Training Snapshots

The 2013-2014 Leadership Consultants have been at Executive Office in Atlanta, GA for two weeks now. It is surreal actually living in Executive Office after touring our headquarters for the first time in February 2012.

Me (middle row 2nd from the left) with some of my Gamma Delta sisters! 
February 2012

2013-2014 LC's - I am 5th from the left
July 2013

Seven of us are staying in the Bunk Room, which feels just like being at summer camp except we train from 9AM to 9PM instead of kayaking in a lake and eating s’mores.

                               

We have already covered a ton of information to prepare us our travels: finance training, National Panhellenic Council Release Figure Method, standards appeals process, recruitment and marketing, total membership education, Alpha Delta Pi Foundation, philanthropy training, parliamentary procedure, and District Team Director training. To help us keep track of everything we’re learning we received an awesome new iPad! To make things even more official I now have my first business nametag and business cards!

The Consultants are hard at work, but we do have some down time to explore Atlanta. We have two huge mini vans – super hip, I know – that we affectionately named the “Swaggin’ Wagon” and “Stow ‘n Go.”  

Me driving the Stow 'n Go to dinner!

Last Tuesday we hopped in the minivans and drove over to Macon, GA to learn about the founding of Alpha Delta Pi at Wesleyan College. Wesleyan College was the first college to grant women degrees and Alpha Delta Pi - then known as the Adelphean Society - was the first ever secret society for women. It is a privilege to be a small part of such a rich history!

In the Alpha Delta Pi Fountain at Wesleyan College!

On Thursday, to celebrate Logan and Morgan’s birthday, we went to the Atlanta Braves game against the Colorado Rockies :)

Turner Field

There are still a few days of training left, but I can’t wait to get to Oklahoma and meet the women at Theta Xi!

Where in the World is Caroline Mosley?

For the month of August I will be traveling to . . .

Drum roll, please . . .

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA – THETA XI!

Theta Xi is one of the newest Alpha Delta Pi chapters and was installed on November 18, 2012. After training, Logan Sparks and I will travel to UCO for Theta Xi’s first formal recruitment! Theta Xi will be the first sorority house I ever walk inside. Gamma Delta at Miami has a suite – not a house – so I can’t wait to be in a sorority house with the amazing sisters of Theta Xi!

For the beginning of September I will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana to help colonize at TULANE UNIVERSITY! I have never been to Oklahoma or New Orleans, so I can’t wait to learn more about the places I’m visiting.

A big part of being a Leadership Consultant is to cultivate leaders and equip collegiate women with the right tools in order to be successful in project management, team building and conflict resolution. I am excited to begin this journey at UCO and I look forward to learning from the collegians and International Officers as well.

My Life in 3 Suitcases

Just some of what I've packed

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have packed my belongings into two suitcases and one carryon for the next year! It was easier than I thought it was going to be, but I better not jinx it until I at least get to Atlanta.

I packed some of my heavier things in the carryon, which weighs in at 23 pounds!!! My entire family (including my 13 year old sister) can lift the bag over their heads, but I sadly cannot. Hopefully I will be able to find enough kind strangers stronger than I to lift my bag safely into the overhead bin.  

Below is a general list of what is in each bag. [More for future LC’s than other readers J]

• 20” Carry On
• “Just in Case the Airline Loses My Luggage” Bag: Pants suit, 1 pair of cropped pants, 3 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans (white and dark blue), undergarments
• Jewelry (in a jewelry roll from Amazon)
• Make-Up
• Blow dryer, straightener, hair curler
• 1 sweater for the plane
• Downy Wrinkle Release (still need to buy this … hopefully they’ll have it at the airport?!)
• 2 pairs of flats & 1 business heels
• Planner, 3 small notebooks for meetings/general notes, journal
• 24” Checked Bag
• Black heels, nude wedges, white sandals, gold sandals
• 1 mini-steamer (Amazon)
•  3 purses/clutches of various sizes
• Assorted toiletries
• Stationary: Thank you cards and blank cards
• Uplifting notes from sisters & friends
• Other: hairspray, nail care, hair clips & bobby pins, hairbrush, teasing combs, Tylenol Xtra Strength, Flintstones’ chewable vitamins, belts
• 28” Checked Bag
• 1 skirt suit
• 2 blazers (casual light pink/nude & hot pink)
• 16 shirts (both casual and professional) organized in medium sized pink eBags from Amazon - highly suggest these!
• 4 cardigans (white, black, pink, navy)
• 14 dresses
• 6 skirts
• 3 nicer dresses (blue, little black dress, white)
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 1 pair of long tan pants
• 1 pair of khaki cropped pants
• 1 pair of black jeans
• 2 Nike Shorts (for sleeping… Me? Working out? Ha.)
• 10 shirts for lounging around/sleeping (including tanks for layering)
• Plenty of undergarments
• 1 bathing suit
•  Personal Bag
• Laptop
• Personal Phone
• All chargers
• Folder for work
• Pens
• Wallet
• Check book
• Passport
• Mini U.S. Constitution #PoliSciMajor
• Tide to go pen
• Umbrella
• Other: hand sanitizer, face wipes, lip gloss, lotion, hair ties

Lean In - A Read For Males and Females

I recently read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. Before reading this book I, shamefully, fell into a group of people that cringe at the word feminist. Sandberg notes that there is a tendency to shy away from being labeled a feminist because of the “negative caricature of a bra-burning, humorless, man-hating” person (473). I was afraid this book would be too preachy, but it was honest, down-to-earth and entirely relatable. Lean In doesn’t just deal with the empowerment of women. Instead, it offers a lot of leadership and professional advice – for both men and women.

Women in the Workforce

There were three things in particular I found interesting regarding Sandberg’s commentary on women in the workforce. A report from Hewlett-Packard showed that “women only apply for open jobs if they think they meet 100 percent of the criteria listed. Men apply if they think they meet 60 percent of the requirements” (207). Therefore, women need to shift from thinking, “’I’m not ready to do that’ to thinking ‘I want to do that – and I’ll learn by doing it’” (207). While applying for jobs my senior year of college I ran into this situation. There were many jobs in which I did not fit all of the requirements and I remember one of my male friends telling me to apply for it anyway.  When I saw the requirements I did not think ‘I am not ready to do that.’ I was hesitant to apply because I respond to straightforward directions and don’t like to play games. If an employer takes the time to think of specific requirements for a position, my instinct is to respect that and not waste his or her time, but if other equally “unqualified” people are applying for these jobs -- and may very well get them -- I am putting myself at a disadvantage. This is a dilemma I am sure to come across again as I look for jobs after my time as LC.

The second point I found interesting was that the correlation of success and likeability differ for men and women -- “When a man is successful, he is liked by both men and women. When a woman is successful, people of both genders like her less” (130). Of course there are exceptions, but it is important to be aware of this tendency – both in you and in others.

Thirdly, women tend to plan too far ahead when it comes to starting a family. They pass up job opportunities that may require more hours or frequent travel thinking they are putting themselves in a better position to start a family… someday. Some women do this before they even have a boyfriend – let alone a husband. Sandberg says that, “the months and years leading up to having children are not the time to lean back, but the critical time to lean in” (315). I’m glad I read Lean In because when I come to that point in my life, I will make a conscious effort to lean in and not limit myself before it is necessary.

Professional & Leadership Advice

There was also a lot of professional and leadership advice to be taken from Lean In. One piece of advice when finding a job is to focus less on career levels and more on fast growth and the company’s mission.  Sandberg points out that even if you are accepting a lower level position, you might actually be moving forward because you are happier and have an opportunity to learn new skills (202).

Her second piece of advice deals with “learning to withstand criticism” and she notes that, “we should let ourselves react emotionally and feel whatever anger or sadness being criticized evokes for us. And then we should quickly move on” (164). Some people are better at it than others, but I think everyone experiences some level of hurt when they are criticized. Admittedly, I sometimes struggle with criticism. It is not because I think I am infallible or because I don’t respect or agree with my criticizer. It’s because I subconsciously link criticism to not being liked. Mark Zuckerberg told Sheryl Sandberg that “[her] desire to be liked by everyone would hold [her] back” (169). I preoccupy myself with wanting to please others and be liked in return when I should take criticism as is and choose to either accept it and adapt or to not.  Similarly, my decisions and behaviors should be less concerned with my personal relationship with others and more concerned with my relationship with others insofar as it helps the progress of the organization’s mission and my job responsibilities. Hopefully the personal relationships will follow.

Lastly, Sandberg suggests a method of setting professional goals. There is a pressure many college graduates feel to have everything figured out and to know what they want to do with the next four or so decades of their life. Sandberg did not get to be COO of Facebook by some carefully crafted plan, so she recommends two flexible goals, “a long-term dream and an eighteen-month plan” (176). Further, the “long-term dream does not have to be realistic or even specific” (182). My long-term dream is to help people and to have the autonomy to do so in ways I think are best. One of my current ideas to accomplish that is to spread multimedia education to several countries by starting a business – the details of which are not fully worked out and wouldn’t be divulged on a blog regardless. My eighteen-month plan is to do my best as Leadership Consultant by inspiring and empowering as many Alpha Delta Pi sisters as I can to help their chapters grow, have fun along the way, learn from my mistakes, and apply for jobs towards the end of my term. I plan to get a job in event planning for fundraisers or non-profit campaign management.

Learn More

I highly suggest both males and females read Lean In because there is something in it for everyone. To learn more about leaning in, “Like” the “Lean In” page on Facebook. 

*Page numbers based on the eBook