Maximizing Officer Elections - Selecting and training your chapter leaders

Maximizing Officer Elections
Selecting and training your chapter leaders

INTRODUCTION
Chapter leaders have a huge responsibility throughout their terms. Elected chapter officers
are responsible for delivering the day-to-day membership experience which determines
the quality of your membership and their affinity to your chapter, as well as SigEp’s
reputation on campus and across the country. Chapter leaders also set the direction and
priorities of the chapter over the next year. For these reasons, electing the right chapter
officers is one of the most important decisions a chapter will make each year.

There are three phases of the elections process:
   1. Cultivating leaders – The best chapter officers have the relevant skills and
       experience to do their jobs well. It’s the chapter’s job to cultivate strong leaders
       through delegation, committee assignments and chairmanships and other
       leadership opportunities.
   2. Preparation – Elections start long before your brothers cast their ballots. You must
       ensure interested candidates know the expectations, required experience and
       benefits of each position.
   3. Execution – An organized and codified approach to elections is crucial to your
       chapter’s success. There must be a fair and transparent process for all interested
       candidates. Without this fair process, chapter officers will lack credibility and fail to
       garner “buy-in” from other chapter members.

The sections below provide tangible, easy-to-use steps to be successful in these three
phases. These steps ensure that the top candidates run, are elected, are prepared to take
office, and are successful as they take on new responsibilities in the service to brothers.

CULTIVATING LEADERS
Cultivating strong leaders starts with identification. Each executive board member should
have a committee allowing rising leaders to gain valuable, hands-on experience. These
committees should be a breeding ground for future leaders.

Three to six months prior to the election, chapter officers should take the following steps:
    Identify potential successors
           o Look for members who show a significant amount of passion or excitement.
              Often times, the best successors are the ones that approach you. In many
              cases, however, the best candidate will hang back and will need
              encouragement to run.
           o In addition to excitement, a good officer needs to have experience and skills
              suited to the role. An executive officer should have previous experience with
              the committee that he will now be leading. Chapter members who have not
              shown significant involvement prior to running typically have a very steep
              learning curve and aren’t able to adapt to the role as quickly as someone with
              prior exposure.
           o Chapter officers are the cultural and moral leaders of our chapters. The best
              candidates should not have a history of behavioral issues with the university
              or chapter standards. Setting a good example is of utmost importance.
    Encourage potential successors to apply and attend SigEp’s leadership events
           o Carlson Leadership Academy will give new officers and potential future
              candidates training on a specific position that they choose to follow for the
              duration of a weekend program.
           o Ruck Leadership Institute will hone individual leadership skills building
              vision and confidence for rising leaders.
           o EDGE provides potential officer candidates great experience with public
              speaking and leading groups of younger chapter members. By attending the
              program as an EDGE group leader or facilitator, these members can interact
              with staff members and volunteers and receive feedback on their leadership
              and speaking skills.
    Meet with potential successors one-on-one
           o Take a deep dive into the role! Outline your day-to-day responsibilities and
              walk them through your goals and accomplishments. Show them tangible
              skills and experience you’ve gained through this position and how it will
              benefit you in the future.
           o Gauge their interest in the role. Ask them to articulate their reasons for
              wanting to pursue the position and see if they have any questions or
              concerns. Have them outline their priorities and goals if they were elected.
           o Based on these conversations, keep a prioritized list of potential successors.
    Ensure your top candidates find opportunities to develop the skill sets necessary
       for their desired role.
           o Engage potential candidates in committees if they aren’t already serving in
              this capacity. Delegating work to potential candidates will allow them to
              learn the role in a low-risk environment, while also allowing the officer (you)
              to get more done by sharing the workload.

o Have potential successors accompany the incumbent officer to any meetings
            with external stakeholders. Relationships are key to a successful term as an
            officer. Potential successors should be having conversations with individuals
            such as:
                 Key chapter volunteers or AVC members
                 The Greek Life Professional or IFC Adviser for your campus
                 Your chapter’s regional director
          o Have potential successors meet with Alumni and Volunteer Corporation
            (AVC) mentors to better understand their roles and how they support this
            position.

Taking these steps will ensure the chapter has a pool of quality candidates from which to
select during elections. Additionally, this approach will help newly elected leaders be
successful early in their term of office.

PREPARING FOR ELECTIONS
There are several key elements that help establish a smooth and effective elections process.
These include:

One to two months before the election:
   Chapter officers set the date of elections and announce it to the chapter.
   Chapter officers develop an officer application to gauge interest. This application
      can include basic information on experience, skills and vision for the position.
   Interested brothers complete an officer application.
   Applications are shared with chapter members, your chapter counselor and other
      AVC mentors.

One to two weeks before the election:
   The chapter holds nominations for each office at the chapter meeting from the
      brothers submitting applications.
   The standards board should confirm all candidates are in good standing with the
      chapter to ensure they are eligible to run.

EXECUTING ELECTIONS
The elections process is outlined on page 58 of SigEp’s Administrative Policies and
Procedures in Section 2, Article A. This section states:

      The officers of an undergraduate chapter shall be elected annually by secret ballot
       provided, however, that they may be elected by an alternate calendar cycle if two-
       thirds of the undergraduate members of the chapter vote in its favor, and the cycle is
       approved by the district governor. These officers shall be installed according to the
       manner prescribed in the Ritual.
      In the event that one or more of the elected officers is unable to complete their term of
       office, the undergraduate chapter shall hold a special election to fill any or all
       vacancies with members who shall serve until the next annual election.
      Only a member in good standing shall be eligible to hold an office or position of trust in
       any undergraduate chapter.
      A chapter shall have the power, by majority vote, to declare void the election of an
       officer who, without satisfactory cause, fails to present himself for installation.

Directly after or the week following elections, the chapter should hold a formal officer
installation from the Fraternity’s Public Ceremonies guide and provide updated officer
contact information to the Fraternity Headquarters via the form on the right side of the
elections and transitions page on sigep.org.

Additional best practices:
   Chapter officers should be elected on a calendar year basis (spring semester – fall
      semester term). This will allow new officers to get training at the Carlson
      Leadership Academy before getting too far into their terms.
   Prior to elections, outline the responsibilities, skills, and experience needed to excel
      in each role. This provides voting members a clear picture of the ideal candidate.
   Ask your chapter counselor to attend elections and have him/her oversee the
      process and count votes.
   Allow each nominated candidate to give a 2-3 minute speech prior to the election for
      that office.
   Consider holding Standards Board elections at a different time than Executive Board
      elections:
          o Hold Standards Board elections the week following officer elections to
              permit voting members time to adequately assess the best candidates for
              these important roles.
          o Adjust your local chapter bylaws and elect standards board members on an
              academic year term. While graduating seniors are not eligible to run for
              executive board positions on a calendar year basis, many successful
              standards boards have graduating seniors as members.
          o Ensure that your chapter elects at least one alternate for the standards board,
              as noted in the Grand Chapter Bylaws: “Additionally, the chapter shall elect at
              least one alternate to serve in the event that any member of the Standards
              Board is unable to fulfill his responsibility due to his involvement or another
              conflict of interest.”