My first three months of the Presidency have been enjoyable and full of learning.  A few weeks ago, the Presidents throughout the District travelled together to Chicago and Evanston to visit Rotary International's (RI) Head Office, and we received some intense training on all things Rotary.  Prior to attending, I heard that taking part in this phase of the training process is when we truly start “drinking the Kool-Aid”, and all I'll say is that the RI 'mothership' is clever, I have consumed a boatload of Kool-Aid.

We all hear stories of Rotary's impact in the world, and this is a key reason that many of us first join this great service organization.  However, seeing it all in one place was quite impactful…there are entire floors in the building dedicated to Rotary’s extensive and impressive history.  There were displays from the early days of Paul Harris in Chicago bringing together business leaders with the idea of holding networking meetings on a regular basis, preparing the first constitution, and there were many areas throughout the building that demonstrate Rotary’s reach, global partnerships, and contributions so many members have made over the past 100 years.

Being surrounded by keen Rotary Presidents for a few days was also quite inspirational.  Sleep was not something that came in abundance, and the stamina of these folks was impressive.  Even better, understanding how everyone is working together to build and grow their Rotary Clubs was great. 

It was also insightful to understand that we are all feeling similar - video is easy!  Many of us use it daily - all day in much of our lives and stepping back out is taking effort.  I get it, I have recently been transitioning back to my office a few days per week, and it does take effort and commitment.  I have to put thought into an entire outfit - not just the top half, and have to add a bit of commute time in planning my day.

In addition to Chicago, I had the opportunity to travel on business to Europe over the past few weeks, and long flights always provide an opportunity to catch up on reading, and the odd movie.  It certainly was an adjustment getting back into the swing of travel, including the never-ending airport lines.  I learned from one of my fellow travellers that customers can exchange books at the Relay stores in any airport...who knew? 

I picked up a Harvard Business Review (HBR) for one of my long flights and the issue's title was "The New Rules of Networking".  One of the first articles in this issue noted that our professional and personal networks have shrunk by close to 16% - or more than 200 people – since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The author also noted that during the pandemic, many professionals have suffered from having less creativity, more groupthink has developed, and feelings of isolation and disconnection from work and our social networks have increased. Most shocking, however, was the author’s report about how extensive our emotional attachment to friends and family has deteriorated in the last couple of years, stating that, "After only two months without in person gatherings, feelings of closeness between friends and family members drop by more than 30%.  After that they go frigid."  The author further noted that after five months, closeness between friends plummets by 80%.

Our leadership team is committed to reconnecting the Club this year, but we need your help.  We ask that you volunteer at events and activities; we need you to take on organizing and leadership roles; and we want to spend time with you, in person.

I spent the first week of my recent travels in Helsinki with a global partnership that my firm joined in the early months of the pandemic.  I've had significant virtual and telephone time getting to know many of these individuals over the past few years, but this was the first opportunity I had to meet most of them in person.  As a result of showing up, I can confidently say I now have 30-40 new friends and colleagues that I wouldn’t hesitate to call.  Spending time with them in person, sharing stories and laughter, made all the difference in the world.

For those coming out to our activities so far, thank-you, it has been wonderful to spend time with you.  For those still working on joining us, I look forward to seeing you in person soon.