Michael Broadhurst presented our first Zoom Paul Harris Fellowship to Francis Xavier Kyalusi.

 

The World Community Service operates around the world, and we have contributed millions of dollars to projects in forty countries. One of the countries we have succeeded in doing a lot in is Uganda. Our World Community Service committee can only operate where we have strong partnerships with local Rotary clubs. In Uganda, we have great connections with the Rotary Club of Lukaya, Rotary Club of Masaka, and Rotary Club of Kalisizo, our lead club.

 

Francis has been a fantastic leader for us. He first worked with Garth and Ann Tombs, and then with John Ridge and Letha McLaughlin. Our most recent Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project completed just before John died. The project brought water and sanitation to eight villages and schools and provided significant instruction on proper hygiene. It was a fantastic project that was substantially aided by Isis Mejias from the Houston Rotary E-club, who is on the videoconference today.

 

Francis is a retired civil servant. He has furniture manufacturing, hotel consulting and agricultural businesses. He adopted a family of AIDS orphans who are now all grown up. Francis does a lot in the community and has contributed to dozens of Rotary projects, including the Adopt a Village project we are doing in his home village, which is fifteen kilometres from Kalisizo.

 

Our club is very honoured to present to Francis the highest Rotary award we can give, the Paul Harris Fellowship. We hope you display it with pride in your home and that you will continue to do the essential things you do for humanity and particularly the people of Kalisizo. Congratulations, Francis. We give you a virtual standing ovation.

 

 

Maxine Morrison introduced Dr. Laura Hambley of Workplace EvOHlution, a Calgary-based consulting practice of psychologists who specialize in distributed workplaces. The tips provided by Dr. Hambley are especially timely in the COVID-19 period of working from home. The focus of Workplace EvOHlution develops the human elements of distributed work.

 

Dr. Hambley’s presentation addressed the opportunities and challenges of remote work and highlighted necessary habits to lead successful remote teams, including maintaining a healthy work-life balance, trust, and communication. She began by identifying the five components of distributed work as dispersed teams, telework, remote or mobile locations, flexible or agile assignments, and activity-based work. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the first three of these into sudden prominence.

 

The pandemic provides opportunities for workers to balance their work and life activities while improving their productivity by managing distractions. Studies demonstrate that the average worker increases their productivity by between ten and thirty percent while working away from the traditional office. It also provides opportunities to provide strong remote leadership to other team members.

 

The challenges of remote work include

These challenges mean the skills required for face-to-face leadership are necessary but are not sufficient to lead remote teams. Distributed leadership must pay attention to relationships, flexibility (including fostering the appropriate work-life balance for every team member), improving productivity and cultural awareness.

 

Successful remote teams incorporate the following habits into their daily work routines.