How, if at all, has your Lambda Chi Alpha experience attributed to success in your field or in other accomplishments?
Let me begin with saying thank you for the nomination and acceptance into this select group of men. There are many deserving individuals among this large fraternity and I’m honored to be selected for this 30 Under 30 recognition.
As I reflect on my life, it’s easy to identify Lambda Chi Alpha as the inflection point in many aspects that contribute to where I stand today. Three things immediately come to mind.
1. The Rituals
Our rituals define who Lambda Chi Alpha is. They’re the “why” that separates us from other organizations. The immediate effect for me was that they provided a great medium for introspection. College campuses are filled with obligations and distractions, and it’s rare to find time to deconstruct your value and belief systems.
Our rituals allowed me to better understand the environment that brought me to where I was at that time. They encouraged me to think about the future “Josh Sabol,” and what it might take to get me there. And during the rituals, I could reflect on my current self, assess my position in the context of our seven core values, and generate a plan to get me to where I want to go. In essence, they helped identify what was important to me.
2. Friendship
The fraternity experience deepened my friendship with those that I joined with, and helped to forge new friendships with those that I was not yet familiar. Nearly every one of my best friends are fellow brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha. They’re the empathetic, world traveling, selfless, intelligent, and kind hearted achievers that I strive to emulate, and they make me a better person every day. There are both older and younger men than I who have started companies, grown non-profits, pursued doctorates, and are changing the world right this second. It’s their momentum that inspires me to do my best in every aspect of life.
3. Challenge the Status Quo
The Zeta Psi chapter at Arizona State University was very young when I joined as a freshman; they had only just celebrated their first anniversary since getting their charter reinstated. The “older” guys when I joined never had any “older” guys to look up to. That year, the senior group had a 4.0 average GPA, were heavily engaged with the fraternity and the university, and would challenge the direction we were heading in just about every other chapter meeting. It’s from those guys and the ones to follow that I learned to challenge the status quo.
Lambda Chi Alpha indeed has had a great impact on my life. It’s an experience that I cherish, and I only hope that I can give back all that I have received.
What do you hope to accomplish in your next 30 years, professionally, personally or fraternally?
Wow… 30 years is a long time. In 30 years, I’m likely to be on the latter half of my work life and hopefully will have raised a big family. I’m currently energized by entrepreneurship, and am spending these immediate years to learn all that I can to realize this ambition. I also believe that big corporations can and should be the greatest vehicle for social change; we’re beginning to see evidence of that today. Professionally, I hope to bridge those two in a way that can add value to society, make a profit, and inspire others to do the same.
I owe a lot to Lambda Chi Alpha, and hope to reciprocate in anyway needed going forward.
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