THE EXPONENT: Volume 99, Number 3

"Our goal is simple -- You achieving yours."

A real friend is one who helps us to think our best thoughts, do our noblest deeds, and be our finest selves. -- Unknown

How True those words are...

Contents

• Leadership/Management
• Opportunity Out of Defeat
• It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It - Tips from the House Manager
• ...And You Were There

Leadership/Management

Sherry S. Tilley, Zeta Tau Alpha

Definitions:

• Management: Allocation and control of resources in an effective manner and coordination of activities and people to reach goals.
• Leadership: Process or ability to motivate and mobilize others to unite and work to achieve a common goal.

• Shaping Values
• Quality Assurance
• Dealing with basic human needs
• Careful timing of intervention
• Developing balance
• Encouraging excellence
• "Coaching"

• Vision
• Flexibility
• Clear priorities
• Effective and efficient use of time
• Strong, not big, ego
• Tough skin
• Self-confidence
• Ability to listen and observe
• Good communicator
• Develop plans and strategies
• Promote self-respect
• Consistency

Motivation:

• "Walk like you talk"
• Know your audience
• Feedback on results
• Commitment
• Personal Accountability

• Establish responsibility and accountability
• Set expectations and performance standards
• Show examples of good performance

• Concise
• Specific plan of action for achievement
• 4 - 5 maximum
• Build momentum with small successes
• Review frequently
• Catch people doing something "RIGHT"

• Decide what to recognize
• Make immediate contact
• Give specifics
• Be consistent

• Given in spirit of learning
• People, time and place must be appropriate
• Must be immediate
• Deal with one behavior at a time
• Choose your words carefully
• Give specifics
• Be serious
• Deal with facts
• Maintain balance

• Be brilliant on the basics
• Insist on quality
• Have a bias for action
• Never say "impossible"
• Listen
• Develop future leaders
• Consider everyone a source of ideas

• Creative insight
• Sensitivity
• Vision
• Versatility
• Focus
• Patience

Opportunity Out Of Defeat

Copyright 1995 Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity

This speech was given at the annual initiation banquet of the Fraternity, which was still a local fraternity, Saturday, October 19, 1907. Frater Wallace G. McCauley delivered this address.

While not a speech given by a Triangle, nor given to Triangles, these excerpts of Mr. McCauley's speech are as true today and as true for Triangle. All you have to do in most cases is insert "Triangle" whereever he mentions "TKE." I have not included the portions of his speech that deal specifically and ONLY with TKE as they do not offer insight from the past for us to use from a Greek leader. If you are interested in the complete text, you may find it on the TKE WWW homepage.

"Someone has said that most victories are defeats. As to the truth of that statement, numerous instances can be cited tending to establish it. But just as true is the converse of that proposition, that most defeats are victories. The Greek letter societies have degenerated from their original purpose of the cultivation of literary attainments to mere social clubs. They have put the social feature in the ascendancy and have let everything contribute to that end. As a result there has developed a school aristocracy with all that it means - show and pretense have been magnified at the expense of true worth; they have fostered extravagance among students when economy was required; they have made secretism a fetish and symbolism an idolatry; many of the palatial homes of the fraternities have been the scenes of ribald drinking bouts and excesses the worst imaginable, and too often their gruesome ceremonies have resulted in severe injuries and even the death of their initiates.

"But the strongest indictment that can be brought against the fraternities of today, because to its far reaching consequence, is the decline of interest in the literary societies of our schools caused by them. What is true of Wesleyan is true generally of our schools throughout our country. To be sure there are exceptions, as Beloit and DePauw, but what these small colleges have accomplished in literary attention should give us encouragement of what Wesleyan can accomplish if we properly address ourselves to this subject. It is a matter of general observation that the fraternities have drawn from the literary efforts of our school life to the social feature. While fraternity men take an active interest in literary societies and quite often represent them, still this interest is spasmodic and occasional, whereas it should be continuous and persistent throughout the college course. The literary society is the laboratory of our academic course, and the student who gives that his attention will, in after life, become a leader in thought and voice of the great social problems which are pressing for settlement.

"Then, to revive the literary feature of our fraternity, which was the original object of Greek letter societies, is the greatest opportunity offered us, and the main objective which would most rapidly build us up as a national fraternity. To that end let us build our organization upon the foundation of Christian brotherhood, with the common purpose of scholarship which is the chief reason of our being here, and literary attainment which will be the chief reason of our association. Let us also, in appropriate article, in fitting language, declare ourselves against clannishness and exclusiveness, and declare for a fraternalism not to be practiced selfishly toward ourselves, but toward all men with whom we come in contact. Let us, too, pronounce ourselves against weird, awesome initiations, which may be innocent in themselves, but at the most are mere fol-de-rol and indolent waste of valuable time. In place of such let us compose a ceremony illustrative of the objects of our fraternity, open as daylight, as expressive of the eternal verities of life as a beautiful landscape revealed by a newly risen sun."

Triangle is not a literary society, but we do strive to advance each Brother's study of the practices of engineering, architecture, the sciences, and whatever academic fields of study to which our Brothers may aspire. We do exist to build the Universities we attend into better learning laboratories and to produce better students for the schools. We can learn a lot from what this man has said.

It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It - Tips from the House Manager

Sean Cunneen ar95

Hello, I am House Manager for the Armour Chapter and I know what you are going through. I made a quick list of how I keep things clean here.

1. Separate the cleaning of the house into small parts that takes less than 20 minutes a night.
2. Set aside 30 minutes a night to make people think they are cleaning fast (Scottie Principle)
3. Only pair pledges with people you know will do a good job. It was a good first impression of everyone in the house doing house duties that keeps me motivated now. I only work with pledges because I know I will give them the same first impression that I got.
4. Have a rover who's sole duty is to make sure everyone is doing their duty.
5. Yell and scream a lot, make it a point that it is ok not to study if you are cleaning the house.
6. Always, always, always, always, always do YOUR house duty.

...And You Were There

Tim Eiler minn87

Imagine, if you will, that the Greek system is in trouble. The non-Greek world is looking at it with disdain and doesn't really believe there is any value in this type of fraternal organization. The schools are talking about banning Greek organizations, citing their deleterious effects on personal academics and other development and behaviors as the main reasons. Communities are complaining that the members of these organizations are damaging the community physically, reducing property values, and creating a negative atmosphere.

Welcome to the 1890's. No, that is not a typo. I did write 1890. It's an interesting circumstance that the Greek system is now facing many of the same types of problems and symptoms that it did 100 years ago. Fortunately for us, especially those of us in the "younger" organizations, fraternal leaders and members of those days did a good job of redesigning their organizations to mitigate and remove the concerns of the various stakeholders affected by their groups.

Here we are 100 years later in the 1990's. We can look back at the historical perspective in order to find many of the right answers to solving these same problems that we face again. What did the people then do in redesigning their organizations? First and foremost, they re-established the importance of the values of their organizations. They did this not only by specifying again, more vociferously, what those values were that they espoused, but more importantly by actually getting their members to set living examples of those values for others to see.

Triangle is in the process of doing the same kind of thing. We all know the basic, most important values of our Fraternity... T, F, S, C, and the responsibilities outlined in the Code of Ethics. Those of us who are currently members need to do our utmost best to even more deeply incorporate them into our daily lives so that we can be exemplary examples of what a "Triangle Fraternity man" is like. We also need to be extraordinarily careful to invite only the type of man for membership who is capable of and willing to set that kind of example. If we are very careful to live the example and bring only those to Triangle who can continue that legacy, we will not only make Triangle stronger for us, we will enhance it for all stakeholders of our organization for now and into the future.

Living the principles is not hard. In fact, it's easier to live this way than it is to live against them. Being an honest man of deep abiding principles who easily befriends people, who follows through on the commitments he makes, who truly is committed to avoiding uncontrolled passions, and who otherwise seeks to help others as he helps himself is less difficult than the opposite. Lying is hard. The guilt that comes from failing to keep your word, from continuously breaking rules, from taking without paying back is painful. As always, however, the choice of how to live is up to you.

Finding people to invite to Brotherhood is also not that difficult. Triangle should not, must not, simply pick up "stray puppies." We must strive to find men who are willing to commit, and follow through on the commitment, to become better individuals and who will work diligently to make Triangle a better organization by their inputs. How does one recognize such an individual? There are some relatively easy ways. Remember that Triangle exists to provide opportunities for men to develop themselves - intellectually, socially, and professionally. That means that the kind of man for whom you search should be someone who has shown those tendencies and attitudes already. Look for a history of strong scholarship performance. You'll want someone who has specific examples of leadership in his background. It's easy to be in a leadership position, but not so easy to actually be successful at it or learn from it. Therefore, look for examples of achievement. Don't settle for people who had only the achievement of breathing in and out daily! The final aspect to search for is examples of P.

As a final note in that area, it's easy to have someone tell you, "that's how I would react," but that's based on a personal assessment and one that is likely to be colored by the person trying to tell you what you want to hear. Instead, ask for historical examples of behaviors, awards, and concrete achievements to show how this person has behaved in the past! While past performance is no guarantee of future performance, an established pattern of good behavior, values, and abilities does tend to indicate a good likelihood of future work. You are a good person, one who is striving for success by virtue of good values and good performance. Why shouldn't you look for people who also espouse and live the same values and ways?

Tim Eiler minn87
Triangle Fraternity National Council Past President
Engineering Project Manager - Digi International Former U.S. Astronaut Technical Educator
baSIcs: Something Innovative in business administration consulting services
RELENTLESS pursuit of EXCELLENCE!!!

TRIANGLE FRATERNITY

Is Serious about Scholarship

Sets and Demonstrates High Standards

Celebrates Achievement