Commitment

I think the overlooked part of commitment is the ability to say "no".  Far too often are people overstepping their ability to lead effectively with an over extension of time, efforts, and  energy.  It is after the fact that this problem arises.

Here are some contributing factors:

- leaders have a hard time saying "no"
- we are pushed by peers, advisors and organizations
- the university promotes over involvement from day 1.
- Young people are pushed and this leads to burnout

So how do we stay committed? 

If we can limit ourselves to the amount of things that we are doing we as leaders can help focus our energy.  In order to remain effective we must concentrate on things we enjoy and believe in. This will lead to a deeper level of commitment than any other system developed. I feel by focusing our deeds and energy we will be able to make a larger impact than if we were to just spread ourselves out.  This both benefits the effort in question as well as yourself.

Philosophy

Helping feed the world in any way possible is my purpose in life. Connecting the farmers in the fields and the consumers at the dinner table is my way of hopefully succeeding at this venture. Helping both of these groups better understand the issues and concerns that are part of society is what I feel empowers me to improve myself and the pushes me towards the career I seek.  I view myself being an active advocate for agriculture in any realm that I find myself regardless of what my career is.   My mission in life is to build a set of tangible steps for an agricultural organization to help them move closer to the consumers that they have helped feed for years.  By including all of these things into one singular push to better myself as an agriculturalist I hope to leave the agricultural industry in a greater state than in which it was when I joined it.

                My purpose, mission, and vision for my future have been developed through a base of values that have been part of my upbringing and education.  The value that I hold most important is family; above all you must hold your family close to you as a leader and as an individual because of the support and love that they can provide for you in both good and bad times. After that the values that are most important to my philosophy are respect, loyalty, honesty, and the belief of furthering yourself as an individual.    All these values have helped me not only become a good leader but hopefully a moral person.  By using these values as a set of guidelines for my leadership style I hope to continue to make a positive impact in an ethical manner. 

                Finally leadership is a collaborative venture that has multiple levels of involvement.  Community wide, organizationally, and individually you must push yourself to improve each level to fully make yourself an impactful leader. By empowering others to help accomplish goals to impact the greater good is what leadership is all about. That being said, I wish to continue my leadership development in a direction that not only helps me, but one that helps develop the people around me.

Why it is so difficult to collaborate.

After having discussed the value and benefits of collaboration it is easy to see why the need for it it is vital.  However, the ease of collaborating properly is another matter entirely.  In the Greek community I feel that chapter emphasis on competition and the lack of interconnectedness has lead us to a destination that is not conducive for collaborative acts.
These two aspects of the issue have been deeply rooted(or so we think) into our history as organizations.  The drive to achieve higher than another individual is seen as human instinct, but just like any other primal act, it can be very harmful if not controlled properly.  This is where I believe we currently are as Greeks.  What was once friendly competition has lead members to become hostile and unable to embrace the Greek community that surrounds them.  While some people understand the proper use and cultivation of competition it is this same group of people that also embrace the next element.
Interconnectedness is simply the first and most basic step any individual can make in order to collaborate.  You must seek to understand prior to making judgement.  Many chapter members fail to make this effort and because of this collaboration never even makes it to the beginning stages.

"What do I do with my Hands!"

Well, since there is really no formal prompt on this weeks blog I thought I would write about taking initiative! I feel that this ties into social change and leadership fairly easily.  Initiative is taking the lead or putting in the necessary work to help in any given situation.  Surprisingly this is not the easiest thing to do especially with college aged men cultured in a tradition of sub-par achievement.  While some may argue that what FarmHouse is achieving now is great(which we are doing well, to be honest) I always find room for growth.  The old business mantra "If you aren't growing your dieing" is true in all realms of organizational operations.  That being said, initiative is the key to sustaining a drive for excellence.  

At times it seems that even the most menial tasks are passed by because people simply think that it's someone else's job or eventually someone else will do it.  Being raised on a farm where if the work didn't get done you didn't go home, this little issue drives me up the wall.  What is even worse than that is the lack of drive to do any sort of large project without being begged or drug by their hair. 

We want to renovate the house! We want more guys living in the house! Why are we volunteering for this?

Things that we all hear everyday.....and on top of that we are expected to lead the day-to-day endeavors of the chapter.  Not really conducive for the amount of time you need to actually function as a....hmmm what so they call it?? Oh, a human being! Your asked to be a chapter President not eh entire chapter. 

So, I would like to depart this post with the following questions:

How do you encourage and foster initiative?
Where is the line between fostering and doing it yourself?
How can you tell when your asking too much?
Am I asking too much now?
Can I change this trend to help ease the pain of my chapter and president to come.

CP

Citizenship

Since my early days as a boyscout, 4-Her, and FFA member the idea of citizenship has been pounded into my head as an individual.  We would find little ways to help the community of Edon about once a month.  The standard means of help were always used trash pick-up, raking the leaves of the elderly, collection of canned food, just to name a few.  While this form of citizenship is nice and indeed helpful, since my time here at OSU and as a man of FarmHouse my view of citizenship has changed.

While I completely in favor of doing these little activities that help the community. I do now see the large realm of what it means to be a good citizen.  I would define my view of citizenship in three terms: accountability, collaboration, and acknowledgement.

Accountability:
First and foremost is the idea of holding your fellow community members accountable.  This part is the idea of preventing possible problems that your community would face.  This happens at multiple levels in the Greek Community within your house, council wide, and the total community.

Collaboration:
This part is fairly self explanatory,  You cannot fully solve a community-wide issue without the help and buy-in of all involved parties.  By keeping this in mind we not only will be able to make some change, but it will be sustainable change.

Acknowledgement: 
Realism is the other term i think of when acknowledgement.  This is just the idea that we must understand that at times people do not want help nor are they willing to abide by your plans.  You must keep this in the back of your head as you go on trying to help society around you.

There they are! Its simple but I feel that citizenship is itself fairly straightforward.

CP

Ag Comm 367

Today the Honeyhole gets a bit of a different post for my friends in Ag Comm 367!

The social media movement in the agricultural industry has been a night and day within the past five years.  While agriculturalists have always tried to educate people about how they raise food for consumers, it is just recently that they have tried to actually connect with consumers.  The difference between these two methods is truly great considering the impact that it is beginning to have. The reason for this deeper impact is the addition of an emotional and personal touch on how agriculturalists communicate.

This technique appears to have appeared to come from the very groups that have taken stands against conventional agriculture. The best example of using emotion to help aid your cause is Wayne Pacelle's blog A Humane Nation, Wayne who is the President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States posts about the charitable acts that HSUS is involved in.  These stories pull on your heartstrings, and are what have lead to the large amount of money and support that HSUS has amassed in recent history. Not only do these blogs help fuel the movement, but the use of Twitter and Facebook help bring readers in and also help keep the conversation going on both sides of the issue. 

Taking a play from HSUS's play book, agriculturalists have started to use the same techniques to build more support.  Farmers, business owners, and passionate agriculturalists are now blogging, tweeting, networking on Facebook, and posting pictures all about the world of agriculture.  The blog Confessions of a Farmers Wife allows readers to follow the life of a wife of a farmer.  This insight gives people the chance to connect on a personal level with the world of agriculture.  While this seems like a menial step, it does show consumers that farmers are people as well as producers.

The social media movement is still young in the realm of agriculture.  However the movement is growing and this growth is both for agriculturalists posting and followers.  Hopefully through continued emphasis on the importance of a social movement, farmers will be able to connect with more consumers and help them understand the joys of agriculture.

CP

Fancy quote post!!!!

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
- President Barack Obama

Before I start this blog formally I would like to connect this quote with another that will tie this together perfectly.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
-  Lao-Tzu

I believe that President Obama's quote is empowered by the implications of the second.  An individual can change the world, but in order to do so you must be able to take the first step in that long journey to change.  Individuals that have shown this level of leadership range from large to small, black to white, good to bad, and religious to atheist all of this being said there is nothing limiting a leaders potential except themselves!

Alright, I'll admit it that was a little too optimistic....in fact way too optimistic.  Lets get serious folks.  The time for change is always at hand, but whether or not a leader chooses to act is their decision.  From generation to generation we have always claimed that we are on the brink of something great, and finally the pieces are in place to make the change we have always wanted.  This has been my claim, the president before me, and the president before him.  The only thing that separates us is the means in which we choose to act.  Other factors are part of this equation for change, but one thing can override any outlying problem and that is hard work by a leader.

As a leader the opportunity for change is at your fingertips and in order to make the change happen that you want to see in the world then you must be prepared to inspire your members to feel the same way.  This inspiration of course is a second order change, and has the power to not only change your organization but change its culture as well.  A culture change in your organization brings about a sustained change that will bring results for years to come.

In closing:

- this weather is cramping my style
- Ticket Office work at 8a.m. is cruel and unusual punishment
- Leadership is fun
- I'm a little sassy right now
- Lets go fishing

CP

Social Change Model

When I envision a great model of social change I look towards an example that dates back a few years before my time in FarmHouse.  It is hard to put an exact date on when the change happened, but it is easy to see when the problem was addressed. 

A bit of history...

For several years our chapter had maintained the highest G.P.A. on campus.  This trend continued up into the late 90's when something caused brothers to become laid back in their studies.  This lead to the eventual dismay of our academic dominance, but this decrease did not go unnoticed.  Brothers then began to step forward and develop a more rigid scholastic plan, but this was not enough to offset the negative trend.  Brothers went to the source of the problem, and that problem was in the men that inhabited the fraternity itself.  After addressing brothers with low academic marks and taking appropriate action, the second step of this academic campaign went underway.  This part addressed recruitment and I wish I could say that the push was for higher quality, but that would not be the truth.  Before there was little to no recruitment whatsoever so the push for more men eventually lead to the quality aspect.  Once both of the parts of this campaign came together results came about.  Our G.P.A. is on the rise and the buy in of all brothers is leading to the overall improvement of FarmHouse's scholastic presence.

This example has always been in the back of my mind when the idea of social change is brought up.  There was a problem that almost all parties noticed and addressed and this lead to a comprehensive campaign that didn't only address the symptoms, but helped solve the problems themselves.  Although tough decisions had to be made because of the overall level of understanding for the need of change this plan was able to take full function.  By noticing that this problem was effecting all levels of the surrounding group (individual, group, and community) brothers where able to gain strength from fellow community members to help rally the overall movement. 

Improving your overall academic standing may not be as groundbreaking as solving world hunger, but I feel that this gives a bit better perspective on an attainable example of what social change can do for you in the near future!

Social Change

After spending some time, thinking about what the concept of social change really is I have become humbled by the role I have in the Greek community.  Social Change overall seems like a daunting task.  Some of the examples they gave were extinguishing world hunger and helping the homless, these are all massive problems that effect millions of people. So, what makes this concept so hard to tackle at a colliegate level?

At this point I find it difficult to answer this question.  I personally believe that this form of leadership has the greatest potential for sustained change, positive impact, and overall growth for all parties associated.  The reason for this is the means in which a problem or trend is elliminated.  Instead of just treating the symptoms, you elliminate the underlying cause.  It is here where the difficulty lies...

The first and biggest step in my opinion is becoming aware of the need for social change.  Once you have reached this point you can then start to find the resources that you need to make a social change.  By no means are the rest of the steps easy, but once you have had a realization of a need for change you can then make a move and have help in doing so.  I hope to aquire the the resources and tools that can help me in instilling this idea of leadership into my fraternal brothers and community members.

Welcome to the Honeyhole!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to formally welcome you to the Honeyhole! For those of you who aren't familiar with what a Honeyhole is I would love to tell you.  A Honeyhole is a term used for your best fishing spot on any particular body of water.  Everyone has a different one, but each place holds a special place in each person's heart.  Your particular Honeyhole holds fond memories of shared experiences with close friends, nights spent in thought, and overall good times had.

A little bit about me:

I am the current President of FarmHouse Fraternity here at Ohio State, and have been part of the Greek Community for a little over a year now.  I was born and raised in Edon, Ohio which is the most North-Western town in the state, and I am proud to say that I am a fifth generation pig farmer.  My father, Frank, still manages our farm, and continues to instill the values associated with agriculture to the surrounding community. Brenda, my mother, is a second grade teacher at our local elementary school, and I have a younger brother and sister.

Aside from my involvement in the Greek community, I enjoy spending time at home on the farm or out on the water fishing.  While the hustle and bustle of the city is indeed exciting, I do enjoy a open space that is quiet and calm.

Spring quarter is going to be exciting, and I am looking forward to the journey ahead!

CP