FFA has many seasons, and one of my favorites (what am I kidding they are all my favorites) is banquet season. It is a time where we celebrate all the things that we have accomplished but it is also a new beginning for great things to come to pass. I have attended several banquets, as both a person being announced as a new officer, as a retiring officer, as a visiting District Officer, and as a State Officer. They are all packed with great memories and nerves and emotions, and after it is all said and done, there is a brief moment of uncertainty. "What if I don't do a good job?" "I don't know how to do the duties that this office needs me to do?" "What if I can't get along with my teammates?"
Well people, these are all very understandable questions, as are your feelings about this being such a crazy, exciting, scary, new thing that you are about to go through.
First off, don't worry. Being scared about this whole new ordeal will just cause you to have panic attack. Take a deep breath. Matter of fact, take one with me now. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now with your fresh air, realize how lucky you are. You are one of just a few that are chosen to serve you chapter (and/or district). There are qualities that make you different from everyone and when mixed with the qualities of those on your team, the group of you can do great things. That being said, don't expect everyone on your team to be like you, think like you, feel like you, understand like you, and always agree with you. I can tell you, that it will rarely happen that you all think the EXACT same way. It is your differences that make you a team. As a State Officer, we took a test that showed our top 5 character traits. There was some overlapping traits, but I was the only one who had Focus. This proved to be difficult when it came time to planning because the topic would stray so far off from the original path so fast I would get whiplash. "Listen to this song!" "Did you see what so-and-so said on Facebook?" "Look! Watch this cat video!". And in the end, it was my focus that helped us get things done. Although it was rough sometimes, it made us a great team.
Be humble. You were chosen by the selection committee because they think you will do good at the job. Just because you are an officer doesn't mean you are better than anyone else. Expecting people do treat you different is not a good trait of a good leader. If you do your job right and do the best you can, your members will look up to you, and to me, that is the best kind of attention any leader can ever receive.
A lot of times, the title you hold is more important than the fact that you are on the team. And often within teams individuals think that they are more important or more in charge because of a certain office. That, in my opinion, is not very true. Granted, certain titles require more responsibilities but those responsibilities do not mean you are better than your teammates. Furthermore, you were all chosen because you best fit the needs of that position. This constitutes that each officer needs to pull their own weight. After all, what good is a team when just one person is doing all the work.
As a favorite past time of all Ag teachers, bless their hearts, procrastination can either cause people to pull together or make things fall apart. It never fails, you go through the calendar at the beginning of the year and set dates for events and are told that planning for the events will happen X-amount of days in advance. In all reality, it isn't until the few days before that any progress gets done. Procrastination is something that can hinder you or your event from being the best it can be. Understandably you won't spend a month planning the Christmas Ginger Bread House Competition, but you might use that time or more to plan the Harvest Dance. Customize your time for the event. Even if you aren't planning something, don't put off your duties. Sophomore year of high school, I was in charge of the chapter scrapbook. I know how much time and effort that it took to put that together good enough so that it can even be able to compete. In the years following, I watched as my predecessors wait until the last minute to put together the scrapbook and I have seen the stress that it causes. Moral of the story, give yourself time to do your best and create something great for your members.
All of the things that I have said, are just simple reminders, but I think that the most important thing that I could ever tell any new officer are these three things: remember you are there to serve your members, give everything your all, and don't forget to have some fun. Your members are the reason that you are in the position that you are and it is your job to serve them. Don't become lax when it comes to your officer duties, because when you do it is your members that are the ones who suffer. But in the end, FFA will provide some of the best memories of your life and you should enjoy them. Often I forgot that aspect and took things way too serious. Enjoy all the things that are about to happen to you. Being an officer is the greatest thing that could have happened to you. Good luck, enjoy, and have a great year!
Peace, Love, and FFA!
McKenzie
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