Becoming a DECA executive can seem nerve-racking. Not a lot of people know what it's truly like to go from being a delegate to being in a leadership position as an executive. In this blog post, Jordan Rose sheds light on the reality of becoming an executive. Jordan is our current vice-president for the 2021-2022 DECA year. He was a delegate for roughly a year before he joined the DECA executive team.
Going from delegate to executive in a year debunks the notion that you have to spend years at DECA before becoming an exec. He originally decided to apply for the exec team after his year being a delegate "I wanted to be an exec because DECA made my university experience amazing...I wanted to be an exec to be able to give back that same support and positivity to future delegates,” said Jordan. He wanted to be the change he saw in himself. Joining the executive team does not have to be a scary step. It will help increase your potential when it comes to leadership. When being questioned about: what has changed the most about himself since becoming an exec, Jordan explained that there have been many changes however, the biggest one is his confidence. “Prior to joining DECA, I felt like I didn't really have something besides my academics to motivate me to strive for greatness…joining DECA allowed me to be more confident with myself and what I had to offer," added Jordan. Although Jordan had been a delegate for only a year, he required growth within that time to become the exec he is today. He said in order to grow himself, he constantly asked for feedback and applied it during his time as a delegate. He explained that this tactic made him better at networking and improved his skills tremendously.
As much as Jordan had many great experiences with DECA, it takes hard work to get there. Jordan recalls that the most difficult part about acquiring an executive position on DECA was the uncertainty. “When I first became an exec it was at the beginning of COVID-19, I hadn't met my team in person...I knew what it was like as a delegate in person but had never worked remotely before,'' he added. COVID-19 was an uncertain time for all of us and Jordan had to adapt in such unprecedented times. This demonstrates that you can never have a problem-free leadership role. However, there's always a way to solve the problems that come up. Anyone can become an exec but many people doubt themselves. As humans, we all have fears and insecurities especially when it comes to being a leader. Jordan too thought at times that he didn’t have it in him to become an exec. "This was at the beginning of my first year on the exec team when I was transitioning into the role of Director of Corporate Relations. As I mentioned before, COVID-19 had just happened and many organizations were putting their spending on hold due to the loss of revenue. I thought I wouldn't be able to fulfill my duty of securing the sponsorships we needed because of COVID- 19,” said Jordan.
As evident through Jordan’s experience, becoming a leader is never an easy task, however, you should never let your doubts and fears trump your ambitions and determination. DECA helps you unlock leadership skills that will prepare you for achieving leadership positions on different teams and organizations. This was the reality of Jordan’s journey from delegate to exec and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
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