Parenting a college student can be stressful and a bit overwhelming this time of year. It doesn’t have to be if you put to use these 5 tips for parenting your college student.
As a former college life professional, I’ve worked with thousands of students and families to help them prepare for this time of year. To make this adventure a bit easier, here are 5 tips for parents of college students.

1. Expand their vision. Ask them about what they’d like to accomplish during their first year. Talk about what to learn, how to meet friends, how to have fun. Anything and everything to get them thinking about why they are taking this step. The clearer the vision, the easier it is to choose the right course of actions.

2. Keep the helicopter on the pad. Yes, visit and support your student along the way, however don’t hover or swoop in to save the day. Asking your student some key questions on how they might go about solving the problems will allow them to figure it out on their own. Get good at asking questions and be conscious of doing it for them.

3. Lighten up. Having a kid in college might be stressful because you don’t know every move they are making. Trust in them they’re doing things right. Remember, you raised a kid who’s successful enough to get to college. Breathe.

4. Plan for the first year dip. Being successful in college is more than just getting the “A.” Helping your student manage life in and out of the classroom will help them with this amazing balancing act. It’s common during the first year for grades – and emotions – to dip as this is a whole new experience. Support. Encourage. Acknowledge.

5. Change the locks and throw away the keys. For the first few weeks encourage your student to stay on campus. While it’s normal to become homesick, one of the ways for them to overcome this is to develop a connection to the campus community. Weekends are where it’s at!

To help students be successful at college, I’ve put together a CD learning program that provides the tools and resources to expand their own vision and make the necessary choices to be successful during the first year of college. It’s not too late to parent your college student to success and offer up this easy to use program. Get one here.
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Jeff Stafford is a speaker, author and the founder of Orange Slice Training. He served as a Director of Campus Life for seven years and coached students and families towards success during the first year of college. As a certified coach, he also partners with students and parents to achieve the dream of college success. You can find more about his coaching programs here. To book Jeff as a speaker at your next leadership conference click here.

Tom Peters sparked a number of conversations with his book, The Brand Called You, back in 1997. Today, you can find a number of different tools to use to help you create your brand.

Here are 3 simple, easy things to Be Bold about Your Brand as Student Leader:

1. You are Your Brand. The way in which you show up to meetings. The way in which you have conversations with your group = Your Brand. Intentionally choose how you show up, how you lead, and how you speak. Start paying attention to how others listen to you, how the follow through and even who you are hanging out with. Live into your brand every day.

2. People’s impressions of You are Your Brand. What I think of you, is your brand. Perception = Reality. Actively seek out feedback from others. Your advisor. Other leaders on campus. Take the 360 Reach Brand Assessment. It’s free online and as a coach I can help interpret the results and build a plan to leverage your brand (marketing speak for taking action on what you want your brand to BE!)

3. The skills you possess demonstrates You are Your Brand. What new things have you learned from being a leader? What are the strengths that you brought into your leadership? Here’s the future question – what do you want to learn that will allow you to strengthen your brand? Share this with your advisor. Look for opportunities to develop those skills. Remember, leadership is a process not a position. This is you taking charge of your brand.

Orange Slice Training has a workshop designed for student leaders of all levels of experience who are interested in building their brand to lead more effective on campus – and to change the world beyond campus. Contact us today to learn more about bringing this workshop to your campus.

You’ve got ideas as a leader. You want to see new things happen. But, you can’t get your group to change. Many times leaders have started to run the race of change and then loop in their group. Or you and your group hatch a really great ideas that can change your campus forever, but you just can’t get the administration to buy into it.

Use these steps in making the next BIG change or ideas stick – remember ADKAR!  This model was created by Prosci to help with both organizational and personal change.

Awareness. Often times, leaders are so far out in front that they lose sight of those needed to help support the change. You must create awareness for the idea or change proposed. To create AWARENESS for the change create a list for why this must occur.  Tailor the list to the audience.  What are your key messages that you want to share with the campus community?

Desire. Okay, you’re excited about the idea – but now you need to tap into the motivation for others and help them create the desire for the change.  Create a list of the top 3 motivators that will allow them to shake their head to support your idea. To get at this, you might also ask – What if we don’t do anything? Make sure you address the “what’s in it for me?” question. If you don’t there’s no use going any further.

Knowledge. Create a really clear picture of what life looks like when the idea is in place – or when the change has occurred. Provide people the information needed to support your choice.  Remember Knowledge is power.

Ability. What new skills or abilities might you need to implement the change or idea?  What might the Administration need to learn to support you?  Provide access and opportunity for them to learn.

Reinforcement. This is the stage that supports the new change or idea. Plan a celebration, thanking those that helped you get what you wanted. Strengthen the relationship at this point, this will set you up for more support the next time lightning strikes and you have another great idea to implement.

As campus leaders you have great ideas – use these steps to support your work!

Today I facilitated a workshop for a group of directors.  I seem to be challenged at times when people don’t want to recognize the choices available.  At times, some really feel comfort and, can I say joy, in being helpless.  When this shows up in a workshop – I can’t just let it go.  I need to bring it out and really just throw it on the table – so we can talk about it.  And I really get where this is uncomfortable to talk about, because misery loves company which is about talking about the other choices – beyond misery – we might have.  It’s not the type of company I care to keep, let alone enable. 

Today’s session provided for a really great opportunity to think about work and the choices one makes – or chooses not to make.  If we can talk about the difficult choices – like simply doing nothing, or choosing another job – doesn’t that empower us?  Empower us because we have choices?  

I hope that it does, because what I can’t hear, is “i have no choice, no matter what I do things won’t change.”  I don’t know about you, but this stops us in our tracks and puts us right back into that default future.   And then, yes, you get to be right – nothing will change.

Is that what you want? Not me, I choose to play a different game. One where there are options – all of them, even the ones I don’t want to say out loud exist.  That’s the game I play.  How about you?

Ever wish you could create a life worth living?  A life that is full of joy?

A life that is best described:  Juicy?

Create Your Juicy Life is a practical, hands-on approach to creating just that – a life that is full, ripe and delicious!

For a limited time, I am offering the first section of this new book online to you FREE.  Simply complete the contact form with your name and email and I’ll gladly send it your way.  I can’t wait for you to start designing YOUR juicy life.

In this book, you will be provided with exercises to create your juicy life.  Take stock of your current reality – and then CHOOSE.  Notice. and Act.

This book is great if you are feeling stuck, need a nudge, or just want to experience more joy in your life.

If you could get more JOY in your life – what might that be like?  Well, now you have some practical tools to use to answer the question – and EXPERIENCE the answer.

There’s something about being able to watch people experience complete JOY and BLISS.  Whether you are an Oprah fan or not – having the ability to provide a JOY-filled experience to an audience of over 300 is fun to watch.

Your JOY might not be the new 2011 Beetle. It might be something much simpler.

For you to experience JOY this season and LIVE your Favorite Things everyday, here’s are three things to get you started.

1. Recall a time when you were happy and able to experience JOY in your life.
2. What were you doing? Who were you with?
3. What’s one thing you could do TODAY that would get you a little closer to experiencing JOY again?

The key to the last question is getting you to take a step closer. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.  This mentality stops us in our tracks.  If you could get a bit closer – what would you do?

Well, what are you waiting for?  Go do that.  It’s in your action where the joy lives.  Start Living!

And if it feels good – ask yourself question #3 again.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

In the workplace, often times management – or coworkers – site the fact they are “too busy” for small talk and connection. The Harvard Business Review has released an article that gives five steps to increase Employee Engagement (which can actually decrease a risk in heart attacks, according to a study in Sweden).

The five steps are:

1. Select the right tasks
2. Connect with colleagues
3. Play with problems
4. Grapple with and grow from challenges
5. Shine in the acknowledgment of your achievements.

Here’s a link to the full article which also ties in brain science and excellence.

It’s not only JUICY – it’s good for you (and your heart!)

I’m wondering what it might take to experience even more Joy in one’s life.  Is it possible that we can create joy when we want it?  Create it when we need it?  BE in Joy in any given moment?

I was thumbing through a book, and on a slip of paper this quote was written:

Happiness is a temporary state, but it’s a juicy one.

Not an obvious point of view from angst, pop-singer Alanis Morissette.  None-the-less, I think she’s onto it.  It’s JUICY.  And, I believe we can create a habit to get us into that state whenever we want.

Write down 3 good things that happened to you today.

Now, write down 3 reasons why each were good.

Do this for 3 days in a row.  Then…lather, rinse and repeat.

Developing the ability to notice will help you SEE the juicy bits as the occur.

Let this video play and document your Top 3.

Today, I had a day long conversation with other coaches and higher ed administrators on what it means to coach people to their strengths.  I really like what Marcus Buckingham is talking about in his book, The Truth About You.  Even in this economy we can still focus our energies around what makes us great  - our Strengths.  What are your unique qualities that you bring to the table?

We all have some natural talents.  Combine those with Skills and Knowledge – and watch out world!  We can leverage our Strengths.

To start unearthing your strengths answer the following questions:

• What would you love to be doing more of at work?
• What’s been a BIG DEAL accomplishment for you?
• How were you able to achieve this”
• And how did you know what the right action was to take to do this?

These simple questions will help you discover your unique talents and passions. By working with a coach to combine your strengths with the skills + knowledge you can have a chance to be challenged just the way you like to be challenged, recognized and rewarded for doing your best.   Put your strengths to work and start achieving the success you desire.

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Working with a Coach from Orange Slice Training can help you start playing to your strengths.  Contact us today for more information.

Now this is JUICY in action.  It’s great to see students, staff and THE president of The Ohio University spreading joy and smiles to onlookers.   A life that is engaged, rich and full of joy.  Go get yours!

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How can you bring joy to your campus today?