Best of the Blog #5

Kanye West stands behind the Program for Excellence

Imma let you finish but...your Alpha needs to get behind The Program for Excellence, too.

by Jon Moore
originally posted March 1, 2011 

You know what’s cool?

(besides a billion dollars… thank you, Social Network)

Collaborating is cool.

 Done it lately?

Keith Ferrazzi, king of collaboration says “Connecting is a philosophy of life – its guiding principle is that every person you meet is an opportunity to help and be helped. No one gets ahead in this world without a lot of help”

Let’s face it… Greeks need help.  With their grades, with their image, with their commitment to living their values.

What most Greeks fail to realize is that those letters that (some of) you proudly display look, to the rest of the world, like every other Greek organization on their campus.  I repeat, to the typical non-Greek student, your Chi and Psi might as well say Sigma Chi.  A Greek is a Greek is a Greek and most students can’t tell the difference.

Why does that matter?

That matters because being a Fraternity man means being part of a community.  When one group succeeds– or fails– the rest of the community is impacted.  There is a huge need to work together to improve the community.

I ask you again, what have you done lately to collaborate with your fellow Greeks?  Your fellow students?  All of mankind?

One of the key concepts of The Program for Excellence is collaboration.  In that your Alpha can simultaneously have ONE event that acts as a social with a sorority, while raising money for a community organization and entertaining your alumni and favorite professors.

What does this have to do with Kanye West?  Mr. West recently released a music video for the song “All of the Lights” (seizure sufferers be warned).  In the song, Kanye collaborates with 11, yes ELEVEN, artists including: Elton John, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Fergie to name a few.  Overkill?  No way.  This song takes the listener on a 6 minute ride full of more highs, lows, twists and turns than a roller coaster.  See for yourself.

I challenge you to take this approach with your next event.  How over-the-top can you go with your collaboration?  Can you include two other stakeholders?  Four?  Eleven?  You never know…  your actions might inspire others to do some pretty cool things.  In that, you’ll raise the bar for Greeks everywhere.  Starting a movement?  Now THAT’S pretty cool.