Myths and Legends

As with any organisation Rotary has built up a number of cultural norms over the last 100 years.  I thought I might take a look at some of these and perhaps discuss what relevance they have in the 21^st Century.  In addition there are a number of misunderstandings that I have heard in recent weeks that could readily be fixed.

 

So where to start ……..

The Rotary Theme

We have an annual Rotary theme – this years being “Engage Rotary – Change Lives.   Whilst some of these particularly last years “Peace through Service” do lend themselves to external use these themes are aimed at our internal audience being designed to inspire and motivate Rotarians.   We should not use them on letter heads and such that are aimed at an external audience.  This only confuses people with regular changes of emphasis.

The whole aspect of our brand image is being developed by RI at the moment and we are being encourage to look more closely at how we promote ourselves externally in the future

To quote the guidance document “We are Rotary, and we have a great story to tell. It’s up to all of us to protect, promote, and deliver on that story in all our interactions.”

More details of how we should do this are available here and guidance will increasingly become available to us all.

Attendance

Regular involvement in Club activities is critical to making sure that people fully engage with Rotary.  Unfortunately some people still seem to think that our attendance rules mean that a Rotarian needs to attend 60% of meetings.  The percentage was changed to 50% over 3 years ago and does not have to be weekly meetings.  The key issue is that someone gets involved in Rotary, be it service projects, visiting other Clubs, governance or learning and development.  All of these enhance an individual’s involvement in Rotary and quite rightly should count towards their Rotary activity.

I am aware of a number of Clubs who are considering converting weekly attendance into service hours.  An interesting approach and perhaps worth considering.

The Meal

Tradition has it that Rotary Clubs meet for a meal and their service activity stems from the fellowship around the table.  However in the beginning the meetings were more networking events followed eventually by service activity.  It is all too easy to become a diners club if service is not at the forefront of what we do.

As for all the other trappings of a semi-formal meal how many of us say grace and toast our head of state around our dining tables at home or in a restaurant or pub in the 21^st Century?   I suspect very few, so why do we continue with this tradition at all?

In fact why do we insist on having a meal at all?   Many people complain about the cost of Rotary.  Our subs are around £100 a year but we may spend over £600 on having a meal and a drink each week.   Only a fraction of this £600 could go a long way to improving our annual giving to Foundation.

Dress Code

A couple of years ago my Club had a vote on the wearing of ties – between May and October we needn’t wear them!   But what do most people wear at work, if indeed they are still in work.  Surely smart casual, or whatever you are comfortable in is more appropriate in the 21^st C

Change

Change is one of the constants in our lives, it's a natural part of the cycle of life.  It was Longfellow that said "All things must change to something new, to something strange".  It's this strangeness, the uncertainty, the unknown, that sometimes means we need to give change a hand.

Andy Warhol said that "They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

Rotarians are changing the world; ending polio, providing clean water and sanitation, educating young women, and much much more.   We have to be able to continue this work for many years to come.   So what are you going to?   Can you start by challenging some of the Myths and Cultural norms we have built up over the years?

Engaging Change - Fellowship, Community & Kaizen

I wrote the first version of this paper in 1998 whilst trying to assess how Cumbria County Council might better involve communities in decision making.

At the time the key issues were seen as the need to;

Ø  develop the Communities of Cumbria

Ø  invite Citizens to inform decision making and support the development of their neighbourhoods

Ø  develop fellowships of members, staff and citizens

Ø  use the principles of continuous improvement (Kaizen)

All of these being underpinned by the need to show that the authority was providing "Best Value" to all.

 

The parallels with where Rotary finds itself now are uncanny.   We need to;

• enable our Clubs to (re)engage with their communities
• support Rotarians as they identify community needs and the needs of their own Clubs
• bring RI (RIBI), Districts and Clubs closer together
• encourage each other to Engage Rotary to Change Lives

and enable of all this in times of austerity, falling membership and increasing pressure on peoples time.

The original version of this paper took a look at some of the ideas behind Community Building, Fellowship and Kaizen.

One question that was asked was, "Are Fellowship and Community one in the same? ".  We could add to this by asking if a Rotary Club is a Community in its own right, or just a fellowship of like minded people.?

The following definition of Community helps us understand why they probably are the same ….

"A Group of two or more people who, regardless of the diversity of their personal backgrounds or ideology, age, race, gender, sexuality or politics, have been able to accept, transcend and celebrate their differences.  This enables them to communicate openly and to work and play together in a generous and rewarding way"[1]

Does this definition resonate with you?   After all Rotary unites people from all continents, cultures, and occupations—it's truly one of our greatest strengths. Our members are leaders in their fields and communities. Our diverse perspectives help us to see problems differently—and help us solve them in communities throughout the world.

So why is it important to be talking about Fellowship & Community in this way?

If we are to get closer to the communities we purport to serve and, as a result, show that we are able to change the way engage with them.  Perhaps we are going to have to remove some of the "baggage" that we are often accused of having.  "We've always done it this way", "When am I going to have the time to change", "We've heard all of this before but nothing changes".  We are going to have to challenge ourselves and our colleagues to enable the (Re)Engagement of Rotary with the communities in which we live work and play.

There are many Rotarians that state that they don't their Rotary to be like business, however we have to be business like and this is where the link to Kaizen comes in.   The Kaizen philosophy assumes that our way of life, our culture, deserves to be constantly improved.

“Continuous improvement in personal life, home life, social life and working life as a whole.  As related to the workplace, Kaizen means continuing improvement involving managers and workers, customers and suppliers alike.  Quality is anything that can be improved.  “[2]

If we agree that we have to change the way we do things or do different things (Re-Engineer to Re-Engage) then Kaizen based ideas can provide some of the tools to help.  But Kaizen is a philosophy; it has a culture of its own.  Is this the culture that Rotary needs?

   

In order to Re-Engineer in a way that ensures we keep people with us and motivate them along the way then we should use Kaizen techniques.   Kaizen can be seen as having a culture of partnership very similar to the ideas of Fellowship and Community highlighted earlier. 

It is clear that we have to enable everyone to cope with the need to “Engage Change to allow Rotary to Live”  Our internal and external communities who are being invited to give their constructive view of our services and how we provide them, perhaps having to think about what they want from Rotary for the first time.  The Rotarian who has been aching to have their say for so long and is now being invited to contribute to developments.  Or even the "We've always done it this way" group who need to be inspired to see over the horizon.

We have a wide range of people who need to be able to grasp this culture of continual change and improvement quickly.

 

Kaizen philosophy encourages people to…

Ø  Discard conventional fixed ideas

Ø  Think of how to do it, not why it can’t be done

Ø  Not to make excuses.  Start by questioning current practices

Ø  Not to seek perfection.  Do it right even if for **[3]% of the target

Ø  Correct it right away, if you make a mistake

Ø  Not to spend money on Kaizen, use your wisdom

Ø  Realise that Wisdom is brought out when faced with hardship

Ø  Ask “WHY ?” five times and seek root causes

Ø  Seek the wisdom of ten people rather than the knowledge of one

Ø  Accept that Kaizen ideas are infinite

The inclusive nature of this philosophy is typically promoted through the use of such tools as Quality Circles, Focus Groups etc.  In order for these developmental groups to work successfully they need to be a "Community" in their own right.  Rotary already has many appropriate tools available and is developing more.  Many Clubs are already taking a look at what they are doing and we should encourage many more to do so.  

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[1] From Community Building Insights, produced by Community Building in Britain

[2] NASA Langley Research Centre

[3] What ever agreed % is appropriate to the service being provided

Further thoughts on the Need for Change

Over recent weeks I have been regularly talking to Rotarians about the need for change as we explore Engage Rotary - Change Lives and the alternative phrase Engage Change -  Rotary Lives.

Change is one of the constants in our lives, it's a natural part of the cycle of life.  It was Longfellow that said " All things must change to something new, to something strange".  It's this strangeness, the uncertainty, the unknown, that sometimes means we need to give change a hand.

We can very easily get in a rut, become to comfortable, complacent and think that nothing could be better than what we have now.  But so often as Kathleen Norris suggests disconnecting  from change and trying to hark back to the past does not work, "It loses the future".   What might be, what could be, the development process that takes us into the strangeness.

Some may ask why we need to consider change?  Take a look around, do we really want to carry on damaging each other, our planet and perhaps our futures?   Do we want the number of Rotary members to continue to dwindle away as our communities demands increase? As Prof Irwin Carey says " If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going ..."  

The world around us is changing, technology, communications, peoples increased expectations are all part of the change processes going on. 

So how do we give change a hand?

We can take a look at where we are now and ask where we want to be in the future and then do something about it.

We could wait for natural evolution to take its course, but do we have the time? Some form of active revolution may be required.

We need to listen to those with a vision of how a future might be and grasp their ideas.  Some may work, others not but to do nothing is not an option.

Andy Warhol said that "They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

So perhaps Apple was right and the quote below, shown in the video, needs to be taken even more seriously now than ever.   http://youtu.be/tjgtLSHhTPg

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them. Disagree with them. Glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world Are the ones who do. "   

Rotarians are changing the world; ending polio, providing clean water and sanitation, educating young women, and much much more .....  We have to be able to continue this work for many years to come. 

Travels in our District - Part 1

Motorways are now seen as the arteries of the country.  In Cumbria & Lancashire we are lucky have the relatively quiet section of the M6 together with its links to the Fylde and the Ribble valley.

Talking to a number of  Past Rotary District Governors it would seem that before the motorways travelling through our district before was a great adventure or perhaps, occasionally,  a nightmare.   Whilst traffic was less the times taken to travel North to South would be that much longer.

Reflecting on the road network in the district I recalled some of the changes I have been involved in over the years.  Making sure that the A590 went to the M6 rather than being hidden away at the end of the Levens diversion.  Being told off for taking an A6**  road across the wrong side of the naming divide.

In this time of sat navs many of you may not know the rule of thumb of road numbering.  If you’re between the A6 and the A5 numbers will be A5**, if between the A1 and A6 we have the A6**.  So allowing the Carlisle Northern Development Route to be called the A689 is probably a no-no for the purist.   If you want to find out more about this rather unusual topic take a look at http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/

Here’s a thought;  could the map be the basis of a redistricting exercise for Rotary with roads as the defining boundary feature rather than political or geographical boundaries.   Adding in some of the key east-west and north-south routes might result in some interesting areas…… 

The Nature of Change

Reflecting on the first month as DG I am excited that clubs seem to be up for the challenges we face as an organisation membership retention and growth and the development of the use of our Rotary Foundation

These challenges will require strong leadership to manage the changes that are needed.

We already have many of the tools we need at our disposal and more are on the way.  We just need the will to succeed, the trust to take action and to overcome the fear of change.

Our successful membership seminar held on the 9th July has already acted as a catalyst for some clubs to start the process of taking a look at how and what they do.  Others are telling us that they are determined to get closer to their own communities.  The process of Engaging Rotary has started.

The leadership seminar being planned for October needs to provide yet another boost to those individual Rotarians who realise that if we Engage Change Rotary Lives.

All of this activity led me to think about Johari’s Window – that tool for self disclosure and personal development that can often be used in an organisational context

It works by encouraging us to ask others about what might be holding us back and telling colleagues what we feel about the need for change

 So in the Rotary context, for self replace Club Rotarians for others why not try the new or prospective Rotarian. The area of shared discovery can be scary but ultimately fulfilling.   It is where the future of Rotary lies – in the unknown.

    

A Sense of Belonging

Over recent weeks I have been a little surprised to hear people taking about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs in relation to Rotary activity.   But I guess when we look at it the concept covers everything we do and how we do it.

So what do Rotarians do?  We provide "Community needs on a global scale" and we do this by undertaking Service above Self.

So taking a look at the simplest of hierarchies, in many cases our activities provide for peoples basic needs, safety and security.   Our Areas of Focus, Peace and conflict prevention/resolution,  Disease prevention and treatment and Water and sanitation concentrate on the basic needs.  Our others, Maternal and child health, Basic education and literacy and Economic and community development start to build on the requirements for love and belonging and self esteem.

As I start my District Governor visits to Clubs I realise that for many Rotarians there is a real sense of belonging to a Club, perhaps over and above Rotary International itself.  That regular weekly meeting is a place of friendship and fun and can be a regular outing in what could be difficult personal circumstances.   The Club meeting can therefore be a real anchor in someone’s life.

For others, who are perhaps more involved in our project work, the sense of achievement from a job well done and the provision of service for others gives a sense of personal esteem, occasionally reinforced by thanks from those that receive our service.

Every now and then a project will provide us with a special Rotary Moment, that spine tingling event that really gets to the heart of what we do and why we do it.  It’s these moments that help us move on to more innovative and creative thinking about what it is really possible to do as a member of Rotary. 

So, yes, Maslow’s Hierarchy makes a lot of sense of what we do.  

In this internet age the diagram on the right is an interesting take on the issue provided by blogger Erica Glaiser.  Where would you put LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Wordpress?

A Sense of Place

Having started a few weeks of intense travelling around the District I have been considering what a sense of place means.

Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness

Many of the places I will visit during the year will have personal memories whether related to my family, school, working or Rotary life.   A good example from this first week on the road was the Town Hall in Barrow where I started my working career all those years ago.  The Rothay Manor Hotel, Ambleside that I helped put in the middle of a one way system and the A590 which I helped improve in the 1980’s.

Cumbria & Lancashire

The journey around the district will highlight the varied landscapes, towns and cities in which we provide our service.  The lakes and mountains of the Lake District, the rivers and valleys of the Eden, Lune and Ribble, the hills of Bowland and Pendle the coastal plains of the Solway, Morecambe Bay and the Fylde; It’s a great area to live, work and play.

We also have a wide range of communities in the district from small picturesque villages to run down housing estates in areas of deprivation.  A challenge for all of us as we determine what we should do in our communities and how we manage the growth in membership we know we need.

A final thought this week about the sense of place relates to where we meet.  It will be interesting as I travel the district to get a sense of what meeting venues mean to Rotarians and the communities which they serve.   Are there situations where our meeting place is inappropriate as we struggle with the challenge to bring more people into our organisation.