Over the years, I’ve witnessed the meaningful outcomes that can be achieved by an organization adopting the social change model of leadership development.

One of the best examples continues to come from my involvement while serving on the faculty of an emerging leaders institute held at the University of South Carolina.

Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders is a transformational, multi-day leadership development experience that empowers participants to create the ideal chapter of their fraternity. It’s targeted toward rising sophomores and juniors, and participants must apply to attend.

The institute has a track record of empowering college students. Since 2015, 86% of all program graduates have gone on to hold leadership positions in their chapters or campus communities.

This year I had the great honor as serving as lead faculty, working alongside leading professionals in higher education and volunteers of the fraternity.

Our role is to facilitate and lead discussions, presentations, and activities that delve into culture change, commitment to personal and fraternal values, positional leadership, and respect & trust within organizations.

One of my favorite topics of discussion comes from author Simon Sinek’s TED Talk: “Leadership is a choice. It is not a rank. I know many people at the senior most levels of organizations who are absolutely not leaders. They are authorities, and we do what they say because they have authority over us, but we would not follow them. And I know many people who are at the bottoms of organizations who have no authority and they are absolutely leaders, and this is because they have chosen to look after the person to the left of them, and they have chosen to look after the person to the right of them. This is what a leader is.”

This is consistent with the fraternity’s belief that leadership is not positional — it can come from anywhere in the organization — and is instead a potential that can be developed in all members.

“Leaders exhibit self-awareness, exemplify character in thought and action, develop and foster collaborative relationships, and strive to create social change — to build a better world for themselves and others.”

All of society will benefit from today’s college students who are concerned about each other and their communities. Selfishly, I’ve gotten so much out of volunteering with these educational programs.

The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of KLTV/KTRE-TV or Gray Television. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2019 Lane Luckie