Leading from a Woman’s Perspective: Coach Sherry Winn

Women have come a long way since the days when my Olympic Teammates had to wear the hand-me- downs from the men’s team. Because the elastic was worn out, they were forced to duct tape their waist bands, so that their shorts wouldn’t fall off when they were running down the court. Those were the days when women reporters were banned from male locker rooms, when women were ridiculed who wanted to coach men, and when the thought of a woman president of the United States was so far from mainstream thought that no woman would even consider running.

Life has changed. And yet, women are far from having the opportunity to lead that men do. Less than 4.2% of the top CEOs from Fortune 500 companies are women. Even though 57% of the population of colleges and universities are women, only 26% of college presidents are female. And 42.8% of all coaches who coach women are female while less than 5% of all coaches coaching males are females. Because women are not afforded the same opportunities as men to lead, women must show superior leadership skills to gain opportunities.

What type of skills will bring you to the top? The three main leadership skills to bring to the table are assertive communication, conflict resolution skills, and motivational skills.

1.ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION

When I taught leadership skills to Anytime Fitness, their women leaders struggled with the label that many women receive when they are strong—the “B” label. When you are a strong woman, you might face men who suggest you continually suffer from PMS, or women take your words personally complaining that you are too mean. As a student female leader, you have a tough line to walk, but when you learn assertive communication skills, that line gets easier. Assertive communicators are confident, open-minded, good listeners, and respond rather than react. They possess the ability to gather information, ask team members for suggestions, and determine the best course of action. They are inclusive but will take decisive action when needed.

2.CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Team members look to leaders to resolve issues. If you cannot resolve the issues that student team members bring to you, chaos will ensue, and nobody will follow you. When I ask student leaders at leadership retreats where they learned communication skills, they normally respond, “Our parents.” When I ask them how many of their parents had great conflict resolution skills, one or two students out of a hundred will raise their hands. Most of your student members will do exactly what their parents did: play the blame game, use the silent treatment, or throw a temper tantrum. If these are the skills you use, you will not get ANY students to follow you. The secret to conflict resolution is to provide yourself with these five ground rules:

1. Let the other person finish speaking before you speak;
2. Focus on the current issue only
3. Keep open body language
4. Use active listening;
5. Concentrate on the solution rather than the blame.

3.MOTIVATION

Zig Ziglar said, “Some people say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does taking a bath. That is why you do it every day.” Students love to remain in their comfort zones, because it is easy. If you allow your student team members to sit back and take the easy route, they will enjoy the ride until they realize they didn’t accomplish their dreams. Then they will blame you. You are the one responsible for exuding positivity in tough times, offering solutions to challenges, and holding the vision toward your goals. To accomplish any goal, you will find dips in the momentum of reaching that goal. If you allow your team members to dip in enthusiasm, the goal is lost.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The only way that women will have more opportunities to lead is if more women are willing to take leadership roles, and if we support the women who are in leadership roles. Women don’t support women like men support men. We are awesome at assisting our female friends when they are sick, hurt, or their boyfriends break up with them, but we fail to support them when they run for office or seek higher roles in organizations.

Now is the day to support one another and to change the percentages of women in leadership roles.

——————————–

Now Accepting bookings for Women’s History Month!

Coach Sherry Winn is perfect for your Women’s History events, but availability is filled quick! Be sure to secure your booking for March 2019

About the Author

Coach Sherry Winn is a Two-Time Olympian, National Championship Coach, and Amazon Best Seller. She is one of the nation’s foremost speakers on winning in life, love, and leadership sharing over 2,000 hours of WINNING WISDOM with audience members.

For More information about Coach Sherry Winn, Her Programs, and Booking Inquiries, Click Here: http://metropolismanagement.com/portfolio/coach-winn/

Normally it’s Winter when we celebrate Rev. Dr. King Jr’s inspired life, HOW DARE ME talk about events you produce on campus in January today!

Well, I think we can always consider His brilliance, and bravery…

Can I share one of the most affirming of his quotes from his book STRENGTH TO LOVE? (If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend this power packed book.)

“Only through spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously evils of the world in a humble loving spirit… The transformed non-conformist realizes that social change will not come over night, yet he works as though it is an imminent possibility.” Dr. King Jr.

I’ve been the keynote speaker the past year at Berea College and The University of Maryland. I’d love to visit your university this year!

Keshia Cashwell of University of Maryland said, “Our goal is always to educate, inspire, and provide a safe space for crucial conversations – Mitzi’s keynote presentation met all three goals.  Her unique style, weaving personal performance as well as her commitment to her work allowed us to delve deeper into the crucial conversation goal than we usually are able to in a 60 minute presentation.”

Let’s schedule a call to talk about your hopes for an event on Dr. King Jr’s Holiday 2019.

All the best! 

Mitzi

Against the Current: Being Successful As A Small Business presentation

THE essential guide for students who want to pursue a career through their own small business.

New college programming presented by internationally renowned band Added Color

The members of Added Color bring an updated and modern outlook on how to start and run a small business and guidelines on how to structure your career as an entrepreneur with their latest lecture – “Against the Current: Being Successful As A Small Business.”

A band is a business like any other, and the main components discussed in the lecture can be applied to all businesses.

This program provides essential insight to all students who are interested in creating a career or starting their own small business. Using the ever-changing and unpredictable landscape of the music industry as a reference, students will gain at least a well-rounded understanding of all aspects that encompass working for themselves. With topics such as gaining new clients, financial management, the importance of short and long-term goals, and the day to day of operating a small business in the early stages, this program will show students the steps necessary to take their interests and turn them into a successful small business. It is presented by the Brooklyn-based band, Added Color, who have created a solid and organized business around doing what they love most: writing music and performing it on tour.

Added Color provides REAL answers to questions like:  

• What is starting a small business really like?
• How much dedication is necessary and what are the odds of surviving in a competitive market?
• What are some of the necessary day to day tasks to make a small business successful?
• How do you determine the influence of each member in the company?
• When is the right time to start paying members of the company after the full investment phase?

While covering the important topics of

• Communication
• Creating relationships
• Organization
• Marketing
• Finances
• Brand Identity

ADDED COLOR is a Brazilian/American rock band formed in Brooklyn, NY. The group is comprised of Brazilian brothers Kiko Freiberg (music composition, performance and business degree from Bard College) and Dan Freiberg (international relations major at the University of Denver), Tim Haggerty (music major at Berklee school of music), and Danny Dahan (music major at University of Miami). Since meeting in 2014, the group has played around 200 shows in over 20 states in the USA, and toured internationally in Canada, Morocco, and Brazil. They have played major festivals in Brazil such as Porão do Rock at Mane Garrincha Stadium, which has featured Muse, Eagles of Death Metal, amongst others. 
They are a self-sufficient, independent band where four of the members are able to make a full-time living and operate as a business. The band also has a ghostwriting business, where they write for top Brazilian DJ’s and have successfully licensed music for the biggest soap operas and radios in Brazil.

Get More with Metropolis

Book Added Color’s for a larger than life live band performance along with their latest presentation. Many departments will offer credit to students for attending the performance and presentation. For More Information and Booking Inquiries Contact us TODAY!!

After the excitement of the fall semester winds down and students become immersed in their campus life, it’s essential to give them opportunities to expand on what they are learning and process experiences. By winter they should have identified areas where they need an extra push, topics that they wish to explore further, and excited to participate freely without worrying about a test.

These speakers provide lectures and workshops that are in high demand on campuses across the country and sure to bring record attendance!

• DAVID COLEMAN, THE DATING DOCTOR  Has been honored 14 times as The National Speaker of the Year— 11 times by Campus Activities Magazine and 3 times by The National Association for Campus Activities. He is the only speaker ever to win the National Entertainer of the Year Award from the Campus Activities Magazine. The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA) honored him with their Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Entertainment. David is a highly sought after coach, speaker, entertainer, radio and television personality and product endorser.  He was recently a featured speaker for TEDx.
• Two-time Olympian, National championship coach and Certified Master Life coach, COACH SHERRY WINN
  comes with over 34 years of building championship teams and provides you with the opportunity to learn the secrets of creating WINNING mindset.
• DR. MEGAN STUBBS offers presentations on a wide variety of topics ranging from positive body image to sexual assault prevention.
• Not just a motivational speaker, RAYMONN ADAMS is a transformation seeker; giving students the tools to discover personal empowerment and overcome obstacles.
• Inclusion specialist and keynote speaker, MITZI SINNOTT  provides lectures and workshops that energizes staff and students utilizing the power of image and drama to interest, process and activate the audience. Knowing the value of entertainment, she synthesizes the complexities of our times into an uplifting call to action
• HOAN DO As an award-winning college motivational speaker, Hoan speaks at colleges & universities across North America sharing practical advice that helps students to succeed in and out of school. His learning outcome based programs are focused on the areas of college success, leadership development, stress management, interpersonal communications, and personal motivation.
• From anti-hazing to leadership & empowerment, TISH NORMAN delivers powerful messages in an approachable and practical fashion.  She relates to and appeals to her audiences’ basic desire and common goal, to make the most of every experience.
• SAILESH, THE HYPNOTIST brings the power of mind over matter in his workshop designed to help manage stress & anxiety while creating empowerment to reach your best self through self hypnosis.

Get more with Metropolis

We care about your time and resources. We know you have a lot to accomplish and every minute is valuable. Our speakers’ knowledge base on student affairs and student life topics are current and fresh. Let us do the work so that you can focus on what’s important to you. Contact us today.

By now everyone has been to or at the least, heard of a paint nite, craft nite, or some similar variation. They may seem overdone but don’t give up on events like this just yet. No need to reinvent the wheel; Simply take an ordinary “nite” and add a special entertaining twist. Erase “Been there, done that” from your student’s vocabulary and boost attendance!

Try adding a comedian as an MC for bingo, or incorporate a Live Performance!

Mike Debus is the perfect addition to adding interest and excitement to events. Along with creating beautiful one of a kind paintings in a matter of minutes, Mike adds value to campus occasions. At the end of a performance, one completed painting is presented to the organization as a gift and two more are given so the organization can hold a raffle, offering attendees an opportunity to possess a keepsake from this experience!

Need a quick fix to promote turn out in a pinch?  

Try adding a little swag with campus novelty items and keepsakes. It’s by far one of the easiest ways to enhance and draw attention to your event – you book it and Campus Novelties does the rest. Just be prepared for people to actually show up!  

Contributed by Miguel Caraballo from Middle Theory Music

While walking through the sidewalks and the halls of your college campus, you’ll probably notice something important.  Well, if you look up from your phone, that is… you’ll see that everyone else is still looking at their phone.

They’re looking at their phones as they walk into class. They’re looking at their phones while they’re waiting for a parking spot.  Walking down the hallways, sitting in the student union and, yes, even while crossing the street – everyone is looking at their phone.  

The reality is they’re paying attention to their phone as they walk right past all those flyers you spent hours putting up to help promote your next campus event. As an activities board, you’re most likely not connecting with student

s if you’re not finding the way onto their phones.

Social media is a powerful tool to connect with the students on your campus.  According to a recent Pew study, 71% of 18-24-year-olds use Snapchat multiple times a day and 71% of the same demographic are also on Instagram.  And, those numbers increase every day.

Most people know that social media is important, but the harder task is learning how to use it effectively to

 connect with the students on your campus. In a moment, I’ll share a list of practical steps you can take to improve your social media presence and get more students involved with campus activities.

But before we get into the practical steps, we do need to talk about the principles behind them.

A. Connecting

• Focus your social media efforts on connecting with your students, not just promoting events.  If you’re able to make authentic connections, promotion will come easy, 
• Engage with your followers. Ask questions and make sure to respond to comments and messages, and
• Provide useful, helpful information that’s relevant to students.

B. Consistency

• Find a way to post every day, 
• Take advantage of the tools available to you. For example, Hootsuite lets you schedule posts months in advance.  This means that in a single afternoon, you could schedule posts for an entire month.

As promised, here are a few practical things you can do to connect with your students via social media.  I recommend starting with one and putting it into action. As you feel more comfortable, add your own ideas or take another idea from here. Just remember, your goals are to connect and be consistent.

1. Use your smartphone to create short videos in which you ask students fun questions. It’s OK to be sillyor lighthearted, questions like, “If pancake and french toast had a fight, who would win? are perfect. (Google “fun conversation starters” for more ideas.)
   
2. Have performers and speakers do Snap takeovers in advance of their event to connect with students and promote shows.
3. Have your students Snap behind the scenes at any APCA and NACA events they attend.
4. Snap the events of the day leading up to each event.
5. Create and share graphics highlighting what students need (like studying tips). Word Swag can help you quickly create graphics.
6. Have the student members of the activities board split their days, so they spend time Snapping as both students andboard members.
7. Post pictures of different places on campus on Instagram and ask people about their favorite place on campus.
8. Create a weekly video series (shot on your smartphone) in which you interview students about why they came to your school, as well as their favorite things to do on campus.
9. Take reaction videos of students leaving your events, then share them on Facebook and Instagram.
10. Make custom Snapchat shirts with your snapcode on them, then distribute them to CAB students to wear and ask people to scan the code. (Welcome Week is a great time for this one.)  
11. Give away campus swag to encourage students to share posts on Facebook or Instagram.
12. Instead of flat graphics, share videos of the speakers and performers you have coming to upcoming events.
13. Ask speakers and performers to make quick, personalized videos on their phones. Have them address your campus and specifically invite your students to the show. Then, share those videos on FB, IG, and Twitter.

The sky’s the limit—and just starting with one idea and one platform lets you build a following and will inspire you to expand even further.  Above all, focus on connecting and have fun

If you want to discuss specific examples of some of these ideas, have great ideas of your own, or just want to share how your progress is going, drop me a line at booking@middletheorymusic.com.  I’d love to connect with you today.

Learn more about Middle Theory Music

Contributed by Miguel Caraballo from Middle Theory Music

During my freshman year of college, the floor felt out from underneath me.  

My depression and anxiety overtook me—I could barely make it through classes and would often find myself lying alone in a dorm room, curled up on the bed, overwhelmed by unexplained emotional pain.  

The worst part of it all is that I was alone.  Or, at least I thought I was. It would be more than two years before I finally reached out to a friend to tell them what I was going through.  That was two years too long.

The only thing worse than walking around in constant internal pain is to do it alone and to believe that you’re the only one. I’m one of the lucky ones. All too often, two years of not sharing that struggle ends in tragedy. I eventually opened up to my roommates and was met with support and love.  That led me to seek out professional counseling, and I began to take medication that helped provide a strong foundation for me to learn to live with the reality of depression and anxiety.  

The music that I create often dives into my struggles and history with depression.  Two years ago, my producer challenged me to begin to talk more openly about it. As I toured college campuses, I decided to share some of the stories behind my songs.   

And then it happened.  Student after student began approaching me in tears, sharing their own struggles with depression that had led them down dark and scary paths.  Their tears have imprinted on me the reality that so many are struggling. I’ve also wondered about the many who are still too afraid or ashamed to open up.   

Looking back at those shows, I wish there was someone there who those students could have connected with.  What would it look like to have an event where campus counselors are not only present, but one in which it’s made clear that they’re ready and available to talk to anyone who needs help?  

What would it look like to have campus activities boards and campus mental health services partner for an event?  Are there students who would be willing to share their stories at an event like this? Is there a staff member who would be willing to share at an event like this?

An event like this could be a great uncross-your-arms moment for your students who are struggling in silence.  It was such a scary thing for me to open up to someone else about what I was going through. Hearing others share could inspire students to break through the fear and find the help and support they need.

The possibilities are limitless, but at the end of the day I think the two most important principles to keep in mind are;

1. Helping students see that they are not alone.
2. Providing a context for conversations.

If you find ways to do this in a consistent way, I have no doubt that your activities board will make a powerful and life-changing impact on your campus in regards to depression and mental health.

If you’ve ever held an event like this, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at booking@middletheorymusic.com and let’s talk.  

For MORE content and booking information for Middle Theory Music.

Everyone loves a good laugh! Holding a comedy night might benefit students more than you might think. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Since endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being; a comedy night event might just be the boost students need to make it through to spring.

You can’t go wrong with the mass appeal of clean comedy from Barry Brewer  and rising star Jordan Conley. For those with a more cutting and witty sense of humor, Daphnique Springs is sure to be a hit. Clinton Ware Metropolis’ newest addition is a sure hit with all ages. 

Want to take your Comedy Night to another level? Think outside the box with Variety and Improv!

Comedian/Dancer/Musician Kenneth “Xclusive” Paryo is a three ring circus of nonstop laughs, or choose from the many interactive improv acts from comedic geniuses Face-off Unlimited.  

Warm drinks, inviting baked goods, and cozy atmosphere…it’s hard to resist the call of the coffee house event. It’s a surefire way to entice students to come out of hiding and socialize.  

But what about finding the right entertainment to create an event that is more memorable than “meh.”?  If you want to make the most of your entertainment budget and increase event attendance, keep these ideas in mind.  

A successful campus coffee house event starts with choosing the right artist!

Musicians like Dan Henig /, Middle Theory Music, Samantha Leon, and Zander Michigan are well versed in coffee house performance and have the perfect mix of personality, audience interaction, and incredible talent. They’ll have everyone singing along, laughing and excited for the next event!  

Want to do something different? Host a Spoken Word Poet and include an open mic portion for students to get in on the act!

Giving an opportunity to be creative and also enjoy inspiring performances is a very successful combination. Jinahie  is know for her interactive “potluck poem” performances which creates a unique and memorable experience like no other.  Other spoken word artists such as Panama Soweto , Angelo “eye-am-bic” Geter , and Rudy Francisco are known to the public and poetry lovers alike and sure to draw a crowd.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!