Mount Leadership Society

While thinking of an organization I'm involved in to discuss for this weeks post, the first thing that came to mind was my fraternity, since this is a greek leadership class.  Once I really started thinking about the question though I decided the best possible choice for me would be to discuss my scholars program.  Mount Leadership Society.  Quite possibly the best decision I've made during my college years would be joining "Mount" as we like to call it.

Mounts Ideals seem to fall right in line with mine.  It's a program dedicated to furthering the leadership skills of individuals through community service.  I guess the most obvious reason I decided to pick this organization was because of my familiarity with the org, seeing as I am a member of this organization.  But another reason I decided to talk about this organization was because of the way that our director (Kathy Krajnak) and those associated with the org display their values.  Although each member is a college student many of those who are in the program always make sure that they are upholding the organizations values.  That isn't to say that members aren't prone to have momentary lapses in judgment or that none of us make mistakes, because no one is perfect but there are many situations where we sit back and think, "Would Kathy be upset if she found out about this situation", or even "How will I/we be looked upon once people find out about this situation?"  Mount's values are almost always in the back of our heads because they are so deeply ingrained within each member.  The values we are taught while in the program are apparent in every activity we do.  Every community service, every event and every meeting we attend all have one thing in common, they are almost always covering one of Mount's essential principles.  Some of which are 1) creating and nurturing relationships 2) being prepared and following though 3) honor of integrity 4) valuing individuals and 5) willingness to teach others.

I know Mount's values because as previously stated, they are present in everything associated with Mount.  Almost every educational opportunity put on by mount in some way shape or form embodies one of the essentials.  By making sure that these "essentials" are present in all interactions they become second nature for the individuals within the organization, thus we are always representing Mount and putting on display their/our values.

My Personal Core Values

There are so many core values and ideas that many different people hold close to their hearts.  While thinking about what I would write for this post I realized that there were way to many that I really identified for them to all be listed here but I decided I would pick a few that really were important to me. 

Honesty is one of those values that everyone will probably list, and I'm definitely no different.  Almost every relationship is built on a mutual respect and understanding that for that relationship, whether business or pleasure, to work, there must be honesty between the two parties for that relationship to succeed.  Being honest in many situations can be the easiest alternative for both parties although the truth may be hard to stomach.  Once trust is lost it's almost impossible to get it back.  

Altruism is another value that means a lot to me.  I'm very big on friendship and when someone is in need I'm always willing to help no matter what.  Sometimes this can be a fault but at the end of the day it's how I was raised.  My mother is the exact same way.  She will do absolutely anything to help someone out as long as it's in the confines of the law.  She taught me if people see that you're willing to help them out, with no ulterior motives then they will do the same thing for you.  This is something that I've always tried to incorporate into the relationships that I have with people and it has always paid off and has also helped me establish many friendships with some really great people.  Many greek organizations, including my own were founded upon the principle of service and altruism and that's one of the many reasons I decided to join a greek organization, to continue upholding this value that I means so much to myself as well as my family.  

Humility is something that I try to practice in almost every arena of life.  Not only do I make sure that I practice humility, it also factors into my decisions to associate with certain people.  I'm very close to my maternal grandfather and this is one of his core values that he upholds in every situation he comes across.  It's always good to stay humble because it keeps you striving for more that way you are never satisfied and are able to combat complacency.  

Individuality is a value that's always been important to me.  My mom who is a huge influence on my life has always preached that I should never conform to fit anyone else's standards.  She taught me that as long as you uphold the law, always be yourself and stay true to your beliefs, never change for anyone.  It was a huge factor in my decision to join my fraternity.  Individuality is something that my fraternity believes is very important.  We preach that you can be the same person after you become an Iota that you were before.  You can bring your own ideals and that's one thing I love about my organization.

Although there are many values which I try to uphold in my life these are a few that I really take to heart. These are a few that I try to practice and I try to make sure everyone that I associate with has the same values.  

First Assignment/Introductory Blog

The first question given to us as a class to address in our introductory blog is, "Who am I".  Many things come to mind when asked this question but for the sake of time i'll address the things that I feel are most important.  Some basic information about myself, my name is Ronald Johnson Jr.  I'm a fourth year student here at Ohio State, majoring in Criminology.  I'm a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., Beta Mu chapter here on campus.  Another answer to the question, "Who am I" would be son/brother/uncle/grandson.  These are probably the titles that I deem most important in my life and everyday I strive to be the best that I can be at all of those roles.  Family is and always has been the most important thing in my life and will definitely always be that way.  I'm a mama's boy, always have been and always will be.  I'm an Iota.  I joined Iota Phi Theta in the spring of '09 with two other's who are now two of my best friends and haven't looked back since.  Wouldn't trade it for anything and have enjoyed it since I joined.

I joined fraternity life to be  a part of something bigger than myself. That is the easiest way to explain it.  My ideals and principles fall in line with that of my organization but I wanted to be a part of something that was important to many people and not just myself. Community service was also a reason I'm a part of fraternity life.  I was in an organization that promoted leadership through service and around the time that my membership in that was coming to a close I wanted to be a part of something similar to that so I decided joining my organization was the best option for me.

After reading the entire "blogabus", I definitely know now that this class will be a little bit more work than I had anticipated but at the same time I'm excited to learn some new things and increase my knowledge of what it takes to further my leadership skills and also to promote the benefits of greek organizations on campus.