We Must Be Prepared To Welcome New People To Lions

     I am not like my wife. This is probably a good thing. Because that means that she is not like me, which is really a good thing. Essentially Shelley is a planner and is most comfortable in making sure there is a plan for the morning, the day, the week and beyond. I find her lists of things that must happen, lists of places that must be included in plans. Sometimes I imagine I see lists of things that should be listed. Now I’m not complaining, her accomplishments are incredible and so well put together. I open with this because  I find myself admiring the clubs I have visited that are practiced in setting out goals, even goals that span long periods of time, years even.

     The Clubs that seem to have officers that not only are in place in current time but know who the officers will be in the next year and maybe even the year after that. Whether intended to or not these clubs have plans, maybe not enumerated detailed plans but overarching confidence that the club is going somewhere.

     Certainly, there are struggles to find, approach, and convince folks to fill the roles. There is however less of a struggle when the future leader has been a part, even only if as an “inside” observer, of the conversations as to what the outline is of what should happen and what is not possible. The power of this is not that a club has everything figured out, rather it’s that no single person has to figure it all out.  The President can have confidence that he/she doesn’t have to know it all nor do it all, making agreeing to be an officer not such a turn off.

     In the days when we have seen the diminishment of our clubs and membership it seems we can turn to desperation. Instead, we can do as my wife Shelley does and make a list. 1) Does your club have a mission statement? 1a) has it been updated lately? 2) Has the club recently had a meeting that addresses the question “Where do we want to be in five years?” Or maybe “By the end of this Year what do we want to accomplish?” 3)  Make a Calendar for this year and next.

     In other words, make a plan. Approach members to be a part of executing that plan, not to have to create their own plan (which is overwhelming and a disincentive to be a leader.)

     There are already clubs that are seeing growth since the pandemic. The public has been realigning themselves in what they value, and signs are that interest in community involvement is part of their values.  We must be prepared to welcome new people to Lions. Now is the time to make a plan. And have fun bringing it to fruition.