Contributed by Andrew Morales | Waukesha County Technical College, WI
Wisconsin’s Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) Collegiate DECA offers a business network, leadership development and characteristics of commitment, effort and confidence. WCTC’s DECA chapter emphasizes the importance of building relationships and growing comfort within the chapter members.
One team-bonding experience was attending a Mini-Golf Course. Throughout this experience, members participated in team dynamics, practice and improvement, peer support, continuous effort and building confidence among each other.
With WCTC primarily being a 2-year institution, members come and go more rapidly than at a traditional 4-year college, making it difficult to retain them. As we started off the event, you could feel a sense of hesitation and reservedness. With new members emerging and others reconnecting, this was expected.
Throughout the golf event, members of the organization opened their comfort and broke the wall of resistance. Comfortability is significant in competition, travel and preparation amongst DECA chapters. A key objective of WCTC’s executive team is to support the comfort and confidence of its members.
As we played golf, you noticed it was less about golf and more about conversation and relationship building. We supported each other when we hit a bad putt or when our golf balls ended outside the course. Team dynamics and continuous improvement were the focus when benchmarks were not hit in these situations.
Constant improvement and seeking improvement goes beyond the golf course and DECA. This is an attribute that employers look for in the workplace and that successful people have. The WCTC members could demonstrate that on the course and through DECA by attending events like this and deciding to improve their professional development.
Peer support also played a factor. I noticed that members who had better scores gave advice and helped others improve. I expect to see more of this behavior during the competition in WCTC’s DECA organization.
This year's theme is “Be the One.” Confidence is a key factor in achieving this. Having confidence to be comfortable being uncomfortable. WCTC’s chapter demonstrates this not only in the golf event but also in other events, in the classroom, speaking with others and building relationships amongst each other.
This year's mission is to walk with poise, speak with knowledge and demonstrate dominance in every way possible. As WCTC chapter members, we will bring confidence to the Wisconsin state competition and Collegiate ICDC. We will not only be comfortable being uncomfortable, but we will also “Be the Ones.”
