Cathy Roth was our guest speaker, please see below for Pam's notes on Cathy's presentation.
How many can recall 20 years ago? What were you doing? – Some (flippant) responses
Did you expect to be sitting here? Often we’re so busy with life, we don’t think ahead eg to retirement. Is it fulfilling?
Look at the whole aspect of planning. Cathy called for written audience responses to the question: What will you be doing in 5 years’ time? Some members’ responses were revealed
Will our dreams just happen? We need to plan.
Is it the planning or the dream that makes the difference. It is a mix of both.
Now every organization has goals and methods of achieving them, but often with different terminology
Vision = Dream Mission Statement = process (plan) to make the dream happen
In 5 yrs time we will all be 5 years older – our health, circumstances may change. How can we, Rotarians, make sure that we are able to do the job.
We need to keep the Vision/dream but realign our goals to comply with the environment (social, political, technological) in which we will be working.
How can we find a way for it to happen, given changes in the environment? Audience suggestions: communication, collect information, list areas needing to be addressed and goals to be achieved. This is challenge involved in all aspects of life, do we allow the situation to control us rather than us controlling the situation. There’s a difference between being proactive and reactive.
How is Rotary coping in this fluid world? Is it getting left behind? Does the problem lie with the Organization, Clubs or Rotarians?
Membership retention – do members feel involved, needed?
Younger people – time poor, money poor and lack of commitment
Will this be the same in 5 years’time? Suggested worse.
Change has been happening since the inception of Rotary (cars replaced horse & carriage!). The difference is our reaction to change. We need to take control.
Consider a forward planning exercise for the Club – social, technological and legal etc changes need to be considered. Today is a different landscape, we need different processes. Ask if activities will still be relevant to the landscape. Align the dream for the future to the environment.
With all eyes closed – Cathy asked for a show of hands, who is prepared to commit to forward planning to see the Club through the next 5 years? Most hands went up.
Cathy asked President Lesley to organize a Club Visioning session. Cathy (and another District rep) will come and facilitate.
Is Rotary where it needs to be? The organization has a Strategic Plan in place to make dreams happen. E.g. Polio eradication.
Realize we need to recreate a vision and put required processes in place. What is our dream? Establish why our dream can happen, not why it can’t.
Planning may not bring change but it can bring excitement.
Now we have planning to do for the future for making Grovedale vibrant and able to operate in a changed world 5 or 10 years hence.
