ABSOLUTE AMBASSADORS: LEADERSHIP CONSULTANTS TAKE TO THE ROAD

NPC Executive Committee with 
Sigma Kappa leadership consultants

This summer, more than 300 outstanding sorority women, who recently graduated from college, will be trained as chapter leadership consultants for the 26 NPC member organizations. They are absolute ambassadors for our NPC member organizations.

Chapter inspections occurred early in our existence as national sororities. National officers and alumnae volunteers traveled by train to visit chapters on college campuses and quizzed chapter leaders about their knowledge of sorority history, rules, ritual and officer duties and responsibilities. Written or typed reports were submitted for review. These reports had bearing upon which chapters received awards or those that received additional resources and support.

It was important then and remains critical today that our sorority chapters operate in alignment with inter/national policies and procedures. Leadership consultants deliver important messages and help bridge communication between inter/national headquarters and the local chapters. With their hand on the pulse of campus current events, consultants provide helpful feedback to the inter/national councils and governing boards in their ongoing efforts to monitor campus trends and develop relevant programs.

Consultants are mentors and coaches. Others would describe them as the sisterhood of the traveling shoes as they move from campus to campus and visit NPC's combined 3,000+ sorority chapters.

These women are top notch young professionals who teach chapter officers how to lead and motivate others, as well as mediate challenging situations. Consultants train chapter members on topics ranging from social policies and decision-making to membership selection and marketing. They collaborate with alumnae advisors and house corporation volunteers who serve as the local support system for the chapter. In essence, our traveling consultants function at a high level as organizational development specialists, blending both individual and group coaching to maximize team and organizational performance.

Consultants help chapter leaders implement strategies for success and sustain results by:

• Building relationships with collegians, alumnae and university officials.
• Developing short-term and long-term action plans for chapters.
• Ensuring consistency and compliance with inter/national sorority standards.
• Instilling chapter officer responsibility and accountability.
• Facilitating discussions on current campus issues.
• Conducting educational programs.
• Teaching sorority ritual and how it applies to our daily lives.
• Identifying risky behaviors.
• Teaching intervention strategies and creative problem solving.
• Encouraging collaboration and contributing to harmony in Panhellenic.
• Extending outreach to other women in the campus community at large.

I encourage you to welcome these ambassadors to your campus during the coming year. Consultants can help identify chapter strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. By holding up the mirror to chapter leaders, consultants help assess chapter success and make positive change happen.