Leadership's

Best Practices

 

 

Here are some best practices for managing your organization, serving your community, and achieving new heights with your programming. Interested in formal leadership training? Check out CSI’s Lead360 programs, in particular the venerable Graduate Leadership Institute!

 

 

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Discover peer advice from CSI’s Graduate Student Leadership Luncheon! Hover/Tap over each best practice to uncover valuable tips from your fellow graduate students.

Peer Pathways Program

Accountability

Your advisor and program manager are here to support your group’s needs, but you need to hold yourself accountable to your organization and fellow team members. It sets a good example for others and helps your organization succeed.

Tips from your peers

Feedback is important! Know when to listen and let others speak their minds.

Continuity

Think ahead! Keep in mind that you’re trying to set up your successors for success: think about how you can make the future better based on your past and present experiences.

Tips From Your Peers

  • Write up standard operating procedures that you found helpful during your term.
  • Once you’ve planned an event once, it’s way easier to do it again. Ensure you save information about your events and establish some events as annual affairs.

Be Proactive

Complete the Student Organization Training Experience so that you have a background in organization management. Plan ahead. Do event planning as early as possible, be it booking spaces, requesting funding, or submitting event requests. Ask questions and communicate concerns quickly, not only when it’s convenient. This helps us help you, and we love helping you! Friendly reminder: a lack of preparedness is not our emergency.

 

 

Tips for Your Peers

Make sure you are aware of deadlines for requests by creating concrete timelines.

Know the Policies

Be sure that you’re aware of Northeastern’s policies, outlined on the CSI website and here, with regard to events and programming. Many of those policies do not just protect the university; they also protect you. There’s a reason that Northeastern requires contracts to be signed by specially designated signatories, advanced notice to be given to facilities staff for setting up events, and the like.

Tips From Your Peers

Get in touch with CSI staff and your advisors, they’re there to help!

Transitions

It’s important to hit the ground running as quickly as possible to accomplish as much as possible for your organization. Get all the information from your predecessor about the organization, including points of contact, logins, and processes. When you transition out, expand on or create a formal document for your successor that details your position, responsibilities, programming, what you’ve learned, and what could be improved. Institutional memory is crucial for operating effectively.

Tips From Your Peers

  • Make time to mentor your successors and have a lengthy transition period when ushering in a new e-board. 
  • Give the new e-board opportunities to practice and shadow your current e-board.

Inclusivity

Be inclusive of multiple identities, perspectives, and voices. Give everyone in meetings a chance to make their thoughts heard. Be mindful of how you market your programs and events. They will have a greater, more meaningful impact as a result.

Tips From Your Peers

  • Ensure that venues are accessible (such as having ramps) and make requests to have ASL interpreters at your events.
  • Provide Zoom options for an event if it makes sense to do so.
  • Create an environment that is safe and welcoming for all students.

Know the Resources

The CSI website has lots of resources and information needed to run successful events and programs. Take the time to explore these webpages. Be sure to explore the resources on your college’s website, too, for other support services.

Tips From Your Peers

Don’t hesitate to reach out to other student organizations, both graduate and undergraduate.

Graduate Tea House

During the dark winter months, we invite all graduate and professional students to stop by for free tea and muffins!

Time Management

Priorities can shift on a daily basis, and it can be hard to keep track of everything. Make lists. Break down large projects into smaller portions to tackle bit by bit. Work often takes up the space we give it, so try creating your own personal deadlines and do whatever you can to stick to them. 

Tips From Your Peers

  • Manage your energy, not your time. Take care of easy tasks when you’re low on energy and tougher tasks when you have more energy.
  • Utilize your Google Calendars to schedule appointments and keep track of deadlines.
  • Create a centralized document or Notion page so that everyone is aware of tasks.

Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week

Communication

Communicate regularly with your team and with your organization members. Communicate regularly with your advisor and CSI program managers so that your programs and events run smoothly. Use email, and write professionally. Always be respectful, and remember: faculty and staff members do not work for you.

Tips From Your Peers

  • It’s important to be able to communicate your work to people with varying degrees of experience.
  • Build a sense of community not just amongst members, but also within your leadership team.

Graduate Leadership Luncheon

Marketing

Participate in events like Fall Fest, the Winter Involvement Fair, and college orientations to promote your organization to fellow graduate students. Use Instagram. Publish your events on Engage. Consider your target audience and how to encourage their participation.

Tips From Your Peers

  • Collaborate with other clubs on events, or simply reach out via Instagram to ask if another club is willing to post your event on their social media.
  • Have a dedicated social media representative who works closely with your events team.
  • Create a newsletter that releases weekly email updates!
  • Cater some of your marketing and events to incoming/first-year students, such as with mentor/mentee programs that will involve your entire community.

Budgeting

Be sure you know how to request money from the GSG, including their timelines. You cannot run an event before CSI has approved your request, which means ensuring that you have enough money in your organization’s account. It can take weeks to secure the funding that you need for your event, so plan ahead! Consider partnering with campus offices to supplement your budget, or seek sponsorships.

Tips From Your Peers

  • Be realistic with event venues and keep in mind how much things will cost.
  • Utilize Excel Spreadsheets by sharing them with your entire leadership team and with others who are supporting your club with budget approvals.