The Power of Vision

Organizations such as Phi Kappa Theta use guiding documents to inform its daily operations and long-term strategy. To be a successful organization, there must be policies, procedures, and practices to frame how business is conducted. Additionally, there must be aspirational guidance to support our larger purpose, including the way we contribute to our many stakeholders.

We have spent the last two years developing a joint strategic plan (JSP) for the Fraternity and Foundation. Two separate entities have come together to develop a framework and determine the areas of focus we will attend to so that we can successfully collaborate together for the next decade. That plan, now called ΦΚΘ: The Next Chapter (TNC), incorporates the typical aspects of a strategic plan, with no modifications to our Fraternity’s mission and motto. The mission of Phi Kappa Theta is: 

“To actively develop men to be effective servant leaders who passionately serve society, Fraternity, and God”. 

This statement has been our stated mission since approximately 2009 when the Fraternity enacted its previous strategic planning process under the leadership of then President Rob Stalder. 

Our motto, “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof” continues to be a way that brothers convey each day the responsibility we have as members to be contributing members of our organizations and communities. 

Through the process of developing TNC, it was important to examine how our previous vision was still relevant to us today. Visions are ultimately aspirational and, while it may seem counterintuitive, they are often developed with a sense that success is very far off in the future, if achievable at all. Organizations such as ours must reflect on how a vision is meaningful in the light of the current and potentially future environment in which we operate. 

Unlike missions, which define why we exist and what we do, and a motto, which is typically a short sentence that espouses a primary or collection of principles that are consistently core to how an individual or organization will operate, visions are more responsive to the needs of an organization and are likely to change during a strategic planning process. It is not uncommon for visions to evolve because if a vision is achieved then a new one must be developed. It is also typical that a vision may be tweaked or modified to demonstrate evolution of thought around how an organization should contribute. 

Through this process, individuals involved in our JSP process brought forth recommendations to the Boards of both the Fraternity and Foundation. Each engaged in a thoughtful examination of options - ranging from small tweaks of words or potentially different scopes, scales, and ultimate focus - and determined our new vision to be:

Phi Kappa Theta makes a difference in the lives of all members so that they become lifelong servant leaders, making a positive impact in society.

The Foundation Board and Fraternity Board were very similar in their separate vetting of the vision options. As it came down to the final two potential vision statements, the one selected is the option that had the greatest consensus of relevance to our Fraternity. It is the ultimate realization of our mission and motto. It reflects an aspiration to maximize the potential of the Fraternity for ALL members. 

The vision statement conveys a possibly unachievable goal, that all members become servant leaders who make a positive impact. So many members bring great recognition to the Fraternity through their contributions in various aspects of our society, yet we recognize the Fraternity is nowhere near meeting the potential we can regarding how members connect their experience in Phi Kappa Theta to their goals of serving others. This vision is powerful for us because:

1. It emphasizes the connections that members SHOULD make between what they learn in the Fraternity and the decisions they make to be a person who serves others (“give, expecting nothing thereof”). Most do not make this connection. There is work to do. 

2. It builds on our mission and motto and continues our long-time emphasis on the concept of servant leadership as a primary focus of Fraternity membership and the way we hope each brother - collegiate and alumnus - contributes to their chapters, on their campuses, and in their communities. Our brothers’ ability to develop servant leadership skills depends on many factors, but it must be a primary focus of membership education and involvement. 

3. It honors the maturation process that our members go through: starting in the college environment, men are tasked with great responsibility to demonstrate our aspirational values. Our ritual talks about this experience being truly a liminal state. Transition to the role of being a Phi Kap beyond college is one that we must better attend to in our efforts.
   
   The state of being an undergraduate member, transitioning into alumni status and making the DECISION to stay involved are separate transitions that men will experience as part of their Phi Kappa Theta experience. Helping members to engage some way in the Fraternity and/or helping them to identify the CONNECTION between their collegiate experience and how their time in the chapter translates into their recognized responsibility to serve society and connect, as one wishes, to God or their religious or spiritual grounding, is something we hope to strengthen.

Ultimately, achieving our new vision depends on decisions members will make about the value of the Fraternity and their commitment to ongoing involvement in any form. It depends on the Fraternity - staff and volunteers - working to achieve the key result areas and objectives of TNC in a way that is relentless and purposeful so that members see it without question as the primary reason to be a Phi Kap. 

It is truly aspirational to ask that all of us should see Phi Kap as that launching point into contributions we make as leaders and how we demonstrate significance in this world. It is worth the energy and time for each of us that sees that potential in this organization. I hope you will find the vision compelling for the Fraternity as well as our joint efforts with the Foundation to achieve the goals of those who brought Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi together 66 years ago.

I look forward to seeing brothers at the 65th Convention in New Orleans, Lousiana, in less than two weeks. I anticipate excitement around passing the TNC. Lastly, I look forward to engaging with each of you about your own enthusiasm around this vision and our work to develop a plan for the future success of our Fraternity and Foundation.