This article was written by Chapter Support Coach Cody Sallee (Epsilon-Gamma, ‘14).
Chapter Support Coach. It’s a title that denotes development, consistency and reliability. For many years, the field staff of Lambda Chi Alpha have faithfully worked with chapters to provide guidance and a fresh perspective on how to operate. Their role has transitioned to a coaching model with weekly calls focused on accomplishing more with intentional meetings. While the format of the work has changed, the content and purpose remain similar. To provide perspective to what the Chapter Support Coaches do on a typical workday, coach Cody Sallee explains what a day in the life looks like.
Morning:
8:55 a.m. – Daily Huddle: The Chapter Support team meets to discuss the team’s individual tasks for the day. Each member of the team reads their list of tasks for the group to hear. This keeps all of us in the knowledge loop for the day’s activities.
9:00 a.m. – I sit down at my desk, review my calendar, review my weekly Goal Setting & Review (GS&R) sheet, and note what I need to work on during the day. I make updates based on the previous day’s activities which guide my following steps.
10:00 a.m. – I have a few GS&R calls with High Alphas in the morning. To prepare for these, I review each High Alpha’s GS&R documents they have shared with me prior to the meeting. I use this information to generate questions I will ask each High Alpha to clear any confusions, push their potential further and continually develop their problem-solving skills.
On Tuesdays during this time, I have my GS&R meeting with my supervisor, Nathan Schultz. We use this time to check in on updates with chapters. I share operational wins, recruitment numbers, campus updates and conduct issues. My results often push me to maintain a level of performance or find ways to improve it. I ask Nathanfor advice about improving after missing goals, coming up with new goals, and the tasks I need to do based on my monthly or annual goals.
11:30 a.m. – In between calls I use my time to organize check-in calls with my various High Pis and Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisors. I send out emails to set up calls so that I can gain a different perspective on the chapter’s I work with.
Afternoon:
12:00 p.m. – During lunch, the team usually gathers in the lunchroom to talk about upcoming weekend plans. The lunchroom is a good time to catch up with our CEO, Troy Medley and team members I don’t get to interact with on a regular basis.
1:00 p.m. – In the afternoon, I typically have a mix of High Alpha GS&R calls, High Zeta calls and Greek Advisor calls. I check in with High Zeta officers to get an idea of their plans for the current semester and to ask how I can best support them.
3:30 p.m. – I take some time to work on preparing for my visits by researching expected costs, programming needs, hotel prices, flight costs, rental car costs and mileage. I usually assess the needs of the chapter by looking at past visit reports to identify chapter trends, culture, strengths, and areas for growth. I like to facilitate conversations around diverse, meaningful education such as practical life skills, current events, values discussion experiential activities, and many others.
4:00 p.m. – Every week, the Chapter Support team meets for a wrap-up meeting to cover the events of the week. We discuss the week’s GS&Rs, wins, struggles, OmegaFi onboarding updates, weekly stats, and any updates. For the weekly stats we track High Alpha attendance/participation for calls, primarygoal completion, and secondary goal completion. This helps us understand which chapters are thriving, striving, or surviving within the new model.
After Hours:
5:00 p.m. – Wednesdays after work and Saturday mornings, I run with the Carmel Running Club where many of us are training for the Carmel Marathon/Half Marathon in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. This group has helped me meet more people in town and learn more about the area surrounding Carmel. Interacting with groups outside of my coworkers has been a valuable lesson as I adjust to life beyond college and the fraternity.
7:30p.m. – After my run, I typically call a friend or two to catch up on the day or week. We usually connect through playing video games together or discuss running our running schedules. The three-hour time difference can make communicating difficult, but the contact I have keeps me grounded. I try to connect with several of my chapter Brothers and manage to speak to a few of them weekly. I have enjoyed this job because I have been able to stay in contact with the people I care about while also meeting new people to care about.
If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a Chapter Support Coach, please visit our website to view the job description. Questions about the Chapter Support Coach position can be directed to Nathan Schultz, Associate Director of Chapter Support, at nschultz@lambdachi.org.
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