Minutes of the November 12, 2015 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure, club president at 12:15 P.M. Chip Hale offered the invocation and afterwards Gordon Korb led the club in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano. Tom Martenstein welcomed visiting Rotarians and guests of members.
Student Guest: Linda Mayson introduced Jeon DaYoung, a student at the Alabama School of Math and Science as this week’s award winner.
Announcements :
• Robby announced that the board will meet on November 19 following the club meeting.
• In Helen Hassell’s absence Robby announced that the Membership Committee reports that 17 new members have joined our club since July.
• Robert Greer gave a brief presentation on the history of the Rotary Foundation and the $3 billion spent on causes since its modest start in 1917. He reminded the club that our $25 donation each quarter assists in these projects.
Program: Michael Chambers – Five Important Business Lessons
District Governor and Mobile Rotarian Michael Chambers was introduced by John Dukes. Michael discussed five important business lessons he has learned and shared them with an appreciative audience. The five are:
1. Evolve with change or perish. He gave the example of Eastman-Kodak which ignored the seismic change of digital imaging and stuck to film.
2. Recognize what could disrupt your business or someone else will. Michael gave the example of Wikipedia’s rise and the collapse of the encyclopedia.
3. Find good people and invest in them. He noted the wave of millennials born after 1985 who simply “do not think like us.” They are motivated differently and demand meaningful work and flexible work arrangements. There is a large competition for this age group, Michael added.
4. Set goals, establish deadlines and do not fear failure. Success he said can be incidental and noted the discovery of penicillin was by accident.
5. Remember that the way we communicate has changed drastically. Successful people learn how to reply quickly without losing that critical personal touch.
Michael applied these lessons to Rotary explaining that clubs must adapt to attract and keep younger and diverse members. He said it is vital to show prospective members that in addition to building personal relationships, the Rotary club accomplishes relevant and meaningful work.
After receiving a standing ovation, Robby thanked Michael for his talk and presented him with a certificate noting that in his honor a donation had been made to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 P.M.
Tom McGehee