No, Really, This Is Something Completely Different…

Last year the notices that I put together for the lodge were pretty light. There wasn’t much information that needed to be relayed each month and there were even times when I had to find content to fill some of the empty space left after all updates were included. This month that was definitely not the case and given what is on the horizon, I don’t expect to have any ‘light’ notices this year.

In addition to two petitioners being listed (the first in quite some time), the passing of a brother, and the full calendar of events to begin the year there was also a portion of the notice dedicated to the raising of our dues. This is a democracy and everyone has a vote so everyone needs to be informed before the meeting. This was all before I put in the Worshipful Master’s brief message and I wrote my rather long letter to the brethren.

It took some work to make everything fit together but, in the end, the notice was completed and put in the mail last night along with a few dues cards for some brothers who sent in late checks. But while I write this and thing about all that has to be done and the event that have happened and that will be happening at the lodge, I am also reflecting on the day itself. Today is one of reflection for a couple of reasons for me.

Today is actually International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Honestly, it had slipped my mind until I looked at the calendar this morning. However, I think I knew that this was the day as I am finally returning to the work that I created years ago. It is something that I dread reading but also take pride in its completion. Similar feelings that simmer in me on this day. Today is one when we not only remember in sorrow the lives lost but we also should rejoice in the simple fact that we survived. And while the world is far from perfect, we are a part of it and we are thriving in today’s society as a people.

And that joy is only matched by the fact that I am able to look back in my own life and celebrate that singular moment of surprise when I proposed to my wife on this day in 2007. While the store may no longer be there, the images and memories that we have will always remain vivid and the evening, having picked up my grandmother from the house and taken her to dinner to celebrate, is a great moment that makes me smile every time… especially when I recall telling my grandmother that she wasn’t allowed to kick until after the wedding (which was two and a half years from that day). Her smile in response is just one of many smiles that I will always remember.

I’m Not Dead Yet!

Earlier this week People Magazine posted a well written obituary of Kirk Douglas. It was the kind of tribute that you would expect to read when a Hollywood legend passes away. The only problem is that Kirk Douglas is still alive. I wonder if John Cleese had anything to do with the decision to declare someone dead before they stop breathing. Maybe Eric Idle?

While uncommon, unfortunately this is not the first time that such an error has been made especially in the celebrity sphere. While there was a concerted effort to curb such leaps made in the wake of the Reagan assassination attempt, in an era of the 24 hour news cycle and the ever presence of social media, these kinds of things will almost certainly become more common as time passes. This leaves us asking the question of who is going to be the next person to read about their own demise.

While disturbing in many regards, there can be some good to come from such an egregious error. Mark Twain is the most famous example of the good humor that can come about when one is forced to face their inevitable fate a little earlier than nature or reality has intended. Although, in this instance, no actual obituary was published word spread and Twain eventually found himself on the receiving end of his own departure. Specifically, he is quoted as saying, "The report of my death was an exaggeration."

On the other side of things, some are forced to come to terms with their legacy no matter how good or, as in the case of Alfred Nobel, bad. When it was thought that the inventor of dynamite had departed this world for the next, a French writer did not hold back in his obituary titled “Le marchand de la mort est mort” ("The merchant of death is dead") etching into the mind of the millionaire that he “became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before.”

It was this obituary that made Nobel reconsider his life and his legacy. It was because of the premature reporting that he took his considerable fortune and created the Nobel Prize. A bit of misinformation and the world was changed in an instant changing the historical perspective of what many considered a controversial person in his own time.

For now, despite recent rumors and false obituaries, Kirk Douglas, Macaulay Culkin, and numerous other public figure of varying stature as still alive. But, with the inevitable increase of such instances bound to take hold in social media, it makes you think about the changes that could possibly occur as a result of this increased penchant to find the breaking news before anyone else. The question for everyone is, what would your obituary say if you were thought to be dead?  

Final Month

I can’t believe that we are already in the final month of 2014. I have no idea where the year has gone and it is surprising to look back and see where things started and where we are now. And with so many changes that are scheduled to take place in the beginning of 2015 it is amazing to think what things are going to be like at this time next year.

Work has been great with things always happening to keep me busy and clients that value the work that we have done but there are changes that have happened and are going to take place over the next month. There have been great placements and lost opportunities. We have lost a few accounts and brought some in. We have seem contracts go to other firms and we have had companies come directly to us. I have seen new colleagues come in and I have seen a few pack up their things. All of these things are, unfortunately, part of the industry and we already know of changes that will take place sooner rather than later.

The lodge, as you know, has been hectic with events, both scheduled and unplanned, causing us to work a little harder than usual to keep things running smoothly. It has been a year of growth and good work as our numbers continue to rise (both membership and attendance) and the list of events that we have scheduled more comprehensive than the previous year. And it has been a challenging time as I have done my best to keep up to date on all of my duties in my first year as Secretary (while trying to balance everything else in life). One more month, one more meeting, and then we do it all again.

I have been able to keep up on the blogs but it really has been a struggle at times. Not just in trying to figure out what the heck I am going to say (hence this post) but sometimes just finding the time to write. My list of things to do on a daily basis seems to be getting longer and longer and the makeup days that once existed have long since been booked with other things. But I am going to keep pushing forward with both the current set up and with a few things that I am working on to hopefully relieve a little of the work load.

With all those things going on, the most important changes have been with regard to my, growing, family. Not only has this been an adjustment as of late but there are many more things that will be happening at the beginning of the year. There are many great experiences that I will forever remember from this past year and some that while I would prefer to forget I have no choice but to remember. There is a lot more that we have planned for this month as a family and hopefully it will be a month full of nothing but good things. All we can do is live and love and that is what I hope encapsulates this final month of 2014.

Brought Together By The Gobble Gobble

I thought about posting something early this morning for the Thanksgiving holiday but after giving it some thought I decided to hold off until the evening. I made this decision because of the simple fact that the clichés surrounding this holiday have a strong foundation in truth. There were several things up in the air this year and you really never know what situations could have come up to give a little extra flavor to the festivities.

Our plan for the day was straightforward, we headed to my mother-in-law’s house to spend the day there and do our best to create another great memory for her. But first it was time to turn on the oven and create something to bring to the meal. As always, there was no recipe to be followed and once the Brussel sprouts were prepped I just looked around the kitchen for the things that I could add to make it taste somewhat edible. In the end, it turned out to be halfway decent.

We got to the house just after noon with food already out and the marathon of eating began almost immediately. With various football games echoing the background (with the occasional enthusiastic gesture highlighting the action) we all enjoyed the day and prepared the day long dinner. I guess we can be thankful for an uneventful day filled with food and family.

As we finished cleaning and began packing things up to head out the door, we decided to swing by and see the rest of my wife’s family. A slightly dangerous move as we would be walking into more food and an insistence to try at least a few things on delectable display. While we were, for the most part, able to stave off many of the treats that lay before us, we did manage to top off our stomachs.

While food always plays a big part in this holiday, it was a great time from beginning to end when we were able to see family. Both those that we had seen not long ago and those whom we have been unable to connect with for months. It was a warm and relaxing day full of food and family which is all anyone can really hope for. And with so many things to be thankful for, there couldn’t have been a better year for all of this to come together.

There is a heck of a lot to be thankful for this year. More so than in previous years (especially those of recent memory). There have been major changes and minor ones with plenty more on the way. Throughout it all we have had the support of family and friends and that is what I am most thankful for this year.

Back To The Monday Routine

After the craziness last week it was nice to the usual Monday routine. Come to think of it, we haven’t had a ‘normal’ Monday for some time now as we have been jumping from one project to another which pushed back our usual slate of Monday internal meetings to later in the week. While things are still as busy as ever, the lineup of meetings seems to have returned to their usual timing.

However, heading into this week I feel as though I am finally returning to normal and the deteriorated PR skills from my extended time away from the industry are beginning to regenerate. They have been there from the time I started this current job in one form or another but now there is marked growth with a return to my former productivity and efficiency within reach. It is hard to explain but I think the best analogy, and a clichéd one at that, is that if you let a car sit for a year it is going to take some time before you getting working efficiently again like it’s supposed to. Sure it will probably run as soon as you turn it on but there is going to be a lot of things wrong with it that you are going to have to address one by one. Eventually everything is fixed and things begin running smoothly again, like they should be.

Awkward analogy, part of one. Awkward analogy, part of one. Your blog post is ready.

After the success of last week now in the past, it is time to work on the other projects that have been put off or passed off over the last couple of weeks. With that said, there are still many opportunities that have come about from the work done and the meetings held last week with will be in addition to what is usually in the growing pile on the desk. But now there is a schedule that I can rely on until it is drastically changed over and over again. Hey, that is the business and industry in which I strive and what keeps things interesting during the week.

So, the routine survived today which is not bad. Sometimes you have to have a predictable day that allows you to cope with the insanity of the ‘normal’ schedule. I don’t know how long this planned out week will last but until the schedule falls apart I am going to enjoy the predictability for as long as it can hold out (or until we can’t take it anymore). Hey, we are a unique group of people, those in the PR industry, and sometimes we are at our best when the schedule goes to pot so when things are calm for too long we have to switch it up to maximize our productivity. I never said we were a normal bunch.

It Was A Griswold Kind Of Day...

It was not a dark and stormy night as the foreboding cliché goes rather it was a cold and crappy day. Today was just one of those days with single digit temperatures last night and this morning adding a bitter spice to the whole situation. I don’t know if I am getting sick or if the weather is messing with me more than I realize but it was a rough one. Every once in a while these days happen and all you can do is try to get through them in once piece and try not to let it carry over to the next day.

What began as a normal morning with my alarm annoying the crap out of me just before seven and me hitting the snooze button, soon took a turn for the worse. While I could hear my wife getting ready for work, the time that was passing wasn’t really registering. Even when I responded to her question at some point, I still wasn’t up and ready to go. With a slam of the front door, and another one just a little bit later, my wife was off to work and I was still lying in bed.

The next thing I knew, my eyes opened and noticing the bright light filling the room I knew I was screwed. Looking at the clock only confirmed my theory and so I quickly located my phone (which had shifted during the morning) jumped from the warmth of the covers and into the reality that this was already a bad day. As I rushed to get dressed and ready I began returning calls, making calls, and generally trying to return my mind to the present.

Within about twenty minutes I had gone from unconsciousness to sitting in the car waiting for the frost to retreat. Once there was enough windshield where I could peer out to see the road and the cars around me, I threw the car into drive and swung around the corner to cross in front of my building. Then my mind really started waking up and decided to remind me to stop by the mailbox to send a letter I had promised to put in the mail. Quick stop and back out into the wind whipped freeze.

While I made good time to the office I was obviously very late and had caused widespread worry among my coworkers and family. With the rest of the day full of blah with a few hiccups here and there and a couple other lovely moments I do not wish to highlight at this time, it was an overall crappy day. However, while I have known that we are more than just a collection of people in an office, today solidified that we care about one another as we would our friends and family. There was no anger in my momentary disappearance, it was genuine concern. Sometimes it takes a little bit of bad luck to show you how lucky you are.

Have You Been Enjoying My Box Of Chocolates?

200 days ago this blog didn’t exist. It was a time when I would rarely set aside the time to write. Sometimes I would be doing other worthwhile projects but many times I would simply be passing the time. There were many lost thoughts and forgotten recordings of my life that I would like to have back but know that is never going to be the case.

There have been days/nights when I have had a lot to say and there have been times, like tonight, when I just start writing and hope that I eventually stumble into something worth recording. That is how it goes when you post daily blogs… at least that is what happens to me. This is a medium that is reflective of life and sometimes it is interesting and exciting and sometimes not much is going on. This is accentuated by the fact that I am generally not a very interesting person and live a pretty simple life.

Of course, there have been times of opinion sharing and other posts have been about life and what experiences I have been fortunate enough to have during the whirlwind of days. In one post I could rant about presidential selfies and BS sign language translators while the next post could be about a nice little day trip into the mountains. I prefer keeping a blog using the Forrest Gump box of chocolates school of writing. Basically, if you don’t like what I have to say today just come back tomorrow and there will be something completely Monty Python.

All too often, and I have been guilt of this in the past, writers like to play the equivalent of the creative or literary knock out game. Some people have a perfect punch in their words and some of us get luck every once in a while but, most of the time, we are all taking big swings hoping that one piece connects with the audience. When it happens it’s a great feeling but it is also tiring. And I mean a George Forman kind of tired.

By writing daily, freely and openly, I have been happy to keep jabbing. Some hit hard, some clearly miss the mark but I keep throwing my first out there in a deliberate and constant way. Most of them make contact and keep me in shape. This is a matter of endurance and just like running a race at some point you are going to have to push through a wall, sometimes many walls. It the nature of the creative marathon and one that is both rewarding and addictive. 200 posts later and I am still running.

Either Get On The Cart Or Go To The Mattresses!

Membership is a major concern for most, if not all, Rotary clubs and new ideas seem to be presented on a regular basis on how to attract new members (especially young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s). Unfortunately, many clubs can hear Eric Idle’s chanting from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” ringing in their ears. What we must do in response is to persevere and let people know “I’m getting better… I feel happy.”

I am not going to waste your time saying I have the answer and I am not going to tell you what is the right way or wrong way to attract members. The purpose of this post is to help you organize and set the ground work for an effective membership drive during the next Rotary year which is approaching fast.

Many of the building blocks outlined below mirror the fundamentals reviewed in my post last week because that is exactly what they are… fundamentals. The following seven steps have been specifically selected as they can be applied to all clubs regardless of geography, size, and financial health.  

1.      Know Your Club – As I have said before, you need to analyze each of the items mentioned in the previous paragraph and see where your strengths and weaknesses are. By knowing the members of your club, their professions, their capabilities, and their interests you can better focus the direction of the club not only with regard to service projects but also in how to proceed in pursuing members and how the responsibilities for that task would be best divided.

2.      Review Demographics – This is not only the other half of the equation in finding the most appropriate service projects but it is also essential in properly pursuing members. Determine the average age and income of the community. Understand what kind of businesses are the most prevalent. Find out what kind of events and speakers garner the greatest attendance in the area. Basically, know the people around you and coordinate your membership initiatives accordingly.

3.      Be Ready To Sell – Just like any sales force, make sure your members are informed. Make sure there is a working knowledge in place regarding all aspects of Rotary and specifically what the club does for the community. Don’t be timid about letting people know you are a Rotarian… this can be achieved simply by making sure your members wear their Rotary pin every day and encouraging members to be open and ready to talk about Rotary when someone asks.  

4.      Focus On Service, Not Food – Now that your clubs service efforts are in sync with both the abilities of the membership and the needs of the community, invite perspective members to participate. We can’t lose track of why we are Rotarians. We are not a club for foodies. We are a service organization. After all, it’s not about the dealership, it’s about the car.

5.      Be Honest and Be Flexible – When a prospect asks you a question be up front with them… we each need to be the embodiment of the four way test. At the same time, speak up and encourage new and perspective members to do the same. If something isn’t working for you discuss it with your fellow Rotarians because, in this instance, silence is the absence of truth. This facilitates an ongoing evaluation of the club… do you still meet at the best time, place, day? Are their new skills available to the club or any other service projects that a new person is particularly passionate about? Make sure everyone is part of the process.

6.      Communication and Networking – How does your club best communicate with one another? How do you communicate with other clubs? You have to know the basics of communications. If no one in your club uses social media then it is useless to post information only pertinent to members on Facebook. With that said, every club should have all lines of communication available to members and prospects ranging from a mailing address to a twitter account. Communication is essential to the networking capabilities of the club and is the key to the overall structure of the community and media relations efforts. The club needs to be open to the public because where else do your members come from?

7.      Make Your Presence Known – Rotary has proven that good PR leads to an increase in membership. Just as each member’s voice should be heard within the club so too should the club’s voice be heard in the community. In order to magnify the club’s efforts a single point of contact, a public relations chair (if you have not done so thus far) should be appointed and all members (officers in particular) should support their efforts by continuously communicating with the chair. A record of your club’s service, achievements, and guest speakers (past, present, and future of each) should be readily available to everyone, Rotarians and non Rotarians (or as I like to say Rotarians and future Rotarians) by way of your club’s social media accounts and, when possible, through traditional media placements. And remember, when it comes to events and announcements, don’t underestimate the power of a press release. 

Is this list perfect? No. There is always something that can be added and there are always essential details that need to be tailored to your club. Are these steps guaranteed to work? No. But they will provide you with the basics. This is not a how to article; this is a way to formulate your own plan. What if it doesn’t work? Try something else. Are we going to give up and let the pessimistic voices win? Heck NO!

We represent the community, we represent Rotary International, and we represent our fellow Rotarians. We are not a group that simply gives up because we can see what happens when we persevere… ask yourself the following questions, how many cases of Polio have been reported this year? How many cases were there before 1985?

The work speaks for itself. We must rise and continue to fight. And if all else fails, go to the mattresses!