I want to start by saying if you hold any leadership role in an organization; I know exactly what kind of person you are. I would venture to say that you may be president of your sorority, but you also edit the school paper, you’re a member of a club specific to your major, you work four days a week, and you’re training for a half-marathon. You may even have Wednesday evenings carved out to catch up with your roommates over dinner. You’re dedicated. To everything. I applaud you, and I know you’re tired even though your mom is the only person to ever hear you admit it.
"Most days there’s barely time to let my Lean Pocket cool down before I eat it while walking to class or another meeting. "
As president of a large council at my school and on the executive board of another, I can count on my hands the number of days until I can hand my two big leadership positions down to the next person. As much as I hate feeling this way, the day cannot come soon enough. Finals are around the corner, I’m slacking on the other campus clubs I’m a member of, work is crazy busy, and I always need my inhaler for my stress-induced asthma, which I diagnosed myself. Most days there’s barely time to let my Lean Pocket cool down before I eat it while walking to class or another meeting. I will admit it to all of you right now, fully aware that (most likely) none of you are my mom–I am getting tired.
I know it is hard to be the person that everybody needs something from. I know it is exhausting to have all the answers. I know that your presence and opinions are expected to be in one million places at once. I know you’re spread thin right now. You are constantly moving, unless you are asleep, and after nearly a year of this, you are ready to stand still for a moment. The end feels like it will never come, especially right now, when you’re so close to being done. The day you can watch a season of "Scandal" in one sitting and not feel bad about it is coming. You’re so close!
Recently, in both the organizations where I hold big positions, we held elections for next year’s executive boards. I have full faith they are going to do all the right things and perform even better than I did. However, it was not until I looked my successors in the eye that I realized how much my positions mean to me. Looking back on one of the longest years I have lived so far, I am swelling with pride, and I want to use my last few weeks to enjoy the things that made me love my leadership roles.
I hope you will do the same. Take this transition time to remember how wide-eyed you felt when you first entered your office. You worked so hard to get there. You spent countless hours planning and campaigning, and on the day of elections, your stomach was in knots. Whether you needed it for a resume, pride, or because you knew you were best fit for the job, at one point, getting this position was all that mattered.
Maybe you’ve known you wanted to lead your sorority since you were a freshman in the back of the chapter room, listening to the older girls who seemed so intimidating and put-together at the time. Maybe you were never pleased with the editor-in-chief of the newspaper all the years you were a staff writer, so you knew one day it had to be you. Maybe you never wanted such a large role in your organization, but when the time came, everyone chose you because they saw qualities in you that you didn’t realize you had. Whatever your reasons were, I hope you can remember them on your way out of office.
"You had a vision, you had a team who supported your vision, and before you knew it, you had results."
It’s okay if you faltered a little bit. It’s OK that you weren’t always the leader you should have been, didn’t always lead by example, or missed deadlines on important paperwork. Maybe you had days where you were the weak link on your committee. Maybe there were nights you decided to enjoy yourself, drunk texted your advisor and then slept through your 8 a.m meeting. That’s okay. I hope you learned from all of those times. I hope somebody believed in your leadership enough to hold you accountable for those times. Here at the end of your term, I hope you still remember what it feels like to be a human who makes mistakes and forgives yourself. I hope you apologized for your mistakes, but I hope you always understood that the small shadows were nothing compared to the great stuff you accomplished.
You had a vision, you had a team who supported your vision, and before you knew it, you had results. Your vision was a reality. As the end of your semester gets busier, and your position feels more like a burden than anything else, look back at those shining moments. The population of your Math Club tripled while you were in office. You put an original new-member training program into place and it was completely successful. Your petition for free student parking on campus passed. Whatever your moment was, hang on to it.
Remember that you didn’t accomplish any of this on your own. On your way out of office, be sure to say your share of thank you’s. Whether it be to your significant other who brought coffee to late-night committee meetings, your roommates who attended every event you hosted, or your family who stayed interested through dinner as you tried to explain what exactly your position even was- say thanks. Also take a moment to appreciate the people who served on executive boards and chairmen committees alongside you. Maybe you rarely agreed. You might have talked over each other during every meeting. Maybe you spent all night arguing over GroupMe about T-shirt colors. Regardless, remember that right now, they feel exactly the way you feel.
"The day you can watch a season of "Scandal" in one sitting and not feel bad about it is coming. "
Everybody is weary as they get ready to pass the torch. At your next SGA meeting, remind your president, and everyone else, what a great job they did all year. Thank your fraternity chapter for sticking by you and your executive board as you navigated the bumps along the way. You all started something together, made the changes you saw fit, and now you’re leaving behind a big labor of love.
You put in a lot of (probably literal) blood, sweat and tears this year. Leave your office gracefully, with an organization behind you that is better because you had a part in leading it. In case, you don’t hear it from anyone else, congratulations on a job done and done well. Thanks for all your hard work. Now, get some rest. You deserve it.
