Teaching the Few to Impact the Many

Everyone my age has a trophy case... Everyone. The millennial generation, including me, has continually been rewarded for mediocrity and even circumstances they have no control over. We strive for recognition of our peers, society, and our community. With a single photograph in a football uniform, we can look like all-stars. We're all guilty of it, myself included, and while in many ways it's harmless, I've witnessed a generation of young men and women who have no idea what it feels like to achieve something in the face of a real potential loss. Everyone wants their opinions heard, regardless of qualifications, and if we find ourselves in an environment that requires us to earn something that we can't quickly accomplish, we tend to run away to a new circumstance. I know... I've done it. I am a millennial...

In spite of this observation, I've seen actual greatness in my generation. It comes in the forms of quiet role models, passionate introverts, happy-go-lucky twenty somethings, and varsity athletes who follow a military-like discipline.

Then there's the cream of the crop... "they rise to the top." The REAL 1% that will lead the rest of the world, beginning with their fraternity chapters all over the USA. The Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Ruck Leadership Institute is, in this thirty year old's opinion, the best leadership training I've ever witnessed in my lifetime, and it keeps me coming back. I don't know where else you can have dinner with former board members for Ore-Ida foods, May Company, Motorola, and award winning author, Dr. Barry Posner (The Leadership Challenge) which has been highly regarded as one of the Top 10 leadership books in the world. My third trip to this Institute (twice as a facilitator, and once as a student) was the most nostalgic for me as I was able to connect the dots between college and professional life in ways I'd never been able to do in the earlier part of my post-college life.

What I observed over the five days and four nights is that there are special qualities in most leaders both young and old. They understand their responsibility as a role model (Model the Way.) They know how to determine their "big why" in life, and spread the excitement of it throughout their organization (Inspire a Shared Vision.) They can look at the way things are, both good and bad, and create alternatives to accepting mediocrity or the status quo (Challenge the Process.) They understand the reality that they can make a difference, and that they can't do it alone (Enable Others to Act.) Finally, they know that in order to succeed at seeing their visions to reality, they need to love what they're doing and pursue their dreams passionately along with others (Encourage the Heart.) These millennials are special...They are real leaders with formal training and education.

In a controlled environment for five days you see the "small wins" like the day that Ian Detwiler realized his "big why" for all his hard work. A light bulb went off when he realized that he's building the chapter not for himself, but for my son to be a member someday and carry on his legacy as he changes the world. You see hope for my generation when you meet men like Nate or Lucas who live their values so passionately, and don't worry at all about how they're perceived for their values. My generation has future leaders like Conner Dart who doesn't even realize his greatness, because he's always pushing himself to be better, stronger, more inclusive, and to pursue more knowledge. We should be honored to have young men like Dugan and Alaska Jack, who's stories of how they got to the Institute moved our hearts. When Dugan's father died a few years back while he was in high school, his father's fraternity brothers put together a fund and paid for Dugan's first to years at UM. His dedication to paying it back as a leader in SigEp is absolutely unbreakable, and the skills he learned this week will allow his intellect to match his passion soon! They all had compelling stories and too many moments to jot them all down.

As I reflect on my week with the future "balanced leaders of the world's communities," I am proud that I could spend some time as their mentor and role model for the week. I still remember those men who I looked up to during my time as a scholar: John Hartman, Bill Tragos, Kirk Tebo, Jay Hurt, and Garry Kief. They inspired me, included me, made me feel empowered, and gave me hope that I would have a future as a leader during and beyond my days in college. Prior to the Ruck Leadership Institute in 2002, I'd never formalized any intentional behavior as a leader. Looking back at my life, I thank Sigma Phi Epsilon, the late Frank J. Ruck, and all of my mentors and brothers for the time they spent shaping this program for me and our future generations to come. I hope that in some small way, I've made an impact on the young men of my generation, the millennials, as they learn what it means to truly be "the best" at leadership.