Innovate Rotary!

Great sources for Rotary "Thought of the Day"

After exploring the topic of how to best present the Rotary Thought of the Day (versus invocation or prayer - see previous posts), I thought I would pass along some of my favorite sources of inspirational and thought-provoking ideas.  The idea here is to find non-religious, inspiring ideas when it is your turn to offer the thought of the day. 

Here is a list of books that are great sources of inspirational and thought-provoking ideas.  Find the books at your favorite library or bookseller or click on the author's name for more information:

• True North by Bill George
• Finding Our Way by Meg Wheatley
• Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
• How by Dov Seidman
• The Big Moo by The Group of 33 , Edited by Seth Godin
• Most books by Peter Drucker
• Good to Great for the Social Sectors by Jim Collins
• Change the way you see Everything by Cramer and Wasiak
• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

If you don't own these books, try looking up the books at www.amazon.com and use their "look inside" feature to read an excerpt that just might contain the quote you are looking for.

Do you have a reliable source of material for a Rotary thought of the day?  Please share.

Rotarians and the Environment

As part of Blog Action Day, today's post is about Rotary's efforts to improve the environment.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time to give full accounting of the positive impact that Rotary is having on the environment.  Rotary clubs around the world are involved with projects like safe drinking water, sanitation, tree planting, soil and water conservation and so much more.

If your club is involved in a project that has environmental impact, make sure people know about it.  If you find that you cannot name at least 5 local or international projects that really set your club apart (not counting check-writing - I mean real, hands-on projects), consider some project focused on improving the environment.  That could be something as simple as planting a tree for each guest speaker, doing litter cleanup along a busy street or highway or conducting educational programs in your local school. 

Some clubs stay away from environmental projects because they are reluctant to get involved in political arguments about global warming.  Don't let that stop you.  Find something you can agree on.  After all, clean water, breathable air, a little shade in the summertime and a little beauty are good for all of us - and our future.

Every club needs a variety of signature projects to appeal to a diverse membership base.  How could the environment be part of what your club is known for?

No feeling, no magic.

From the Rotary Presidential Conference on Membership at South Bend, Indiana - July 27-28, 2007

Ed Futa, RI General Secretary (that means he runs Rotary HQ) reflected with great fun and humor on the conference theme, Sharing the Magic of Rotary.  He began, though, with a serious question:  "Share what?"

I learned that one of the things Ed Futa is passionate about is new phones.  True to form, Ed displayed his new iPhone and told the audience how he demonstrates the iPhone's video player capability using a Rotary public service announcement.  To Ed, new technology, and especially the latest mobile phone, is magic.

So if we follow through on this theme of  "Sharing the Magic," what do you mean by magic?  Unless you have some concept of the magic of Rotary, what are you going to share?  What is the essential kernel of Rotary that makes it magical for you?

The core message I took away from his comments was this:  Without passion, there is no magic.  Without passion, what we do in Rotary is an accounting task of dollars raised and donated, rather than how much was added to human and community capacity.  Without feeling, what we do is like many corporate press releases announcing new technology.  They do a great job of listing the features and specifications.  But they lack the emotional impact that happens when we listen to customers in the field who tell their personal stories.

Want to get membership efforts in gear?  Don't start with numbers.  Start with yourself:  Why is Rotary magic to you?  What does Rotary bring to you that you don't find in other areas of your life?  Take your ideas about why you are in Rotary - then add your  passion and energy to bring your ideas to life.  Then share that passionate story with someone else so they, too, can connect to what they are passionate about.

PS  Consider sharing your personal and club stories in new ways so technophiles like Ed Futa can find you!  If you share your Rotary story on Slideshare, YouTube or elsewhere, be sure to let me know.

Take action:

• What is your defining Rotary story?   Where did Rotary help you bring out your best?
• What is the most touching experience you have had in Rotary?   What makes your eyes water?
• How can you tell your stories with more passion and conviction?  Who will you share those stories with this week?