Thinking about becoming president of your student organization or just curious on what your new position actually entails?
Being president isn’t a light job to acquire. To better comprehend what a president actually does it’s best to think of the position as six smaller roles:
Visionary
For the best leaders, it’s not enough to just simply follow in the same footsteps of the former officers. Visionaries see what their organizations could be. They day dream about fixing the flaws in their organization, they imagine what their people can accomplish, and they picture their organization’s success for that semester, for that year, and even for years from now.
As President, you don’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) the sole visionary. Have other members and officers scouted great opportunities for the future of your organization? If you recognize great ideas within your team, encourage their vision and adopt it into your group.
Visions becoming reality don’t just happen on their own (As much as we wish they would!). Visions require planning, action, and evaluations. It’s up to the president to be the catalyst of their team and get them thinking about the big picture.
Facilitator
Each officer serves an important role in your organization and brings their own skills and unique experiences to the team. The role of a Facilitator is to ensure that your team has everything they need to reach their full potential.
For example, team members are like different parts to a car (i.e. engine, transmission, brakes). When they work together the car can safely transport you from point A to point B. But the car needs things… such as gas, oil changes, and routine maintenance and when they don’t receive these things, the driver may find themselves broken down on the side of a major highway.
When it comes to the team, being a facilitator might mean signing off on paperwork, getting an officer the contacts they need, or providing officers with educational SOS articles to help them grow in their roles (yes, that was shameless promotion).
Motivator
Complementary to being a Visionary and Facilitator, a president also needs to be a Motivator. If we go back to the car analogy, motivation would be the gas the car needs to reach its destination. Much like a car needs gas, teammates need the motivation to drive their actions to gain results.
Presidents can use several ways to motivate their officers! One way they motivate is using a mission and vision statement to remind officers why they are volunteering their time and energy and to get them excited about the future. When people know the “Why” behind what their doing, it makes it easier for them to find their “How”.
Another classic way Presidents can motivate is to acknowledge other officers’ accomplishments and celebrate their successes!
How do you feel when receiving praise? You probably get a warm glowing feeling radiating from inside you. You might have felt proud and accomplished; it might have even induced in you a can-do attitude. If what I just described feels familiar, I can guarantee you’re not the only one who feels this way when receiving praise.
But the trick to this is that it has to be sincere, because people can spot when someone is faking or forcing a it. Everytime someone surprises you in a good way, practice giving them a compliment. If you’re not used to doing this it may feel awkward, but the more you do it the easier it becomes.
Lastly, allowing your teammates to pursue their own organizational goals as a creative outlet can motivate officers in the best kind of way! If you were given the freedom to work on a school project that interested you rather than one picked out by your professor, you would probably have much better results in a shorter amount of time. By encouraging officers to create the change they want, as long as it contributes positively to the organization, it can lead to incredible results you may haven’t even considered.
Good Communicator
Communication may seem simple but it’s actually the hardest thing for a student organization to get right. The president needs to set good examples of communication right from the start.
This can be done by setting clear expectations for the organization and its members. The president needs confirm with officers and members that they:
- understand their positions and responsibilities
- understand the purpose and goals of the organizations
- have open channels of communication to express their ideas, opinions, and concerns
- have access to all the key information they need (i.e. bylaws; how-to guides, reports)
Communication and knowledge is key! There’s a reason this saying is cliche… it’s because it’s sooo true! Have you ever watched a movie and thought that the entire plot/conflict could have been avoided if the main characters just openly talked to one another.
The president’s aim is to avoid unnecessary plot by over-communicating and never assuming your fellow officers or members already know. Even if a president thinks they’re expressing the obvious, it’s better to elaborate over risking the other party not knowing!
Mediator
Conflict is inevitable! There will be drama, whether that drama is political or personal. A president needs to be capable in resolving disputes among teammates.
To be a good mediator, it’s important to remain impartial in order to reach an acceptable resolution. A mediator should be able to dig for information that will help find the root problem. They should also be able to discuss the issues in a non-judgemental way and clarify options that can be used to find a resolution or compromise.
Sometimes, a president is too close to an issue to be considered an impartial moderator. In that case, the president should be able to find an alternative moderator distant from the issue. Some universities even offer moderation services to students that are completely confidential and free.
Manager
I know what you’re thinking, I’ve ran out of words ending in -or. In all seriousness, a good president equals a good manager. It’s hard enough to manage ourselves let alone other people, but it’s a skill that’s a must-have.
A good manager realizes that it’s fun to have meetings and brainstorm exciting things to do all year, but without a plan in action, these goals will be left behind on the paper. A good manager turns goals into reality. They do this by delegating tasks so they can focus on the big picture. A group of dedicated officers can handle coordinating events, getting promotional items, managing social media, and much more. These officers just need direction.
The president should be able set deadlines on tasks and communicate with task doers on their timelines. It’s not going to be easy, when officers or members don’t get their parts accomplished or are lagging behind, the president will need to find a way to keep them accountable without lessing their motivation.
Although managing can be one of the most difficult aspects of being president, it can also be incredibly rewarding when all the pieces that lead to a successful organization fit together like a puzzle.
What do you think?
Did we match your expectations on what a student organization president does? If not, what role surprised you the most? If you’re thinking about becoming president for your student organization, what are you doing to prepare for the position? Let us know down in the comments below!
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