What is the purpose in your Rotary Club? There is magic and an energy which is irresistible to those around you.

Article by PP Tony Heyward, Assistant Rotary Coordinator

If you have been part of, or led a purpose driven culture, I am sure you will be motivated to find it again.

It can be infectious. You feel very connected and part of a team changing the world, driving ideas, and facilitating new ways of doing things that no one has thought of before. There is magic and an energy which is irresistible to those around you.

The problem I believe many of our Clubs are encountering is that we are worrying about things we have no control on, i.e. magazines, costs, availability of time, meals and who might join us. These obstacles do not exist in a purpose driven organisation.

It all starts with mind-set, as it is important and vital that everyone’s thinking is aligned and in the right frame of mind to create a purpose.

First, you as the leader need to decide and be intentional in creating and driving the purpose. As the leader you need to be the evangelist: members need to see you when they think of the purpose. It is important that this is authentic and real.

Second, the next step is for you and your teams is to see the possibilities in front of your club. The switch happens when you stop seeing all the issues and start seeing all the possibilities. You need this to happen before you build a purpose statement. Otherwise, it will not be aspirational, and your club will not be aiming high enough. When your club focuses on issues, everything seems impossible.

A purpose is only powerful when it’s put into action. In many clubs' strategy and execution are delivered through teams. It is important that in Rotary we all continue to identify, build, and develop high-performing teams. These teams have infectious drive and energy. They create and execute strategies that see them outperform other organisations. In these teams, camaraderie drives a sense of loyalty and belonging, for which we all strive for in Rotary.

With change being constant and anticipated, I am extremely optimistic that many of our Rotarians in our ZONE will be open to new ideas and finding new ways to do things. As leaders within this highly respected organisation called Rotary, you will be remembered as leaders of change.

Have a wonderful year, it promises to be extremely exciting.