The Black Greek Success Program Has Shifted Its Focus to Followership

The next level of fraternity or sorority college leadership is not about the chapter president or the executive board. It's about the followers. There are several types of chapter members and any every one of them plays a role in the chapter's success...or not. That is why the Black Greek Success Program has shifted its focus to followership to address all of the chapter members. This evolution is called "Followership to Leadership: The Black Greek Success Program."

At the Northeast Greek Leadership Association's 2024 conference, I spoke to students who were intrigued by the thought that their chapters could grow, both in numbers and in engagement, by focusing who is in the seats during chapter meetings rather than singularly focusing on the vision and agenda of the president. With that, I conducted a session called "Followership: The Ultimate Buy-In Hack" to help chapter leaders understand the importance of paying attention to the behaviors and communication of their members. This idea excites me so much that I wrote a chapter about followership in the Greek University book, From Letters to Leaders: Perseverance and How to Be a Great Fraternity or Sorority Alumnus.

Here's the deal. Followership is a rapidly evolving area of leadership studies. It includes a look at five follower types: effective (also referred to as exemplary), conformist, passive, alienated, and pragmatic. The trick, however, is to understand how these follower types interact with their leaders and how the interactions affect leader behaviors. So, it's not all on the leaders; followers are responsible for chapter health, too. Can I get some finger snaps, please?

The most popular segment of the Black Greek Success Program, "The Gumbo Theory," lives on. This segment is now infused with Kelley's Five Follower Types and Tuckman's Stages of Group Development, something that made the light really come on for my NGLA session attendees. Overwhelmingly the feedback from the Greeks I spoke to at NGLA--Black Greeks and others--is that they are looking for ways to engage a new generation members. It also seemed as if this new generation of college chapter leaders is wide open to guidance and mentorship from those of us who have been there and done that while also being our authentic selves. I got you.

I'm proud to say that the Black Greek Success Program is as authentic as ever. It isn't a voice of wisdom and direction raining down from the heavens. Instead, BGSP is filled with honest accounts of what I wish I knew as a college chapter president and what I've learned in my professional and academic leadership journeys.

Ready for your Divine Nine or NPHC Greeks thrive on the yard? Let's make it happen. Ask about "Followership to Leadership: The Black Greek Success Program" today.