Universal Lessons from Phi Mu’s Convention
by Tim Nicholson, President, Bigfish Creative
It was my recent pleasure to spend time with the women of Phi Mu at their Convention. My responsibilities were simple enough: Introduce Bloom– Phi Mu’s private social network. However, this wasn’t the highlight of my trip. That would come on a night out at Universal Studios. The women invited me to go. What I learned about Phi Mu along the way was well worth the price of admission. The rainy night brought with it the first lesson of the evening. It was found in how I would respond to the question, “Should I stay or should I go?” The answer: go. How many women ask themselves a similar question during recruitment, “Do I really want to join?” Showers filled the night sky and I had not come prepared for rain drops and puddles. And, besides, did these ladies really want some dude hanging around? The recruiting team, a.k.a. my hosts Beth Denney Ward, ΔΗ, and Darlene Reyes, ΚΗ, are the friendly types. They convinced me that the answer was “yes.” Then they eased me into their circle of friends. We spent the next few hours winding our way through the park, never mind the rain. Speaking of the rain, I submit Fraternity lesson 2: Good leaders are never caught by surprise. In this case, I’m speaking of National President Robin Fanning, ΒΙ. She, like any good leader, was making sure that we all knew where to be, when to be there and how to stay dry courtesy of her planning and the ponchos she distributed as we entered the park. Think about this for a moment. If you want to know which rides are the most fun, do you ask the 55-year-old park attendant or the group of 12-year-olds scampering from ride to ride? The answer is obvious – the 12- year-olds know how to have fun. What they don’t necessarily know is that the very rides that excite them were carefully engineered by the 55-year-olds. Herein lies lesson 3: Programming is essential and experience is vital. And so it goes for a collegiate chapter. Since in all likelihood there are no 12-year-olds around, when in doubt, ask your sister or a chapter adviser. You might find that she’s been to the park before. And, since she shares your values, she is likely to point out which rides you’ll enjoy and which ones to avoid. In the end, there is really only one way to get through a theme park – the express pass. Phi Mu distributed these to each of their members and guests. The pass, when presented at any ride, would allow its holder to move to the front of the line. I’m not talking about privilege. These passes were available to any Phi Mu who chose to buy them. The Fraternity simply made the thoughtful purchase and extended the benefit to its Convention attendees. It sure made moving through the park easier. It’s there that I found lesson 4: The friendship choices you make will affect your quality of life. So, make right ones. They last a lifetime. As a side note, “girls rule!” I’m simply settling a debt with the high-scoring Phi Mu whose tally on the “Men in Black” interactive ride sent me back to the 20th century. For guys, some lessons are harder to learn than others. I guess that’s lesson 5: Never judge your competition by the color of her t-shirt. After all, pink does go with everything and on this night it was Universal.
|