Just two weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to serve as the keynote speaker for the NODA Regional 8 Conference in Philadelphia, PA.  My conference experience as the keynote speaker for this regional conference was not only incredibly awesome, but the students and advisors who were in attendance were also amazing.  The task I was presented with as the keynote speaker of this wonderful event was to empower the orientation leaders with an inspiring, engaging, and empowering leadership presentation that would help them serve their campus communities this upcoming summer.

I decided to customize a special presentation for these student leaders about leading with love.  Not only did I talk to the students about the power of leading with love as an orientation leader, but I provided them with four specific leadership concepts using L.O.V.E. as an acronym.  Thankfully, the keynote presentation went so well that I was inspired to share this message with people who work with orientation leaders in hopes that you can use this information to empower your orientation leaders for success this upcoming summer.

The four leadership concepts are as follows:

The first leadership concept that I shared with the orientation leaders using L.O.V.E. as an acronym is that they must Lead with A Heart of Service.  If they are going to lead with love, they must lead with an intention to serve, empower, inspire, and positively impact the students they have an opportunity to come in contact with as an orientation leader.  In addition to the incoming students, they should also strive to make other orientation leaders around them better as well because that is what great leaders do!

The second leadership concept that I shared with the orientation leaders using L.O.V.E. as an acronym is that they must be Open and Flexible to the Needs of the Students.  In essence, with so many diverse students attending colleges from various backgrounds, it is critically important that orientation leaders are able to adapt, change, or adjust their leadership or communication styles in order to ensure they are meeting the needs of every student they have the opportunity to serve as a leader.  This flexibility will not only help the orientation leader grow as a more inclusive leader, but it will enable every student to feel more welcomed during college orientation.

The third leadership concept that I shared with the orientation leaders using L.O.V.E. as an acronym is that they must Value each student with a Heart of Empathy.  With all the unique challenges that many leaders are facing today on college campuses because of the social and political climate, it’s extremely important that orientation leaders know how to be empathetic to various students that may have different opinions or viewpoints on certain things when they arrive to college.  Also, despite someone’s belief, as leaders, its important that orientation leaders value, respect, and treat every new student well that has made the decision to attend our college or university.

The fourth leadership concept that I shared with the orientation leaders using L.O.V.E. as an acronym is that they must Expect the Best from Every Student with a Positive Vision.  In essence, not only should orientation leaders expect the best from each student, but they should create a positive vision about each student they come in contact with during this time of the year because our perspective about others affects the way that we treat them.

As you might imagine, there was so much more that could have been discussed during the keynote presentation, but due to time, these were the main points that I shared with each of the Orientation Leaders in attendance.  I sincerely hope that these points can help you inspire, empower, and equip your leadership team for success this upcoming Orientation Season!