Innovate Rotary!

Forget the statistics. Start talking with live humans.

Sometimes people hide behind a mask.  What happens when WE put the mask on others?

There has been a lot of discussion about generational differences - differences in orientation toward service, willingness to work hard, willingness to respect experience, etc.  And there have been plenty more about what that might mean for Rotary membership.  We have come up with labels like "next generation clubs."  Did people in their 30's choose that term, or was that a brainchild of an AARP cardholder?

Here is one simple way to sort out fact from perception:  start talking with live humans. 

Novel idea, right?  What if we stop excluding, assuming and prejudging because of what a professor's statistics suggest abou the average 34 year old's likelihood to serve?  What if we talk with qualified people, one at a time, about their interests, their best service experiences and how there might be a good fit with Rotary?  What if we saw qualified people, regardless of age?

You are not a statistic and don't like being labeled.  So don't assume a person's values based on the date on their driver's license.  Keep your curiousity about people! 

A great conversation is somewhat of a luxury, in our days of 140 character tweets and text messages.  Take the time to enjoy a good conversation with someone, no matter how young or old.  See what you discover about their ideal service experience.  See where it leads.

A Rotarian is . . . an ordinary person who creates extraordinary impact

I recently spoke to Bloomington (MN) Rotary.  During the Q&A after my remarks, one of the members asked if I had seen Past President Jim Lucas' essay, "A Rotarian is an Ordinary Person."  I have posted it here, with Jim's permission.

A Rotarian is an ordinary person who:

- wants to do something extraordinary - to rise above the daily routine - to make a difference in a community and in the world.

- takes on a small task with unusual enthusiasm.

- has a vision of a world at peace, brought about by goodwill and understanding.

- sees 3 million children each year die from disease and asks, "Why?"

- sees 1200 Rotary Foundation scholarships each year and asks, "Why not more?"

- believes that truth is a difficult and worthy pursuit.

- acts not out of convenience, but out of conviction.

- believes that "Service above Self" is more than an ideal - it is a belief that transforms an ordinary person into an extraordinary member of the world community.

Well done, Jim!  This is a great thought of the day for any club.

Attracting the Facebook Generation: Change your culture or start a new club!

As a facilitator of a number of Visioning sessions for Rotary clubs, I have noticed that one of the top membership attributes that clubs strive for is "younger members."  The kind of club that will attract men and women who grew up on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will be very different than the clubs we see today.  The question is this:  are your club and its members flexible enough to give younger members what they expect?

Strategist Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management, recently wrote a blog post entitled, Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500.  In that article, he listed 12 characteristics of online life.  Online life is the life of the "Facebook Generation."  Text messaging, Tweeting and YouTube are not tools or channels of entertainment.  They are just the way life is.  As you read each of the 12 points, ask yourself how your club will make the Rotary experience attractive to folks who see these characteristics as "just the way it is."

1. All ideas compete on equal footing

2. Contribution counts far more than credentials

3. Hierarchies are natural, not prescribed

4. Leaders serve rather than preside

5. Tasks are chosen, not assigned

6. Groups are self-defining and self-organizing

7.  Resources get attracted, not allocated

8.  Power comes from sharing information, not hoarding it

9.  Opinions compound and decisions are peer-reviewed

10.  Users can veto most policy decisions

11.  Intrinsic rewards matter most

12.  Hackers are heroes

Can your club provide this kind of experience?  Can established members accept a world where new members expect to have an immediate say in club matters?  If not, perhaps creating a new club makes more sense.  Why create a new club? 

Sometimes it is very difficult to combine very different cultures within the same location.  When IBM saw a huge opportunity for midrange AS400 computer, they built a new plant in Rochester, Minnesota.  The located it far from IBM headquarters in Armonk, New York, because they knew that the AS400 was so different, that it would not stand a chance if it was too close to the IBMers who grew up with mainframes in their blood.  When IBM got into the PC business, where was its "Entry Systems" Division located?  Boca Raton, Florida. 

So if you want to attract younger members - and keep them, you have 2 choices.   Either change your culture, or create a new club.  And if you are going to creat a new club, don't think "Extension."  Think about applying the 12 characteristics above because you are not extending your existing club by any stretch of the imagination.  You are creating a NEW club that your current members probably won't recognize.

What's working to attract the Facebook Generation where you live?