You’re right. A major factor is “to motivate the sheep.” If I could discover just how to crack my group of game-addicts, and at least create some synergy, then I would feel complete.

Part of being a leader is knowing what quality clay you’re working with, then shaping your art according to that clay. One thing I didn’t get a sense of, from your essay, is how much or how little you actually interacted with (1) your fellow officers and (2) the regular members. If you were doing this as a top-down thing, and it sounds as though you were, then yeah, you’re gonna take hits from the very large portion of students who are still in their “rebel against all hierarchy” phase (some older folks never outgrow this, either… kinda sad to see).

I know you don’t want to hear this, but it makes sense to compromise with the people you are in charge of, because there’s the human factor to consider: having meetings is not just about disseminating ideas, but also about enjoying each other’s presence and making discoveries together.

Of course, you came close to saying this in your final paragraph, as you seem to have concluded that the top-down approach doesn’t bear much fruit. There’s wisdom in your insight; hold on to it. Leadership is more than pointing people in a particular direction and saying, “Let’s go!” It’s also about motivating the sheep, because, as you’ve discovered, they don’t motivate themselves.

Kevin