Dear fellow Rotarians,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your trust in me, in accepting me as a leader of the club. When I was first asked to take on this role, the full extent of the task did not dawn on me until a few weeks ago. Taking a leadership role is nothing new to me, but in truth, I felt somewhat inadequate for this role, having been with the club for only 3 years.
On the other hand, I choose to look on the bright side, and take the perspective that perhaps maybe this is what the Club needs at this time, a fresh perspective of looking at why and how we are doing things, unencumbered by the norms, by the previous under-currents.
Rotary as you know, on the organisational level, is facing the challenge of being relevant. In fact, this is a global trend for organisations across the board, from union membership to golf membership. It is no different for Marina City, as good as a club we have been. Rotary is many things to many people. My ideal of Rotary, is a group of friends, coming together to help the less fortunate, to make a positive change in society. I believe strongly this idea will always be attractive and will always be relevant. If we can do this, the club will grow and thrive. In this ideal of Rotary, I believe we need to do a better job in bringing people within the club together.
I want to talk about my goals as President this year, which boils down to a somewhat more intrinsic goal, which is to “rekindle the love and passion for the club”. How do we do that? I feel that there are 3 things we need to focus on.
- Positive experiences together is the backbone of all relationships. Think back to the time you dated your wife (or husband). How do you get her to fall in love? You bring her for a picnic, you do something silly, you both laugh about it, and that’s something small that binds you together. We need to have more meaningful activities as a club.
- Increase the sense of ownership. We need to get members more involved in decision-making and planning, give everyone a real voice. We need to change from the management structure of having one bus-driver and many passengers to a team of rowers for the boat, deciding where they want to go, and how.
- Communicate more. Communication involves listening. There are bound to be differences in opinions within the club, especially one where there are such diverse groups of people. Instead of letting bad feelings fester, we should have the maturity to air our differences through proper channels.
I would like to conclude by saying, if we make a positive step towards these, I will be satisfied that I have played my part in making the club a better place this year. Ultimately, we should remember that the club exists only because of its members, and a strong thriving club will result in a positive impact on the community.
Thank you!