See pdf. below:  "How to Identify and Develop Future Leaders" 

“SPEAKING OF MEMBERSHIP”

Linda Rissel-VP for Membership 

Happy Alpha Delta Kappa Month!  What a wonderful State Founders’ Day celebration we had.  Thank you to our Chi sisters for making this event a beautiful one for all to enjoy.  We missed those who could not join us and hope to see you at our Spring Leadership Meeting in March.

Thank you to our Chapter Presidents for sharing The Gift of Membership tri-fold.  This membership “tool” was developed by 2 Regional Membership Consultants-Betty Jo Evers (Southwest RMC) and ME-your Northeast RMC and NJ VP for Membership.  We strongly encourage you to use this brochure when you are recruiting new members (a great tool to share in faculty rooms or even at a faculty meeting).  It is very useful as a “reminder” to current members (retention) and past members (reinstatement) just how wonderful the gift of membership in Alpha Delta Kappa is!

I am so happy to announce your State Membership Committee Trainers for 2018-2020.  Doris D’Elia, Epsilon, for the North, Nancy Applegate, Lambda, for the Central and Pat Alvino, Alpha, for the South.  Please invite your chapter liaison to attend one of your meetings or special events.  Don’t hesitate to contact them or ME regarding any membership concerns or questions. Remember:  We are a TEAM!

It is with sadness that we announce that Delta Chapter has been officially disbanded.  While we hate to lose a chapter, we were successful in transferring 10 of their members and placing several others on our state sustaining list, in the hope that these sisters we decide to affiliate with another chapter.  Thank you to Epsilon and Alpha Kappa for welcoming our Delta sisters!

I have included an article on Leadership that I hope you will share with your members. Now rest up and get your recruiting plans organized.  Need help?  Just call.

Enjoy these beautiful days of Fall!

TRAITS OF A GOOD LEADER

“The final test of a good leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on”

You have been made a leader because you were presumed by someone or by a group to have the ability to think on a larger scale than simply accomplishing a single task.  Let’s take a look at 8 traits that go into making you a “better than just a good” leader.  You can be an outstanding leader, trust me!

1.      Be Well Informed.  Knowledge is always power, but nowhere more so than serving as the leader.  Make it YOUR business to learn the ins and outs of whatever your group (chapters, S/P/N, International) is working on, and learn it better than anyone else.

2.      Be Smart.  It’s not enough to know what you need to.  Leaders are resourceful, and they improvise when they have to.  When someone can’t do or complete a critical project your group needs, ask who may be able to help!  “You don’t ask, you don’t get.”

3.      Be Vocal.  Leaders need to be able to communicate their thoughts well to the group.  Communicating also means getting the attention of indifferent members and nonmembers even if other groups are competing for time, money, and other resources.  The best way to do that is be vocal!

4.      Be Determined.  So many times our activities take third place, behind family and career, so in order to make things happen, you have to learn to not just take “No” too readily.  Use your “people skills” to encourage your members to step up.  Determination and positive support will work wonders in making your job not only easier but definitely more enjoyable and less frustrating.

5.      Be Prudent.  Leadership requires that you exercise good judgment and requires you to exercised prudence as well.  Sometimes when you take on a leadership role, your responsibilities change, and you have to make sure that you know this.  Because you are the leader, there will be times when the right decision is not always the easiest decision.  Good leaders need to be able to separate emotional decisions and the best group decisions.  Keeping an appropriate emotional distance from the outset and choosing what is best for the entire group is a trait of a good leader.

6.      Be Urgent.  If what you see as being something truly important, don’t let it get bogged down by inaction.  Group activities or projects need attention to deadlines.  Actually it has been proven that people tend to wander away from a group’s work unless they are striving to meet deadlines!  Your job as a leader is to keep your group moving toward its goals and half the battle is communicating (consistently) the need to be at a certain place at a certain time.  Remember the phrase, “Suppose they gave a party and nobody came?”  That’s what happens to the leader who is not urgent about group goals.  Nobody shows!

7.      Be Consistent and Dependable.  If you have a regular meeting place, be sure you’re always the FIRST one there and the LAST one to leave.  Hone your diplomatic skills by cultivating consistent behavior toward EVERYONE in your group; keep their needs in mind as even more important as the stated goals and objectives and by all means your personal needs as well.  Remember, without your members, no goal can happen!

8.      Be Trustworthy.  Your responsibility as a leader is to inspire the trust of the people who have chosen you.  Don’t play favorites and don’t get mired in the petty personality clashes that can afflict any group!  Keep your goals simple, your mission and objectives direct and the work you’re doing out in front of everyone.  Good leadership has everything happening out front, up close and personal. 

Modern leadership is built on teamwork, and teamwork is built on cooperation.  Just a closing thought:  if leadership potential exists in almost everyone, then rather than having a shortage of leaders, we may have a shortage of the circumstances for leadership.  The simple fact is that some individuals won’t emerge as leaders if some circumstances don’t demand more from them!  Many potential leaders have the qualities needed to respond when they are motivated to exceed what is expected!  Use these 8 simple traits, practice them, build on them, exceed them and you will be that great leader that everyone knew you could be!  But most of all….ENJOY!

New Jersey Challenges - 2018

STRENGTHS NOTED ON NER CNAs 2018