How district leaders empower Rotary clubs

By Yasir Maqbool, president of the Rotary Club of Lahore Sharqi (East), Pakistan

At Rotary, our success stems in no small part from the dedication and commitment of our leadership. Rotary clubs are led by club presidents, who undergo extensive training and then commit to go beyond their leadership year to achieve their clubs’ goals in keeping with the objectives of Rotary. Club presidents receive critical support and guidance from district leaders, who themselves receive extensive training in preparation for helping clubs achieve those goals.

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How to set your club on a good path for the new Rotary year

club training
Incoming club directors listen to training in advance of taking on roles to lead their club. Innovative sessions with case studies and inspired speakers can help a new board lead a club forward.

By Vivek Khandelwal, a former Group Study Exchange participant and member of the Rotary Club of Deonar, Mumbai, India

What makes one Rotary club vibrant and another one not? Sometimes, this is not always the easiest thing to understand. But I can vouch for the difference it makes during my own experience as a Rotary member for the past 12 years. And a lot of it stems from how effectively a club plans for and executes changeover in club leadership.

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The Four-Way Test isn’t a tool to judge others

Martin Postic Jr.

Martin Postic Jr.

By Martin “Marty” Postic Jr., past governor of District 5750 and a member of the Rotary Club of OKC Sunrise, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

In our contentious society, I see friends who are members of Rotary use The Four-Way Test to support opposing political and social arguments and to criticize the thoughts, statements, and actions of others. I see members with completely opposing viewpoints use the same Four-Way Test to both support their argument and demean others. Rotarians and others are using all forms of social media to share their opinions about perceived violations of The Four-Way Test, causing others to pile on additional comments and insults, all with little thought to how this affects our public image.

Which leads me to this basic premise: Continue reading

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to take risks

John Smerdon and Daniel Vankov prepare sausages for the homeless.

John Smerdon and Daniel Vankov prepare sausage sizzle for the homeless in Brisbane.

By Daniel Vankov, Immediate Past President, Rotary Club of Brisbane, Australia

Rotary’s secret is cooperation. Alone we are useless. Together we are powerful. And together in a million we are unstoppable.

I had the honor of serving as president of the Rotary Club of Brisbane in 2017-18. It was a task that was not only challenging, but highly rewarding. My desire had been to make a difference, which also happened to be the theme 2017-18 Rotary President Ian Riseley put forward for the year. Continue reading

3 lessons I learned as a Rotary club president

By Quentin Wodon, past president of the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., USA 

Every year, 35,000 new presidents pick up the reins to guide their Rotary clubs. Having recently completed a year as president myself, I thought it would be beneficial to share three lessons I learned from the experience. Continue reading