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A Sorority Girl’s Guide to The Social Change Model

Becca Smart

+The Gist: Main Points of the SCM

Leadership is socially responsible, it impacts change on behalf of others

Leadership is collaborative

Leadership is a process, not a position

It is inclusive and accessible to all people

Leadership is values based

+“The Seven Cs” Values of the Social Change Model of Leadership

Change

Citizenship

Common purpose

Collaboration

Controversy with civility

Consciousness of self

Congruence

Commitment

+Collaboration

Collaboration and working along with others is an integral part of the SCM. In the model, Collaboration ”multiplies a group’s efforts through collective contributions, capitalizing on the diversity and strengths of the relationships and interconnections of individuals involved in the change process”

Relating to my Phi Sig life: Our e-board, is a tight knit group of girls who are all collaborating as a unit, and we try to lead together, through collective collaboration, it plays a vital role in our united front against any kind of backlash we may receive by the actives in the sorority who may not agree with some of our decisions

+Common Purpose

“Necessitates and contributes to a high level of group trust involving all participants in share responsibility”

The Common Purpose of our organization: “A dynamic, principled, passionately committed group of women from around the world who define ourselves not by our distinct differences, but by what we have in common.”

This common purpose unites all my sisters as a group, if we didn’t have this commonality, we would not exist at all as Phi Sigma Sigma. As a leader, it is my job to teach others these ideals and at the same time to have the other girls support and inspiration to further make positive change in our community

+Controversy with Civility

Our e-board is a group of college girls. Of course we are going to disagree at times, but it is an important value of leadership to have that controversy within our circle with courtesy and civility. This is a leadership value that is often overlooked, because everyone does want their way, and to be an effective leader, you have to learn to still stand up for your beliefs without belittling the ideas of others. Not only is it the ethical thing to do, but by being diplomatic instead of emotional, the stability of your leadership ensemble is preserved.

+Citizenship

Citizenship: This value occurs when “one becomes responsibly connected to the community/society in which one resides by working towards change to benefit others”

Recently, 6 of us went on a leadership conference to Washington DC, where we learned of an emerging charity for young women enslaved in human trafficking. Because we have an ethical duty to help others, we made an executive decision as leaders to donate to this charity. Not only does it support our common purpose as an organization, but we are trying to set a precedent for other e-boards to follow, that caring for those around us is something we value greatly.

+Consciousness of Self

An “awareness of personal beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions” is critical when in a position of leadership. How are people supposed to look up to you and want to emulate your actions, if you don’t even know who you are? In my own life, I make sure to be confident and prepared for anything I am asked to do, and I’ve recently made it a point not to stray from my beliefs, just because they might not go along with the popular opinion. This may be the single most important leadership value in my opinion. Leadership may be able to be taught, but personal convictions and motivations are a lot harder, if not impossible to teach. That is the differentiating factor between those who learn about leading and those who actually lead.

+Congruence

Once you have identified your consciousness of self, you have to make sure your actions reflect your values. Ethically speaking, it doesn’t count to have your words say wholesome, responsible things if your actions don’t mirror them. Since being elected to my position, I’ve had to make a very conscious effort to hold myself to the high standards that I’ve set myself up to. It’s sometimes difficult to have to “talk the talk and walk the walk” but to be a leader, your decisions don’t only effect you anymore, but they become a reflection of your entire organization.

+Commitment

We have a saying: “Once a Phi Sigma Sigma, Always a Phi Sigma Sigma” that intense personal investment in my organization is a value that I am extremely proud of. Translating that value of commitment to my position, I want to give the best possible work to the organization, so that it continues to be something I can be proud to be a part of, long after my graduation.

+Social Change Model based on the ensemble

Everyone does something different, but they all collaborate together to harmonize: This is exactly what makes our executive board work so well. We each do different tasks, but when brought together, all of our individual responsibilities intertwine together to provide the framework for our organization.