Frank Deaver Rotary Editorials

     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.