Leaving a Legacy: The Omicron Delta Presidential Stole

Leading a chapter board as president is a major responsibility that requires a personal investment in terms of time, intellectual resources, and emotional responsiveness. Omicron Delta is a large, diverse chapter with members and chapter leaders in distant geographic regions. We value the leaders who accept the challenge to lead our chapter, and who go on to be past presidents who stay actively involved in service activities, mentoring future leaders and leading other initiatives on behalf of our members.

To recognize these leaders, Omicron Delta created a presidential stole that is a leadership symbol in the same vein as the presidential chain worn by the Sigma Theta Tau ceremonies. The Presidential Stole is a purple velvet stole that has the names of the current president and past presidents along with the years they served embroidered in gold letters. The stole is passed on to the incoming president during the installation of new officers. The president wears the stole during inductions and other important ceremonies. We have found that our members appreciate the symbolism. The leaders who are recognized in this way have also indicated that they in turn feel appreciated for their service to the chapter and our members.

As other chapter leaders know, leadership succession is something that chapters struggle with as they seek presidential candidates given the busy schedule and multiple commitments of the nursing leaders we tap for this important position. Having the presidential stole to serve as a tangible form of recognition may be a motivating factor as prospective leaders make their decisions. Furthermore, this has allowed us to create a legacy for our chapter. Jim Rohn, a philosopher shares nine principles necessary for a successful life and a lasting legacy noted the following as his first principle: "Life is best lived in service to others."

As our presidents and past presidents live their lives in service to our chapter and its members, we celebrate their leadership through our legacy of the presidential stole.