Leadership
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You’re an Association Officer! Now What?
Whether you’re stepping into your role as an association officer right away or preparing to begin soon, you are about to embark on a journey that will shape your leadership skills, how you see yourself and your potential.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Why Women in Business Must Keep Going
Through organizations like DECA, young women gain the confidence, skills and resilience needed to pursue leadership and continue the work of creating more equal opportunities in business.
5 Tips to Help You Stay Productive
Balancing schoolwork, DECA and other extracurriculars is challenging. There are so many distractions around you that prevent you from focusing on your work. Here are 5 tips that will help you stay on track!
From Vision to Verity: How to Stay Consistent with Your 2026 Goals
As we begin February, many New Year’s Resolutions fade into wistful aspirations instead of life-changing habits. Here are some of my favorite tips for keeping consistent when the New Year’s sparkle wears off.
5 Things I Learned as an Association Officer Outside the Classroom
Beyond the metrics and milestones, my greatest takeaways have been the lessons I learned along the way. Here are the five things that I definitely learned in DECA outside of the classroom.
Resolutions to Results: How to Set and Achieve Goals
Resolutions are long-term goals that require planning, habits, positive and realistic thinking. In this article, you will learn how to set and achieve your personal goals to become your ideal version of yourself SMARTly!
Soft Skills: The Skills that Set You Apart
Every successful DECA member has one thing in common: strong soft skills. You may not see them listed on a role-play feedback sheet, but they are what truly separate good competitors from great ones.
New Year, New Me: Crafting Your 2026 Personal Brand
The start of the new year is a great opportunity to shape your personal brand. Here are a few tips on how to start the year off on a strong note.
Where Commitment Meets Leadership: Inside Association Office
Association officers play a huge role in shaping the DECA experience for members by supporting initiatives and representing DECA with professionalism and heart. Let’s take a closer look at what being in association office is really like!
DECA Teaches You How to Win—And How to Lose
Winning earns trophies. Learning earns leadership. DECA’s real lessons happen offstage, through collaboration, resilience and initiative, and they shape the students who make the biggest impact.
New Year, New Momentum: Setting Goals That Actually Stick
When you set intentional goals, your time, energy and effort begin to align. Every early morning, late night and moment of preparation has meaning because it’s connected to something bigger than the task at hand.
It’s Your Turn to Lead: Run for Executive Office
Executive Office is an opportunity to give back to our organization while expanding your journey as an emerging leader. Here’s why you should consider running for Executive Office.
DECA Direct Magazine: Prepare for the Real World
Whether you're about to graduate high school and begin your journey into college, or are saying goodbye to your collegiate years and are looking towards starting your career, this issue has the tips and best practice you need to know to achieve #Limitless success in the real world.
DECA Direct Magazine: Limitless
This issue features an the #Limitless Year Quiz that you can take to find a perfectly tailored list of DECA conferences, programs, challenges and activities you can participate in this year that relate to your own career interest.
4 Skills for Effective Teamwork
If you are athletic and grew up playing a lot of organized sports, or if you were involved in your school’s student council or theater productions, you already may be very familiar with group dynamics and working on a team; however, if you didn’t, working on a team may be somewhat new to you.
