Blockbuster has declared bankruptcy, and Barnes and Noble are not far behind. These business giants from just a few short years ago were not able to adapt to the changing climate around them. As a result, they are nearly dead.
Is your fraternity headed down the same path? Let’s face it, the Animal House model of yester-year doesn’t work anymore. College students can find that anywhere. Your fraternity needs to be nimble enough to adapt with the changing times.
So where do you start when attempting to address this issue? Hold a strategic planning session with your brotherhood. To start, create a SWOT for your fraternity.
I am sure the business majors out there know all about SWOTs. For those of you who don’t know what that is, that is an acronym that stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This is a great place to start a strategic planning session.
To start, go around the room having each brother list an issue that falls into one of these categories. Be sure they are written on a white board for all to see. Keep going around the room until the brotherhood has exhausted all issues and concerns.
Then, break the room into four groups. Have each group do an analysis on each category. After the break-out, have each group present to the fraternity what they think the top three issues are.
This exercise will create a lot of great discussion about issues the fraternity is facing, but more importantly will give the chapter direction.
From there, the fraternity will know what issues to address. If this is done right, it will provide the vision needed for the fraternity to reach the next level. If done right, it will ensure the fraternity doesn’t end up like Blockbuster and Barnes and Noble.