by rictownsend
Sometimes doing what you’re told works out well in the long run. I only joined Rotary because the chief executive of our company insisted on it.
I still remember the excitement of being appointed to my first branch management position way back in the early ’80′s. One of the things that came as a bit of a shock at the time of being given the position was the request/insistence by my company that, ‘as the company’s representative in my area and as we were good corporate citizens, I would be required to become a member of the local Rotary Club’. My less than politically correct (cheeky) retort to our chief executive was, “you must be kidding Mr Fletcher, that’s just for old guys”. His quick response was; “do you want the job or not”. Sure enough the club in my area was very large and mainly full of ‘old guys’. There was however a few members that were about my age (at the time, early thirties) that seemed to do much of the work in the club.
Now there are obvious advantages that come with being a Rotarian and they are not just the clichéd old… “its just a place for business networking”. Sure that is an obvious outcome however I have seen plenty of inept members almost destroy the positive side of the opportunity by their behaviour in their Rotary club. If you (or your managers) join a club with the view of just selling your products and services to other members you (or they) may well be very disappointed. I have however over the years sold a large proportion of my services both as a financier and corporate trainer through my Rotary connections. What I have said is not contradictory… its more a matter of how you go about things. People like to deal with individuals they can trust and in Rotary you gain trust and respect from the efforts you put in on behalf of your club and of course the projects they are involved in.
I am now a member of my eighth Rotary Club and have been a Rotary member for most of the past 25 or more years. I have also been a member of clubs in five countries. So what has Rotary taught me and what might it help develop in your managers.
Firstly through involvement in the club projects you are exposed to how “real” or “true” and teams work and what an effective team looks like. Because all members are volunteers there are no individuals with legitimate authority they can rely on which usually leads to effective teams being created around a shared vision. The lack of reliance on legitimate authority also teaches you sound human relations skills as you need to work well with others who are likely to be fairly self sufficient and competent in their own right. As part of this process you will also learn how to sell more effectively as you will need to sell you ideas on how to do things. You will also, on a more basic level, need to sell your particular point of view on what should be accepted as a legitimate use of your time and what is not.
A Rotary club is run somewhat along similar lines to any company or organization and if you accept positions in your club you will gain experience in financial control, secretarial duties, directorships and of course as president, a CEO. Even the position of Club sergeant teaches you crowd control and most of all… public speaking. If you think about it all activities involved in Rotary have parallels in your career however Rotarians will usually be a little kinder about helping you overcome your shortcomings than your company or boss will. If you are always late for meetings as an example you may cop a small fine from your club sergeant, however if you constantly do that at work and you may well get fired. Which way would you rather learn timeliness?
In Rotary you will be exposed to all kinds of leaders from autocrats to democrats. Learning how to deal with a range of individuals in a work type scenario will always be valuable.
Wherever people gather there will be politics so you should (or will) develop a greater level of political savvy and a better understanding of group dynamics. Groups of course operate on a different set of rules than do teams. All clubs have disputes over issues as simple as where to meet, to as complicated as which types of charity or projects they should support or not. There are always more in need than there are resources available to help. Here you will also learn how to make hard decisions that really can impact on the lives of others.
I asked a few Rotarians for their perspectives on learning through Rotary and these are a couple of the responses I received:
A lesson in setting personal priorities:
“Study the [your] priorities, get them right and then and only then if the circumstances are right, make the service/community commitment and [make sure you] carry it through. Part of “the lesson is that there does not have to be a personal financial reward for actions, the moral obligation and the outcome is [should be] enough.
Chris Brooker – Rotarian
I summed up his overall comments and attitude with the following statement that he agreed with:
“An individual (manager) who joins a Rotary club will learn very quickly that they need to deliver on what they promise. They will also learn to deliver because of a moral obligation (sticking to their word), rather than for any fleeting chance of financial reward, as there is no direct financial reward involved. This is a lesson in caring for others (a leadership quality needed to succeed) and in the value of sometimes placing your own priorities at the bottom of the list.”
Lessons in accepting diversity and the value of networking:
“The diversity of people with experiences, interests and occupations that can be called upon or learned about in an informal atmosphere, from either fellow members or guest speakers” is a major aspect of Rotary. Also as a Rotary member you can draw on the resources of both a “national and international network”.
David Edmonds – Rotarian
For me the lesson from David’s second point is that to co-operate locally can be quite easy however to deal with an international organization with its rules and procedures can be quite daunting. To learn to co-operate and deal with others, to gain access to funds and resources, mainly through expressing your needs through written submissions, is a great skill to learn.
Lessons in Power:
“[Inspiring] a volunteer/s, without being able to rely on authority provided from a position of legitimate power, is a rewarding way of enabling oneself and others to give of their best.”
Rotarian – Name Withheld
This Rotarian’s comment made me think more about the power issue. The management of Rotary projects teaches you how to use your four other points of power; personal attractiveness or charisma, referent or relationship power, knowledge or expertise, task abilities skills or competence developed from your field of expertise. Power is an emotional topic however if you don’t have it in all its forms as a manager and a leader you will find it difficult to succeed in your career
From my experience Rotary is a valuable way to add to the training and development of managers and of course the information they gather on their local community is a great asset to both the individual and the organization, not to mention the community goodwill that can be created.
Hopefully when you are next sitting thinking about your management development programs you will consider Rotary a legitimate option to assist in their broader education.
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