Montreal Convention the Best

The Montreal International Convention was a great success. It is always wonderful to renew friendships and meet new friends from around the world. The convention always reminds us about the internationality and strength of our great organization - Rotary International. The warmth and welcome of all the Canadian Rotarians as we hosted the world of Rotary for the 100th anniversary of Rotary in Canada made this a very special event in our history. My top 5 from the convention

1. Friendships in Rotary

2. The terrific news about Polio and how close we are to eradication

3. The speakers and entertainment from Dolly Parton to Queen Noor of Jordan

4. The House of Friendship

5. The atmosphere of Montreal

Club Installations

Chris and I attended two club Installations this past week. I was delighted to install the 2010-11 Officers and Directors for the Rotary Clubs of West Vancouver Sunrise and Lionsgate North Vancouver. Both clubs had a great year in 2009-01 and are looking forward to another year of membership growth, fellowship and service. PE Jason Bowman for WV Sunrise and PE Jim Godey for Lionsgate have set goals to build Bigger, Better and Bolder Rotary clubs as they work to Build Communities and Bridge Continents. Both events were attended by DG Gordon Dalglish and AG Ken Wilson.

West Vancouver Sunrise was also celebrating their 20th Anniversary. Other guests included PDG Dean and Rhino Rohrs, PDG Chris Offer, incoming club presidents Jim Godey, and David Spears, and former members including two grandchildren of past President Maureen Swartz. The sun shone as we enjoyed the beautiful setting of the West Vancouver Yacht Club and celebrated the past 20 years and future success of 'the little club that can".

There are many more club Installations scheduled over the next few weeks. I look forward to being part of many of them and wish all the incoming presidents and club boards a great start to the new Rotary year.

Governor's Banner returns to Chinatown

On May 16 at the District Conference in Prince Rupert the "Home of The District Governor" banner was passed from the Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise to the Rotary Club of Vancouver Chinatown.

DG Gordon Dalglish presented the banner to President Elect Rick Gilbert and DGE Penny Offer. This is the third time the banner has been displayed by the RC of Vancouver Chinatown. Past Governors in the club are PDG Charles Loh and PDG Chris Offer.

DG Gordon was presented with a PDG pin and an engraved clock by DGE Penny with the thanks and gratitude of the Rotarians of District 5040.

AG Gary Gurnsey presented DGE Penny with the Governors pin on behalf of the Rotary Club of Prince George. It is a long tradition in District 5040 that the DG pin is presented by the RC of Prince George.

Use Your Leadership Presence to Inspire

This article by John Baldoni which was published in Harvard Business Review is very good.

In times of crisis people always look for inspirational leaders. What makes for inspiration is subjective, but there is one common element when speaking about leaders who inspire: they have a strong leadership presence.


By presence we mean "earned authority." That is, people follow your leadership because you are a proven quantity, whose credibility rests on your having gotten things done. Every leader must aspire to demonstrate presence in order to inspire; this is a theme I explore in my new book, 12 Steps to Power Presence: How Leaders Assert their Authority to Lead. Let me outline a few key points:

• Know the score. Executives who talk a good game may appear to have presence but what they really have is a silver tongue. If you seek to inspire, you need a deep knowledge of the situation. Communication that directs people to strive for big goals must be reinforced with a process and with information that support achieving those goals, otherwise it is just empty rhetoric. Leaders with presence know their business.
• Radiate command. A leader with presence wears authority like a well-tailored suit. Others notice the good fit and feel comfortable in her presence. A leader who cannot radiate authority is one that will struggle to create followership. Authority stems from strong self-awareness; leaders with command presence are confident because they know what they are capable of achieving by themselves and through others.
• Be humble. Exuding authority doesn't mean overlooking personal limitations. Good leaders are those who know their flaws. A sense of humility affects inspiration in one very direct way: the leader acknowledges that he will succeed only with the help of others. A humble leader draws people to him not because he has all the answers, but because he recognizes that others have good answers, too.
• Provide hope. When people seek inspiration, they are often really seeking hope. Leaders need to deliver it to them. With hope there's a sense of possibility — that if we do what the leader asks, we will succeed. At the same time, hope must be reinforced with a sense of reality: having the right resources used by the right people at the right time. It is a leader's job to deliver on both sides of that equation by providing what employees need when they need it.Let me draw a distinction between presence and charisma. Charisma is the aura leader projects; very often it succeeds people see reflections of themselves in that sheen and therefore are more disposed follow the charismatic person. They are following their own intentions, if you will. Charisma enhances one's presence but it is not essential.
  
  Presence, as noted, is earned authority, or "street cred." For leaders to inspire, they need such presence; it transcends looks and words and reflects not simply intention, but action. Leaders with effective presence are men and women who use their authority to effect good things for the organization.

John Baldoni is a leadership consultant, coach, and speaker. He is the author of eight books, including Lead Your Boss, The Subtle Art of Managing Up.

Seminars in the Northwest

This past weekend, April 17-18, 2010, DGE Penny Offer and District Trainer Dean Rohrs lead a training team in Terrace for the District Assembly and Future Vision Training. This was the last of three weekends for this training to be offered in District 5040.

The team included PDG Art Erasmus, PP Lesley Erasmus, PDG Mary Watson, District Rotaract Chair Bill Sauer assisted by Rotarian Renee Quezada for the Assembly and PDG Kevin Conway for Future Vision.  Rotarians from Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Smithers,Terrace and Burns Lake participated in the training.

Of particular note in the training:   the requirement for certification for Rotarians involved in all youth programs  not just Youth Exchange; awareness of risk in our activities and the need to recognize and manage the risks; and  club qualification for  Future Vision in order to apply for matching funds  from the District and The Rotary Foundation for humanitarian and educational service activities.

Kitimat Rotarians arranged dinner on Saturday night for the training team and several visiting Rotarians joined the Terrace Rotarians for their weekly Friday evening of socializing. Thank you to all the local Rotarians for participating in the training, and for their warm hospitality.

Clubs in District 5040 were encouraged to be BIGGER,BETTER, and BOLDER as they work to Build Communities and Bridge Continents in 2010-11. 

Quesnel Seminars a Success

istrict Assembly April 10 and Future VisionTraining April 11 Quesnel.

Last weekend I lead a training team for the annual District Assembly and the new Future Vision Training on the Rotary Foundation. This was the second of three weekends of training offered to Rotarians around District 5040.

The team included DGND Rebecca MacPherson, AG Liz Neave, AG Gary Gurnsey and YE Chair Petrie Neave for the Assembly and PDG Kevin Conway for Future Vision. Twenty one Rotarians from 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Prince George participated in the two days of training.

Of particular note from the training and importance to District 5040 Rotary clubs are the requirement for certification for Rotarians involved in all programs with youth not just Youth Exchange; awareness of risk in our activities and the need to recognize and manage the risks; and club qualification for Future Vision in order to apply for matching funds from the District and The Rotary Foundation for humanitarian and educational service activities.

The warm hospitality of Quesnel Rotarians in home hosting visiting Rotarians and organizing a dinner at a local Chinese restaurant for the Saturday evening made for a wonderful weekend of Rotary fun and fellowship and fund raising for our Polio Campaign. Thank you to the Quesnel Rotarians for doing what Rotarians do best - enjoy Rotary.

Last weekend I lead a training team for the annual District Assembly and the new Future Vision Training on the Rotary Foundation. This was the second of three weekends of training offered to Rotarians around District 5040.

The team included DGND Rebecca MacPherson, AG Liz Neave, AG Gary Gurnsey and YE Chair Petrie Neave for the Assembly and PDG Kevin Conway for Future Vision. Twenty one Rotarians from 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Prince George participated in the two days of training.

Of particular note from the training and importance to District 5040 Rotary clubs are the requirement for certification for Rotarians involved in all programs with youth not just Youth Exchange; awareness of risk in our activities and the need to recognize and manage the risks; and club qualification for Future Vision in order to apply for matching funds from the District and The Rotary Foundation for humanitarian and educational service activities.

The warm hospitality of Quesnel Rotarians in home hosting visiting Rotarians and organizing a dinner at a local Chinese restaurant for the Saturday evening made for a wonderful weekend of Rotary fun and fellowship and fund raising for our Polio Campaign. Thank you to the Quesnel Rotarians for doing what Rotarians do best - enjoy Rotary.

Clubs in District 5040  were encouraged to  be BIGGER, BETTER, and BOLDER  as they work to Build Communities and Bridge Continents in 2010-11.

 

Annual PDG Lunch

One of the traditions of District 5040 is to hold an annual lunch for the Rotary International Past Officers (PDGs) hosed by the Governor Elect. We held the lunch on April 5, 2010. This is an opportunity for the Governor and Governor Elect to update the PDGs on the state of the district and plans for the next year.

DG Gordon Dalglish gave an update on how well the district is doing, which is very well other than membership. Membership development continues to be our district’s major challenge.
I was able to outline the changes that RI President elect Ray Klinginsmith has made and plans to make during the next Rotary year. RIPE Ray will visit District 5040 on September 29, 2010. The major goal for our district in 2010-11 is to implement The Rotary Foundation future vision plan as a pilot district. The training for this is well underway.

It is good to have the advice, counsel and encouragement from those who’s footsteps I follow.

New Youth Video

Rotary International offers four programs for young people (ages 12-30) that promote leadership, professional development, and service.  This new video really shows how important these youth programs are and that our youth are the future of Rotary.

To learn about Rotary's youth programs click HERE.

District Seminars a Success

DISTRICT ASSEMBLY: On Saturday, March 27^th 63 Rotarians from more than 25 clubs attended the first of three District Assemblies. Topics covered included: the 2010-11 Rotary theme, "Building Communities - Bridging Continents", DGE Penny Offer stressed the goal of bigger, better and bolder Rotary clubs, PDG Dean Rohrs outlined the revised RI strategic plan, district membership chair Linda Coyle offered a practical solution to membership the 5 X 5 plan and PDG Mary Watson updated clubs on the certification required by the Youth Exchange program. 

A presentation on risk management and crisis media management was given by PDG Chris Offer,  AGs Pam Rickey, Ken Wilson, Wayne Roy and Sue Godey covered a variety of administrative topics. DGN Hans Doge stressed the need for partnerships in Rotary.  DGE Penny Offer concluded the seminar with a call for clubs to be creative in their service projects and innovative in their approach to membership development.

Download slide presentations from the seminar:

Youth Exchange Certification
Risk Management and Crisis Media Management
General Assembly Slides

Photos from Metro Vancouver Assembly

 

ROTARY FOUNDATION GRANT MANAGEMENT SEMINAR: On Sunday, March 28^th more than 100 Rotarians from 30 clubs gathered in Delta for the first of three of the district's Rotary Foundation grant management seminars. This is part of the districts participation as a pilot district in the Future Vision Plan.

DGE Penny Offer welcomed the Rotarians and explained the unique role District 5040 has in the future of The Rotary Foundation and the opportunity to use a new approach to humanitarian service.

PDG Kevin Conway, DGE Penny Offer and RRFC Chris Offer gave a series of fast paced  presentations and group exercise on the new grant structure. The new funding model for grants, vocational teams and scholarships was explained. Lively discussions were held on the funding of grants and how future vision has changed the approach to clubs participation in international and local service.  Many questions were asked on the future vision program.

Download Future Vision Grant Seminar slides

Photos of Grant Seminar

 

The next seminars will be held:

Quesnel District Assembly April 10 and TRF Seminar April 11
Terrace District Assembly April 17 and TRF Seminar April 18

The best way to donate to The Rotary Foundation

A short presentation on how TRF Direct works and why it is an easy way to make your donation to The Rotary Foundation. TRF Direct is one of the easiest ways to increase donations from Rotarians in your club. Why not set a goal of getting 5 or 10 members to sign up in the next six months?

Photos from Pacific Northwest PETS held in Seattle March 5 to 7 2010.

Happy Birthday Rotary

During the first Rotary club meeting on February 23, 1905 in Chicago, Paul Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Hiram Shorey and Silvester Schiele met to talk about their personal experiences. Harris then unfolded his general plan for their future club meetings. Paul Harris named the new club "Rotary" because members met in rotation at their various places of business. Club membership grew rapidly. Soon Paul became convinced that the Rotary club could be developed into an important service movement and strove to extend Rotary to other cities.

Watch a 1933 radio address of Paul Harris which is a compilation of audio and still pitcures on YouTube. For more historical information about Rotary, visit Rotary History and Archives or the Rotary Global History Fellowship.

First District 5040 Global Scholar Interviews

On Saturday I had the opportunity to sit on the scholar selection panel for District 5040's first Global Scholarship as a Pilot – Future Vision District. We are one of only 100 pilot districts around the world.
We interviewed four outstanding, bright articulate students from different parts of our district, with diverse cultural and academic backgrounds. It is rewarding to meet and talk to young future leaders of our country. Their enthusiasm and commitment ensures a strong future for our community. We wish we had four scholarships to award.

We were looking for academic performance, defined objectives in a plan to achieve their goals, demonstrated work and volunteer experience, participation in school activities and team sports and the impression of the applicant during the interview.

Scholarships, by a variety of names are The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program. The first scholarships were awarded in 1947. Since then, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Over 650 scholarships were awarded for study last year.
The purpose of the Global Grant Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. The scholar must study in one of the six areas of focus and attend university in one of the 100 pilot districts. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.
Generous contributions from Rotarians in District 5040 fund this scholarship and lay a foundation of future world leaders. We will announce the person selected in a week or two. Approval from TRF is still required and admission to the selected university must be obtained.

Simply Does It

Communications is critical in Rotary. Presentations to clubs, conferences and semianrs are an important part of Rotary communications. I thought the following tip from Alan Stevens "The Media Coach" from the UK is so good I want to share it.

The best speeches are often remembered by a single phrase. For example "I have a dream" or "They shall not pass" or "Yes we can". There are a number of things that make a speech "great", but one of the most important is simplicity. Look back at each of those phrases - just three or four words, each of one syllable. Yet they conjure up ideas and imagery which move people to action or remind them of the message of the speech.

An exercise that I often go through with clients is to find the simplest way of expressing their core message. We try to reduce it to just three or four simple words. If these words are repeated throughout a speech (a rhetorical technique known as anaphora), then they can be used later on by listeners to recall the message of the entire speech.

Sometimes, clients say to me "but my message is complex - it just can't be simplified". My response is always the same "Then how do you expect people to understand it?". Making a message simple is not patronising, or dumbing-down. It is allowing your idea to be understood by the largest possible number of people.

OK, maybe some messages can't be delivered in four simple words. Perhaps it may take five or six. But if you can't find a way to make your message really simple, then you are short-changing your audience.   See: http://www.mediacoach.co.uk/.

Rotarians Welcome Olympic Torch

Had a marvellous afternoon watching the Olympic torch arrive in my community. Wonderful enthusiasm and patriotism. Children and adults had red maple leaves painted on their faces. There was a sea of red jackets, hats and flags. The members of the Rotary Club of Ladner volunteered along the route to pass out hot chocolate. I joined the club members for a de-briefing and light dinner at the local Legion. This is a superb example of Rotary serving the community and maintaining a high profile.

Membership Video

This is a great membership development video from the Rotary Club of Vancovuer Arbutus. Shows us what one club can do. What is your club doing?

Building Communities -- Bridging Continents

It was wonderful to be in San Diego for the International Assembly with more than 500 DGEs from around the world. RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith announced the 2010-11 RI theme, Building Communities -- Bridging Continents, during the opening plenary session. President Elect Ray said he arrived at the theme after reviewing RI themes of years past. He noticed that only a few spoke to non-Rotarians.

He said, "As a result, I decided to search for a briefly stated theme that would fulfill two objectives: the first to explain Rotary to non-Rotarians, and the second to validate our work for Rotarians". "The words I have selected to describe Rotary's current mission and to highlight our achievements are what we do best: Building Communities -- Bridging Continents. " The president-elect described how his 50 years of Rotary experience have contributed to his focus on communities at home and abroad. For example, as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, he studied for a year in South Africa, becoming the first student from his small town of Unionville, Missouri, USA, to study abroad.

He encouraged all of us to reexamine traditional procedures that were no longer best practices and to begin new traditions where appropriate.

I think the theme is easy to work with. Just four words to tell us all what Rotary does.

RI President Elect Ray Klinginsmith theme speech

The 2010-11 RI theme reflects what Rotarians do best, says RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith. See an excerpt from his 18 January International Assembly speech, and watch as he unveils the next theme, Building Communities -- Bridging Continents .