we couldn't have done this without John. His work on this campaign made all the difference." Pass the glory up and down the chain. Don't deny the accomplishment, just share the credit for it.

And, take these approaches both publicly and privately. It does no good to take the blame publicly and then go into a private meeting and yell at your team. "I took the hit for you idiots, so I better see some changes around here!" That just makes you look fake and two-faced.

In the face of failure, show grace and competence. In the face of praise, show graciousness and modesty. These approaches make you a leader worth following.

Submissions sought for Chicken Soup for the Twenty-Something Soul

This is from one of our speakers, Christine Hassler, who is co-authoring Chicken Soup for the Twenty-Something Soul which is due out in June 2008. She's seeking contributions of articles that will inspire people in their 20's. Read her message below:

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So far, the manuscript is a little LUKEWARM! Meaning, there aren't enough great stories to warm the hearts of twenty-somethings.

In order to heat it up so that it is serveable in June (meaning if I don't find better stories, this edition of Chicken Soup is off the menu), I need more stories. This project is very heart-felt for me, so please support me by submitting your story and/or forwarding this call-out to lots of people so that we can create a great Chicken Soup title for twenty-somethings.

I'm looking for inspirational, moving, or funny stories about the twenty-something experience - writers DO NOT need to be in their twenties to contribute! Any story about twenty-something life (career, relationships, family, volunteerism/service, money, life lessons, fate, travel, risks, acts of kindness, challenges, coincidences, tragedies, etc) is welcome. A Chicken Soup story will touch the souls of the readers and make them laugh, cry, sigh or just say, "Wow!" A story can be told from any angle: reflecting on your own experience, being a part of someone else's twenty-something experience, or sharing a story about how a twenty-something has impacted you.

I KNOW you have a story in you (and you get paid $200 and published in a national brand if your story is selected!) Deadline is January 7th.

More details are posted at my website. Also, if you'd be willing to forward this call-out for stories to your contact list, please email me (christine@christinehassler.com) and I will send you an email that is super easy to forward. I am so grateful for your help and support.

Details on What to Do Next:
1. Go to my website or blog to read details.
2. Write your story - approximate word limit is 500-1200 words (please write to the best of your ability, well-written stories are preferred but I will edit it for you so don't worry if you aren't a professional writer!)
3. Go to www.chickensoup.com, click on "Submit a Story" and be sure to select "Twenty Something" as the book title. Fill out the info and just paste your story in the appropriate box.

REMEMBER: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN YOUR TWENTIES TO CONTRIBUTE!!!!!

20th Century Fox markets to fraternity drunks

Arriving at you campus soon, addressed to your fraternities, is the Hitman video game party in a box. It is a drinking game kit from the creative marketing geniuses at 20th Century Fox.

The kit includes everything you need for a night of abusive drinking at the fraternity house: a Hitman PS2 video game, t-shirts for prizes, score cards, beer tumblers and a shot glass.

The letter that comes with the kit reads as follows:

Hello Fraternity Brother,

Beer Pong? Playing PS2 games in between classes? Here is taking it to the next level: Hitman Video Game party in a box. Make your own video "drinking" game competition with your fraternity brothers with this Hitman Video Game Party in a box!

Pop the video game in, keep score of you and your bros, and drink the night away to Agent 47 with your beer tumblers and shot glasses. If you've played the video game before, the score cards should be pretty self-explanatory. If you haven't, then find someone who has and have them kick off the party.

It's this sort of marketing stupidity that contributes to a negative image of fraternities and sororities in our society today. If your IFC would like to write to the marketers at 20th Century Fox to thank them for marketing to us like a bunch of drunken idiots, address your grievance to:

Steven Feldstein, Senior Vice President,
Corporate & Marketing Communications
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900

Or better yet, encourage your chapter presidents and "your bros" to write RETURN TO SENDER on the unopened boxes and dump them at your local post office.

Thanks to Tom Carroll, Coordinator for Student Clubs and Organizations at Sacramento State for bringing this to our attention.

So, you want to be a speaker?

I am frequently asked by students how someone becomes a professional speaker. Like anything, it's a career that evolves for most people – it certainly did for me – and it's like building a very complex small business. There are 1,000 steps, but here are the first 12 for the aspiring speakers out there.

1. Decide what you can talk passionately about, night after night. It's not enough to decide you can be a speaker. You have to figure out exactly what you want to speak about. Sexual assault prevention? Alcohol and drugs? The dangers of driving without wearing seatbelts? The history of potato chips? Whatever you choose, you're going to spend a ton of time with it. You're going to have to read about it, attend conferences about it, and develop some unique angles that allow you to convey a unique perspective about it. Wanting to help people is not enough. Knowing what issue you want them to care about, or what skill you want to teach them, is critical. Also, you're going to have to commit to one thing. Suze Orman, for example, is one of the nation's most successful speakers on Personal Finance. That doesn't mean people will pay her next week to speak on Drug Prevention. Successful speakers are typically known for one thing and one thing only, but they absolutely rock on that issue.

2. If you want to get paid eventually to speak, you have to choose something with broad appeal and then develop a special approach to communicating about it. It's wonderful to talk about "racism in turn-of-the-century Ohio," for example, but not many people are going to pay for that. Talking about racism in generic and broad terms is much more marketable. Talking about racism in corporate America and having a special and cool angle that gets every company in the Fortune 500 calling you is what makes you rich and famous.

3. Figure out to whom you want to speak. Do you want to speak to college students like the folks at CAMPUSPEAK? Do you want to speak to high school students, church groups, women in the tourism industry, veterans, or wheat farmers? Figure out who your target audience is going to be. You can't talk to high school students the same way you do to college students, for instance. You are going to have to structure your program within a context that makes sense for your particular audience.

4. Ask yourself these three critical questions: What will the audience walk away with after listening to me? What will they understand more clearly? What will they be inspired to do differently? These are your guideposts.

5. If you have some personal tragedy or memorable experience that is your primary motivation to speak, you better figure out what the other 80-percent of your program is going to be. No one wants to pay you to share your story if you can't make it apply to your audiences' experience and needs. If you're just dying to share your story to anyone who will listen, then honestly, you need therapy, not a speaking career.

6. Design two talks. The first one is 20 minutes long, and it needs to be quick to the point, funny, engaging, and should include one clever twist or activity. This is your keynote program. This is the one you will use for small meetings, community groups, and to give people a taste of what you can do. This is the first thing you will road test. The second program is your hour-long program. This goes more in depth, and it's the one people will eventually pay you for. It should include at least three interactive elements, maybe some audio visual element like a video or a series of illustrations. This one takes a long time to develop, so be patient.

7. Avoid PowerPoint. If you can't engage an audience without it, you're not going to be successful as a speaker. Too many people who want to be speakers think Step One is to put together a PowerPoint, and it's not. Study other speakers – how do they break up a program into parts?

8. Watch a lot of stand-up comedy. Don't focus on the jokes. Intensely study their timing and their use of pauses. Watch how they use their eyes and facial expressions. I did stand-up for a short time, and that experience gave me the confidence that propels me every night when I get up on a stage to speak to students on a campus.

9. Work your network and ask to do your program for free at upcoming meetings. Give the damn thing away for a while and see how people respond. Don't expect big adoring crowds. Ask for criticism and suggestions. If people like it, ask for quotes and letters of recommendation. If you're in higher ed, then call friends at other schools and ask if you can come do 20 minutes at an upcoming council meeting. If you want to focus on community members, call the local Rotary Club. Look for conferences where you can present, also. This sometimes costs you money because few conferences will pay you (even expenses) to come speak if they don't know you.

10. Continue to try new things. Do the program a little differently every time and see what works and what doesn't.

11. Pay for a professional portrait that matches the audience you are trying to reach. If you want to hit colleges, you need casual, friendly shots. If you want corporate, you have to look corporate. Doing grade schools? Look trustworthy and parental.

12. Write up a 200 word description of your program. You'll need to provide this to people over and over and over. So, if you're not a good writer, have someone help you. The text should be interesting, should paint you in an interesting light, and convince the reader that the issue you talk about is a critical one for them to address.

These are the first steps to becoming a paid speaker. There are many, many more that follow, obviously. There are lots of folks who think they could become successful speakers, but frankly, very few people put the work in that it takes to really do it. That's why those of us who do it well get rewarded.

The Millenials Are Coming!

Last night on 60 Minutes, there was a segment called "The Millenials Are Coming!" The piece dealt with the attitudes about work held by those born between 1980 and 1995.

In my opinion, it painted a picture of a generation very ill-prepared for the real world of business. Among the main points in the segment: they need to be rewarded constantly, even if their work is only adequate; they care a lot more about their friends and fun than they do about their profession; they will bounce from job to job in search of happiness; they grew up being told constantly how special they are, and that has resulted in an enormous attitude of entitlement; they are all about multi-tasking; etc.

The primary question the segment posed is whether this generation will change the world of business for the better based on their values, or if their habits and ethics are going to have a negative impact on our economy.

I had an icky feeling after watching the segment. I understand that every generation looks down upon the values of the generations that follow it. I know this. But, still. Jesus! I wanted to smack the young people they interviewed in the segment. Actually, I wanted to punch their parents.

I would be interested to know if you think it painted a fair picture of the Millenial generation, because if it did, I don't want to hire anyone born after 1980 ever again. I have a feeling some of you will think it was a bit negative and that the generalizations are a bit unfair. I also thought that they only interviewed Millenials who live and work in New York City, and we all know that young professionals there live in a different world than the rest of us.

Judge for yourself by watching the 13 minute video here. Depending on when you are reading this, you might have to search for the video. It's called "The Millenials Are Coming!"

Sometimes, good students screw up big time

Some huge, important, bajillionaire donors were paying a visit to the Indiana University School of Journalism one weekend during my senior year. The entire school had been warned to spruce the place up, and be on our best behavior. The donors were members of a family who owned a bunch of newspapers, gave a ton of money, and provided a lot of job offers to graduates of the school. Everyone knew this was a really, really big deal.

I had never seen the newsroom of our student newspaper clean like it was that Friday the donors flew in.

They arrived to much fanfare that afternoon, had a full day of university receptions and activities on Saturday, and were leaving early Sunday morning. I think they were being greased up for an enormous donation to the university.

The dean of the Journalism School needed a responsible student to drive the big wigs back to the Indianapolis airport on Sunday morning. My publisher at the student newspaper recommended me for the job because he regarded me as one of the most responsible students in the department. I guess he also knew that I was a huge ass-kisser and would do a good job charming the old donors. Lord knows I needed a job at the end of the year, and he thought I might charm my way into one.

So, it was all arranged. I was to go to the university motor pool on Sunday morning at 6 a.m., get a minivan, pick up the donors at the university hotel, and drive them the 45 minutes to the Indy airport in time for their 9:30 flight back to New York. Nice and simple.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. I get a call from the newspaper publisher, "Did you forget something this morning?"

I had completely and utterly forgotten the entire thing. I had woken up around 10 that Sunday morning, eaten breakfast with my friends, and did whatever it was that came normal on a Sunday. This was before cell phones, obviously. The dean had received a panicked call from the donors (his number was the only one they had). The dean had jumped in his own car to get them, and drove them to the airport barely in time for their flight. I can imagine him with bed head speeding through early morning Bloomington, cursing me.

It wasn't because my alarm failed to go off. It wasn't because I had been partying the night before. It wasn't because I was a generally irresponsible person (I had earned my positive reputation as a student leader in 10,000 ways, previously). I simply and completely forgot that I was supposed to do it. Looking back, 20 years later, I still don't have an excuse, and I have no one and nothing else to blame. I still feel terrible about it.

That Monday morning was one of the most dreadful of my life. The dean was pissed at me. The publisher was pissed at me. The entire Journalism School knew that I was a disgrace. I had made the School look incompetent to these important donors, and literally everyone was angry at me for the remainder of the year. No amount of apology seemed to be enough. I apologized to the dean, to my publisher, to every professor. Everyone just gave me the disappointed look that week, and I was never asked to do anything again. And that killed me.

With one mistake – one really big mistake – I had gone from department darling to village idiot.

So, this is the part of the story where I'm supposed to tell you how I redeemed myself. Cue the sad music... Well, it didn't happen. I graduated that year, still branded as the loser who screwed up. Two decades have passed, and I still internally cringe when I think about it.

I hold this experience close to me, though, and it has made me more sympathetic to anyone who makes a stupid mistake. They happen. When an employee of mine, or a student I advise does something incredibly dumb, I think back to the dean and try to act the way I so desperately wanted him to act. I try not to brand someone a lifetime screw up just because they made one royal error. If anything, I try to give them a chance to do something big and right soon after.

Good people screw up big time, without a good reason, and what they need the most at that moment in their life is a shot at redemption. As a leader in that situation, you have the opportunity to be big about it, or small about it. The choice you make can have a lasting impact on the person who made the mistake.

Is President Bush a strong argument against the purity of values-centered leadership?

Our 43rd president has said on many occasions that he acts based on his firmly held beliefs, and not on the whims of public opinion polls. The vast majority of Americans want our troops out of Iraq, for example, but our president pushes for deeper involvement because he believes in that course of action. He's not much interested in compromise. He knows the right way, and you're either with him, or against him.

In many ways, George W. Bush is the definition of a "values centered leader." I suppose whether you like him or not pretty much has to do with whether you share his values. If you do, he's your guy. If you don't (like the 66% of Americans in the latest polls), you're not too happy with our Cowboy in Chief.

So, today, when I read that one in four Americans believes that George W. Bush is the worst president in our nation's history (CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll), it made me think a bit about how busy we are advocating "values centered leadership" as the ideal for student leaders. If George W. Bush is a values-driven leader, and if his approval ratings are lower than Richard Nixon's during the Watergate scandal, it suggests that "values centered leadership" -- as a pure leadership ideal -- falls short of the silver bullet we've been telling our student leaders it is.

I want to admit – straight out and as honestly as possible – that I am not a fan of either George W. Bush or of the values-centered leadership cult currently dominating student affairs in this country. In fact, I can't really tell you which I dislike most (although I think the president might win that one). I try to avoid politics in this blog, but I'm using the president's dismal approval ratings to illustrate a point...

I think teaching "values centered leadership" as the simple answer to student leaders is flawed. It's not enough to make your decisions solely based on your personal understanding of the values of your organization or your founders. It's not as simple as reading your ritual, your Constitution or your mission statement and determining the one right option. The values of your organization should be a guide, and they should help differentiate between a good option and a bad one, but being a leader means making decisions and setting courses of action that respond to the complex situations that your group faces RIGHT NOW.

You have to think about your recent history, your budget and resources, the priorities of your members or campus, and the opportunities for compromise that move a negative reality closer to something positive. Leadership is very complex and somewhat fluid when it is done properly. There are days when you have to settle for a small step forward even when you wish, in your heart, that you could be in perfect congruence with the values of your organization. Some days you feel like a leader who acted righteously, and some days you feel a little filthy because you had to get dirty to get something done. That's reality, but it's very difficult to teach that to student leaders getting their first real shots at leadership.

Sometimes, the right thing to do is simply the right thing to do, and acting based on your values is prudent. But when you act entirely based on your interpretation of what is right, you run the risk of falling out of touch with the will of the people you govern.

Then, you face "W. Syndrome" -- everyone decides you are completely out of touch and can't wait until you go back home to your ranch.

T.J.'s rules for wearing nametags

Whenever you wear a name-tag, it needs to be on the right side of your body. Always, without question. If someone sticks a nametag on the left side of your shirt, smile, turn away from the person, peel the damn thing off, and put it on the correct side. Which is the right side. The right side. Not the left side. The right side.

Why? When you shake someone's hand you always do it with your right hand (unless you're at a convention of left-handed people activists, then ignore this posting completely). When you shake someone's right hand, and when your nametag is correctly positioned on the right side of your body, it allows the other person to glance at your nametag and make mental note of your name. Being able to look at that nametag builds confidence in the person with whom you are interacting, and that's a good thing. Some people, like me, are visual learners and are more likely to remember your name if we can see it in addition to hearing it. Plus, if your nametag has useful information like your job title, college or organization name, etc., that helps us place you and saves us from the first 67 stupid questions we need to ask in order to figure out who the hell you are.

Having to shake someone's hand and turn your head to the left to look at the nametag is awkward. Plus, the person can't help but think, "Jesus! No one has ever told this dumb ass that nametags always go on the right." And, you don't want them thinking that, do you?

But wait, some argumentative male will say... When I wear a dress shirt, there's a pocket on the left, and I like to affix or pin my nametag on the pocket. Well, that's just wrong. WRONG DAMN IT! What the hell does a pocket have to do with a nametag? NOTHING! Don't affix your nametag to your pocket, because now you look like an idiot and your pocket is drooping and making your nametag even harder to read. Dummy.

Now, for those of you who feel like I am discriminating against the left side of the body, I promise, I'm not. When you wear a corsage or boutonniere, you wear it on the left side of your jacket or dress. So, the left side doesn't get much action, but when it does, it smells better than a stupid nametag.

A few more things about nametags, while I'm ranting...

I would like to mention my deepest-felt hatred for nametags that hang from lanyards, attached at the top and middle to the nametag. Walk around a conference where the genius meeting planners have given out these nametags and you'll see that half of them are being worn with the name side facing the attendees' bodies, rendering them not only unattractive, but now utterly useless. The only thing dumber than a nametag is a nametag worn backwards. If you are a conference planner, stop ordering nametags that swivel. That's just incredibly stupid, and you're making my life miserable.

And a quick word to the guy who enjoys pinning his nametag on the belt-loop of his pants. Dude, you're not cool. If I want to check out your crotch, believe me, I'll do it. I don't need you placing your nametag by it to encourage me. From now on, when I see a guy wearing his nametag like this, I'm going to say, "Gee John! I never noticed what a gigantic cock you have! Thanks for putting your nametag there! Those flat-front Dockers were definitely a good choice this morning!"

If you are wearing more than three ribbons on your nametag, it's a serious cry for help. If they give you eight ribbons, don't wear them all cascading down your body like a drunken rainbow. Yes, you've earned them all, but if you have to wear eight ribbons to advertise your importance at a particular conference, people hate you anyway. Pick the three you like best, or the three that clash the least with your wardrobe, and wear those. Give the other ones to the poor stooges who don't have any ribbons. It will make them feel important and it will help you make some strides in tackling that over-achiever's complex you have.

Stickers and buttons on your nametag add a little flair. But, don't be too much of a sticker whore. If you're getting neck pain, you are overdoing it. If the last thing I notice on your nametag is your name, then again, you're an idiot.

And take the nametag off the minute you leave the building where your conference or event is taking place. Ever been in a food court and you see John from Accounting, Fred from Sales, and Jerry from Physical Plant taking a lunch break from their corporate meeting standing in line at Panda Express? Total bottom feeders, poor bastards. Makes you want to say, "Hey John from Accounting! Do you recommend the chow mein or the fried rice?" Take off your nametag, put it in your pocket. Put it back on when you enter the meeting again.

God, I feel so much better. Now, go out there and mingle!

Saturday morning at La Verne

OK, so they told me to show up for a student leadership conference at the University of La Verne, dressed in a suit, at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. It was a definite challenge to my normally positive attitude. I was cranky.

Friday had been a long, long, long day. I had meetings, I spoke, and then I spent about 8 hours trying to fly from Dallas to Ontario, CA. By the time my head hit the pillow at the Hampton Inn at 12:30 a.m., I was toast. Just the thought of having to get up at 6 a.m. and put on a suit was causing me dread. Doing it on five hours sleep, even worse.

So, when I pulled into the University of La Verne, I was prepared to be a bit sour. There was no way that students were going to be dressed up and in a good mood for a student leadership conference starting at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday.

Well, of course, I was totally wrong. I had a WONDERFUL experience at The University of La Verne. It's a school very few people have ever heard of, but please take my word for it when I tell you that they had some of the nicest, most enthusiastic student leaders I have ever met. No one made them come; they wanted to be there. I can't remember the last time I shook so many hands, or had so many nice compliments on my program.

I think they get some of that positive attitude from the top. The university president, Steve Morgan, was there (super nice). The entire student affairs staff was there, from the dean of students on down (all incredible, friendly). I did two keynotes, one at the start of the day, and one at the end, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. It's one of the best campus visits I've had in years. I think if they had offered me a job, I would have been house shopping by dinnertime.

So, shout out to La Verne! You now have a new fan club president. I expected your students to be cranky and sour about having to be up so early on a Saturday, but you proved me incorrect! I appreciate you challenging my negative expectation! Congrats also to Greek Advisor Chip West who is doing fabulous work there.