Get in on the Ground Floor

Saturday, May 28, 2011

I chatted recently with a member of a Rotary club. I have no reason to suspect that the conversation would have been different had I been chatting with a member of Lions , Kiwanis , or any other business leader’s service club.

If you have reached the age of 35 and have kept your eyes open while driving around the {name of your country here} you’ll be aware that every small town has signs on the outskirts advising of the regular dates and times of service meetings.

Great Organizations

I almost joined Rotary 10 years ago, but shied away from their excellent requirement that I should aim to attend 52 meetings each year; I felt I could not do that at the time, and that it would be wrong of me to pretend that I could.

Rotary’s web site says in part “If members miss a meeting of their own club, they’re encouraged to expand their Rotary horizons by attending a meeting of any other Rotary club in the world.”.

During our chat my colleague mentioned that his local group was aged; the average age of members was quite high, and I reflect that service clubs like Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis must be prepared for this as the years go by.

My generation needed a place to network with other business leaders in the community.

Today’s Generation

Today’s generation get their satisfaction from social networking 24 hours a day, with occasional spontaneous face-to-face meetings.

I can understand and accept that email and other social networking tools reduce the need for face-to-face meetings.

That’s sad for Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis, because they have been the backbone of society for about a hundred years.

The service clubs, of course, are hungry and getting hungrier for new members.

What this Means

That means that if you show up in a suit you’ll be welcomed more enthusiastically than ever before.

And you’ll have a greater-than-ever chance to accelerate your status in the local business community.

The fact that you’ll be welcome in thousands of business communities around the world is icing on the cake.

Talk to Me !

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