เมื่อแบรนด์โรตารีพูด
โดย เจนนิเฟอร์ โจนส์ กรรมการบริหารโรตารีสากลรับเลื
(บรรยายในการสัมมนาอบรมผู้ว่าการภาค ๒๕๕๘-๕๙ ซานดิเอโก) |
| Jennifer Jones, 2015-17 Rotary International Director |
ไม่นานมานี้ดิฉันและสามี นิค ได้พบกับกลุ่มโรแทเรียนในไอโอวา และก่อนออกเดินทางดิฉันได้รับอี
เรื่องนี้เกี่ยวกั
เพื่อนโรแทเรียนท่านนั้นเล่าให้
"ไอโอวางั้นหรือ.. ฉันว่ามันต้องเป็นสวรรค์แน่ ๆ" พ่อของเขาบอก แล้วเรย์ก็ถามบ้างว่า
ยังมีอีกที่หนึ่งที่ความฝั
อดีตประธานโรตารีสากลบิลล์ บอยด์เพิ่งกล่าวว่าเราคือเรื่
หากดิฉันจะลองสอบถามสมาชิกในห้
คุณรู้สึกอย่างไรหากสโลแกนหรื
อัลเบิร์ต ไอน์สไตน์ ผู้ก่อกำเนิดทฤษฎีที่เปลี่
เรารู้ว่าเราต้องสื่อสารด้วยถ้
ลองคิดดูว่าเขาได้ร่วมประชุมกั
ข้อแรก "สาระ" หรือเหตุผลแห่
นี่คือกรอบที่เรานิยามว่าเราเป็
"ร่วมผู้นำ แลกเปลี่ยนความคิด ลงมือปฏิบัติ" คือประโยคที่ผู
หากดิฉันขอให้ท่านให้คำนิ
ทีนี้เพื่อนที่ฮาร์วาร์ดคิดถึ
ผู้เขียนบอกเราว่าการบรรลุ
ไม่เพียงแต่ดีในแง่ดึงดูดสมาชิก แต่ยังเป็นหลักสำคัญในการที่
องค์ประกอบข้อที่สองในกลยุ
มิตรภาพ หมายถึงการสร้างความสัมพันธ์
องค์ประกอบสุดท้ายในยุทธศาสตร์
วันที่ ๑๑ กันยายน ๒๕๔๔ ขณะที่ดิฉันปฏิบัติหน้าที่
ตอนนั้นเป็นเวลาเก้าโมงเช้
ตอนเริ่มประชุม เราทุกคนยืนขึ้นหันหน้าไปที่
เราต้องการเครือข่ายติดต่อกับผู้อื่น
นี่คือข้อแรกจาก ๓ ข้อที่เป็นผลการทำสำรวจ ซึ่
ประการที่สองคือการเป็นผู้
นี่เป็นความแตกต่างที่โดดเด่น และคุณลักษณะเช่นนี้ส่งเสริ
องค์ประกอบสุดท้ายที่จะสร้
ด้วยการใช้ประโยชน์จากคู่มืออั
มาถึงช่วงสรุป ดิฉันอยากนำท่านกลับไปที่
"ผู้คนจะต้องมาที่นี่ เรย์.. พวกเขามาเพราะมีเหตุผลที่ตั
มวลมิตรโรแทเรียน พวกเรามีสิทธิไปนั่งแถวหน้าที่
ถึงเวลาแล้วที่เราจะต้องทำหน้
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Activating the Message of Rotary’s Brand
Jennifer Jones RI Director-elect
Not long ago my husband, Nick, and I met with a group of Rotarians in Iowa. Just prior to leaving home, I had an email from a Rotary friend of mine asking us to go to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. When I wrote back and shared with him that we would be away and where we were going, he reminded me of the 1989 movie called “Field of Dreams” that was filmed there.
It’s all about an Iowa corn farmer named Ray who hears voices and interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his field; he does, and then, like magic ... the Chicago Black Sox show up.
My friend reminded me of the scene where Ray’s deceased father appears on the field and asks, “Is this heaven?” and Ray says, “No, it’s Iowa.”
“Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven,” says his father. And then Ray asks, “Is there a heaven?” “Oh, yeah,” says his dad. “It’s the place where dreams come true.”
There is another place where dreams come true, and that is what I want to talk with you about today. That place is Rotary, and you are going to be the class that more powerfully than ever shows this to the world. At the end of your term as district governor, no one will ever need to ask the question: Who, what, or why Rotary?
As Past President Bill just shared, we are the greatest story never told. For so long, we did our good work quietly and not for recognition. While this was noble, it made it difficult for people to understand the good work of Rotarians and why we exist. What we’ve learned is that when we tell our story, like-minded people want to join with us.
I would venture to say that if I asked everyone in this room, “What is Rotary?” we would have as many answers as people present. While Rotary provides the opportunity for a very personal experience with a broad palette of opportunities, the reality is, we need to have a common voice to help amplify our great message.
Can you envision if every McDonald’s or Starbucks in the world looked or sounded different? They are strong because they have a simple and clear brand and we know exactly what we will get when we do business with them. Just imagine if everyone looked at Rotary the same way. We wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?
Albert Einstein, whose theories exploded and reshaped our ideas of how the universe works, is considered the most influential physicist and one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. Part of Einstein’s charm was his disheveled look. In addition to his uncombed hair, one of his peculiar habits was to never wear socks. Whether it was while out sailing or to a formal dinner at the White House, Einstein went without socks everywhere.
Over his lifetime he was often quoted, and when I read the following, I thought he might have written this for Rotary. He said, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
This, my friends, is a game-changing concept for us, because if you turn that thought on its head, you can see that understanding our “value” is actually the key to our success.
So, how do we measure what is important to us and what is Rotary’s “value proposition”? As you have heard, we studied this question closely, and the result is quite enlightening but not easily fixed with the wave of a wand.
What we learned is that we needed to simplify our message.
Recently, I was interviewed on an American television program about Rotary and all that we do. Just prior to the start of the taping, the host confessed to me that he had been a Rotarian for over 30 years — he attended regularly and enjoyed his lunch club and the fellowship, but it was only recently that he’d finally “got Rotary.” He became involved in a project that delivered coats to disadvantaged children in his community, and for the first time, he became truly engaged.
Imagine that — more than 1,500 club meetings before he finally “got Rotary.” How is that possible? Quite simply, strengthening our brand is essential to Rotary’s future. Our strategy is made up of three components — our essence, our values, and our voice. The first is our essence, or our reason for being.
It can be wrapped up in six simple words — three nouns and three verbs: Join leaders. Exchange ideas. Take Action.
This is how we frame who we are — we join leaders. Every single person in this room is a leader. And what happens when we get a group of leaders together? We exchange ideas. And let’s be honest, once we have shared these thoughts, because we are leaders, we are then compelled to take action.
Our room is already broken into three areas, so let’s have some fun and say this together. This side is “join leaders,” the middle is “exchange ideas,” and the far side is “take action.” You can see the translations on the screen behind me, and I encourage you to say this in whichever language you are most comfortable, or maybe try one different from your own.
(Leads them through saying this as outlined)
“Join leaders, exchange ideas, take action” is such a compelling call to action. It is one that very easily explains who we are and what we do. We are leaders who act responsibly and take action to make our communities flourish and thrive.
If I asked you to describe the brand that is Harvard, what would you say? I suspect we might use words like prestige, intellect, or excellence.
So what do the folks at Harvard think about Rotary and our brand? They think we have taken a bold step in the right direction. According to the authors of an article written this past September in the Harvard Business Review, simplifying our message is the key to our success, and we have taken the right steps toward better clarifying who we are, what we do, and why it matters.
The authors tell us that achieving simplicity in an organization like ours is not easy, but the returns are well worth the effort.
Not that we needed the approval of our friends at Harvard, but they validated some things that we already knew. Like navigating our extensive and varied programming was difficult for members and the public alike, making it hard for our great organization to stay relevant. So we listened and we have changed.
Not only is this good in terms of attracting members but it is also the cornerstone of enhancing Rotary’s public image to build stronger clubs and strengthen service.
The second component of our brand strategy is our values. What is important to note is that our core values, as outlined in our strategic plan, don’t change — they are an important part of what defines us. What we needed to do was to activate the language around them and frame them in a more compelling way. So, for example:
Fellowship is about how we build lifelong relationships. Ethics becomes how we honor our commitments. Diversity is how we connect diverse perspectives. And through service and leadership we apply our expertise to solve the world’s most pressing issues.
And finally, the third component of our brand strategy is our voice, or how we express ourselves. As we create our communication tools, there are four key attributes to focus on. We are smart, compassionate, persevering, and inspiring. This reflects our ability to motivate others to act by conveying hope, enthusiasm, and passion.
On September 11, 2001, I was a young club president in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Who will ever forget that day? I suspect that almost everyone in this room can remember exactly what they were doing when they learned that the World Trade towers had been attacked in New York City.
It was just about 9 in the morning when the first plane hit, and within the hour I started receiving emails asking what we would do about our Rotary meeting that day. Instinctively, I knew that we needed to be together and I explained that our meeting would still take place at noon. When I arrived a few hours later, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t think anyone missed that day — we needed to be together in shared experience.
As the meeting began, we stood as Canadians and faced the American flag and sang “The Star- Spangled Banner” with great gusto and with tears streaming down our faces.
We needed to connect.
This is the first of three key research findings. We discovered that people join and stay with Rotary because of the connections we make with others and the positive feelings we get by giving back to our community.
Secondly, we are leaders by mindset — the way we think — not by our titles.
This is a significant distinction, especially as we target younger members to be part of our organization. Are young leaders the top managers or CEOs of their company? They are likely not, but they are indeed leaders, and we have so much to learn from each other.
And, finally, Rotary is not just about global impact. We create community impact scaled globally.
The final component of strengthening Rotary revolves around our name. We had to ask ourselves the question: Why, when our wheel has been in existence for more than 100 years, do the vast majority of people in the world still not know who we are? I must confess, this one stung. How could people not know about an organization that, to most of us, feels like part of our DNA?
So, we inserted our first name and placed it next to the wheel as part of what we call Rotary’s signature. Now, when the Rotary wheel appears, our name is front and center.
With the aid of a robust new visual identity toolkit, we are better prepared to share our Rotary story with our members, potential members, partners, and the community at large. Rotarians are embracing this, and I have heard from countless members all over the world that they love our fresh new look and feel.
As I conclude, I would like to take you back to the movie “Field of Dreams” and a passage from the character played by actor James Earl Jones. As I share this, I’d ask you to replace the concept of baseball with Rotary.
“People will come, Ray. They’ll come for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. ‘Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,’ you’ll say. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game ... and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The one constant through all the years has been baseball. It reminds us ... of all that was once good and could be again. People will most definitely come.”
We, my friends, have reserved seats along the baseline of the greatest organization in the world, and you are here because you have dipped into the magic waters of Rotary.
Now, it’s our job to make sure we are telling our story.
