I first took interest in Tau Beta Sigma during our chapter’s interest week this past fall. Although I had a love for music and participation in [East Carolina University] ECU’s marching band, I was actually really unsure about joining a sorority. However, by the time the interest week had ended, I knew that I definitely wanted to join this organization. Everyone I had met had wonderful personalities and I loved the ideals that Tau Beta Sigma stood for. Thankfully the chapter took notice and allowed me to go through the process of becoming a member within Tau Beta Sigma. While this was exciting, I had a lot of questions pop up in response to what we were taught about the organization. One of the purposes of TBS notably stood out to me:
“To develop leadership through active participation with the band, and through it, to strengthen those traits of conduct, thought, and idealism which characterize the responsible membership of the band.”
I believe that this is an incredibly important ideal and that everyone should work to embody the characteristics that define an exceptional leader. Yet, at the same time I found this to be a little confusing. Our chapter’s president and VPM strongly encouraged my line and told us that we all needed to show initiative and leadership. While leadership is an important quality, I did not quite understand how we were all supposed to become leaders and show it at the same time. When thinking about this I envisioned a bunch of people arguing and telling each other what to do with nothing actually getting done. How can you have a functioning group when everyone is a leader and no one is a follower?
After thinking about this, I realized the flaw in my reasoning. Why should a leader and follower be mutually exclusive? It is just as important for a leader to understand how to listen and follow others. As a future educator, I know that leadership is the most important characteristic to have. Similarly, every great teacher and leader I have spoken with has told me that they learn just as much by listening to the ideas of their students. A good leader has the drive to work towards a goal, but a great leader knows how to work with others and put in the work while listening to others in order to achieve it.
Sisters of Iota Nu at East Carolina University
Eighth Note 