2 Club Mbrs Attended Rotary Leadership Institute

Posted by Shiks Dhiyani Pai on Apr 04, 2017

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) held classes for all levels of Rotary training on Saturday March 22, 2017 in Lincoln Rhode Island. I attended Level I, while Liz Kaprielian attended Level II. The purpose of RLI is to assist in improving the Rotary knowledge and leadership skills of the future leaders of our Rotary clubs. Rotarians came from as far away as Maine, as well as from Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island. A recurring theme was the need to "modernize" clubs to drive member growth and member engagement and enthusiasm.

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) held classes for all levels of Rotary training on Saturday March 22, 2017 in Lincoln Rhode Island. I attended Level I while Liz Kaprielian attended Level II. The purpose of RLI is to assist in improving the Rotary knowledge and leadership skills of the future leaders of our Rotary clubs. Rotarians came from as far away as Maine, as well as from Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island.

RLI courses are designed to be taken sequentially. All sessions are facilitated by certified Discussion Leaders, who are all Rotary governors, or past presidents who have attended all three parts and been certified. Part I covers Leadership Characteristics, Rotary Beyond the Club, Teambuilding, Rotary Foundation I, Membership Retention, and Service Projects. You don't need to be a current club leader or even a long-time member to benefit from this program.

I would recommend every member to make time and attend RLI. It gives a tremendous clarity on how a club can work and how important is to help grow the new perspective members. The program helps many Rotarians from different clubs meet and get to exchange many ideas. You get to know how other clubs work and how actively they are conducting new projects. You want to 'Join Leaders . . . Exchange Ideas . . . Take Action!"

Here are some thoughts from Liz on her experience in Level 2 that same day....

Level II started with a session on Strategic Planning that included some frank discussion about the viability and health of the clubs, and ideas of clubs can introduce change successfully to grow and thrive. It was clear from the discussion that each club comes with it's own "DNA" and has it's own unique challenges around change. What will work for some clubs, will not work at all in others. Another session included discussions around effective Communication, including meeting & greeting and introducing folks on the fly!

The session around Growing Membership led to a lively discussion around various Rotary traditions and how those are perceived by the rest of the world. Even something as simple as blue Rotary table skirt or Rotary blue felt banner are perceived by new and young members as odd and old . Level II wrapped up with an overview of Rotary's system of grants. The various buckets of funding can be a bit confusing, but Rotary International and various Districts are working hard to make the power of these grants more widely understood at the club level. The multiplier effect of clubs pooling funds to go for district grants, which can then be matched by global grant funds, is still not well understood by many clubs or the public. It's another hidden but powerful story that is unique to Rotary.

RLI provides a way to connect and discuss with other Rotarians how they are addressing all kinds of things: fellowship, service, membership, grants & service projects. Hearing new ideas and success stories is exciting and energizing! If you haven't given it a try, I'd highly recommend it. And in most cases, our club will also pay for the session. Last session is upcoming on May 6, 2017 in Peabody, MA at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites. Visit http://www.rlinea.org/ for more information.