Rotary has held a pretty special place in my life for the last 18 years. From knowing nothing about what Rotary is and does to knowing the potential power just makes me feel like I haven't experienced all that Rotary could deliver. Being part of a dynamic group of business leaders and doers in the early years only makes me wish I was back in that era again. Perhaps I wouldn't waste so much time getting involved.
Rotary is a serious and highly developed organisation of changemakers with tools and resources to do powerful and life-changing projects.
As I start pulling closed the strings of being President, I am reflecting on what my club has achieved over the last year. I look at each member and analyse their involvement, Rotary knowledge and commitment. While I am not entirely happy with the outcome I am encouraged by a number of members who are starting to see a bigger picture. This is in no small part due to our "behind the scenes" Mentors who are picking it up by their own volition. I have always believed that people who pick a job up because they believe in their own ability are better at delivering a high level outcome than a person who has just been allocated a job. These types of people also go out of their way to learn from others because they know they don't know everything which further adds value to a learning creative environment.
Our Club Mentors are not doing the job because someone gave it to them. They are doing the job because they could see a need and deliver an outcome. Just like building a greenhouse, there is always a need for people who can think outside the square, people who can pool resources and people who can work as a team to deliver an outcome. It is a simple but elegant model of achievement through cooperation.
Let's face it, people need to want to learn and develop to become the leader they want to be. No one can allocate that. That leader wants to be surrounded by other leaders who will challenge and grow them as people. These are the future people for our Club and self-appointed mentors are a good starting point because they have motivation towards strengthening the club.
I'm retired, I just want to wind down and fade away.
There is nothing wrong with being retired in Rotary. There is something wrong if you don't make an effort to pass on your experiences in your working life and in your glory years in Rotary. I get it that you love the Men's Shed and all the other distractions that suit your stage in life but Rotary is about keeping up with the times and renewing the tree to serve the community in the future. Retired people are an extremely important part of Rotary life because they have experience. Don't fade away, share your experience.
While some see Rotary as a social club, I see Rotary as a personal development Club with social benefits. There is an underlying current to serving the community in the best capacity that your Club can and that always feeds back into your personal development goals. Building a better community takes teamwork to make the dream work!