“DEAR
PRESIDENT . . . ”
An open letter to the incoming presidents
of 32,462 Rotary Clubs
By Frank
Deaver
Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA
Recent college graduates have spent four years, more or less, in
study and preparation for a career. Now they go out into the work
force, ready to employ what they have learned, but probably a bit
fearful about the adequacy of their preparation.
As an incoming Rotary Club president, you may identify with
those feelings: both anticipation and anxiety. Like a college
graduate, you have had a time of preparation, of observing and
learning, of organizing and planning. Now you face the opportunity
to demonstrate your leadership skills.
Your selection to be club president in Rotary Year 2006-07 was
a vote of confidence by your fellow Rotarians, but they rightfully
expect that you will do more than just “hold the office” and preside
at meetings. You must lead your club to enjoy its fellowship, to
enlarge its membership, and to expand its service functions. If
your club members were to summarize what they expect of you, it
might go something like this:
Organize. You have already identified board
members and committee chairmen, but they deserve your ongoing
leadership and counsel. They need a clear understanding of what is
expected of them, a defined set of goals and activities for the
year.
Delegate. An effective leader is not one who can
do the job better than others, but one who challenges others to
accomplish what the leader alone could not do. Once tasks are
defined for your team members, express your confidence in their
abilities and their Rotary dedication. Trust them to excel.
Motivate. Leadership is not power, but
influence. If you first identify the “opinion leaders” in your
club, and enlist their support of your plans, they will extend your
influence beyond what you alone could accomplish.
Consult. There is great benefit in
“group-think,” and your leadership team will be complimented to be
asked for their input. Recognizing that no leader can have perfect
vision, you will benefit immeasurably by the simple act of
listening.
Decide. A leader is ultimately responsible for
decisions – decisions that are intelligent, consistent, practical,
and defensible. While it’s tempting to make quick decisions based
on wishful thinking, valid accomplishments are the result of
thoughtful analysis.
Reach. You are privileged to build on the solid
foundation laid by your predecessors. Your reach is higher because
you stand on the shoulders of those who went before you.
Past-presidents will continue to be a valuable resource, offering a
seamless transition and an ongoing source of knowledge and
experience.
Yes, your fellow Rotarians have chosen you to be their leader.
You bear a heavy obligation to be the best president you can
possibly be. Your response to your club members, and especially to
your past presidents, can perhaps best be expressed in the chorus of
this song
:
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up... to more than I can be.
You have been “raised up” to be more than you ever thought
you could be. Rotary leadership is ordinary people, called on to do
extraordinary things. This is your opportunity. This is your
challenge. Your members elected you. Your members support you.
