LEADERS MUST "S.E.R.V.E."

THE METAMORPHOSIS By Ernie D. Delfin YOUTH Director Newport Irvine Rotary Club, District 5320 Our Rotary leadership “rotates” or changes every year. For some clubs, it becomes just another mundane event that does not even create any excitements. Sometimes, a few clubs even have difficulty finding the right member to take that leadership role, who is really able and willing. We adults seem to have lost that sense of excitement of our faded youth. I often wondered why this phenomenon in some clubs of Rotary. Is it probably because we have lost the capacity to be excited from one event to another, like the great anticipation for an event like the birth of a baby or your first date? Pondering why we are afflicted with this debilitating illness of declining membership, I think it has something to do with the quality of leadership that sooner or later trickles down to all the members. If the leader takes his position very lightly, without any excitement, then the membership also gets it too. It is the leader that sets the tone, it is he or she who rings the bell. I have read many books on leadership, as there are so many kinds of leaders as there are organizations. Leaders come and go. Many leave their footprints in the sand while a few etched their footprints in stone. To be in a leadership position is often lonely but it can also be very rewarding. What kind of a leader do you belong to? Lately, I read some traits of ‘evolving’ kinds of leaders that will be more prevalent (I believe) with our society becoming more Eco-Green conscious as we try to improve the planet. Leaders are becoming to be SERVICE ORIENTED as social businesses will become more popular as the Grameen-Danone Joint Venture in Bangladesh is proving that it can be quite successful . Traits of this new class of visionary leaders who also exhibit that great brand of Servant Leadership, , according to Ben Blanchard, can be describe with this acronym: SERVE, that stands for: *SEE THE FUTURE: Create a compelling vision for the team to get excited about, that members will feel losing something if they do not get involved. *ENGAGE AND DEVELOP OTHERS. Have the right people in the right roles. A real successful leader is someone has created a better successor or at least one who is equal to him or her. *REINVENT CONTINUOSLY. Leaders must realize that if he stops learning , he stops leading too. *VALUE RESULTS AND RELATIONSHIPS. Great leaders recognize you must value both. They should have not only high IQ but also a high EQ. *EMBODY THE VALUES. Genuine leadership is built on trust. It is very difficult for members to follow a leader they cannot trust. Indeed, true Leaders are like eagles. They do not flock. You find them one at a time! Are you an eagle? ---- 3 0 --- Email: ernie.delfin@gmail.com or drbannatiran@yahoo.com