Rotary, The Instant Business Connection

Gene, a friend of mine in the chemical business told me about traveling to see a potential client in Manila. They had a morning meeting and discussions were going well, but as the clock got to about half past eleven, Gene noticed that the client had something else on his mind. Eventually, the client told Gene that he was sorry, but he had somewhere else he needed to be.

“Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 31,000 Rotary clubs located in 167 countries.”

– Information from www.rotary.org

Whenever I meet in someone’s office, the first thing I do is check out their plaques and certificates hanging on the walls. I recommend this to everyone in business. Many times you’ll find membership information for Kiwanis, Exchange, Lions, Jaycees and other organizations. If you are a member of one of these organizations, you have an instant connection with the person you are meeting.

My friend Jim and I were flying to Columbus, Ohio to watch the University of Washington Huskies play the Buckeyes in football (we lost). I called the president of the Columbus Rotary Club and explained about our trip. I was immediate past-president of my club, and Jim was going to be president the following year.

Rotary is a great organization for fellowship and business. The average size of a Rotary Club is around fifty. Older clubs like mine in Tacoma and Columbus, Ohio have hundreds of members. While Tacoma is my favorite club, with about four hundred members, my second favorite club, Fife-Milton, only has about thirty. Both clubs have fun meetings that are enjoyable.

Author Don Doman: Don is a published author of books for small business, corporate video producer, and owner of Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which provides business training products. Don also owns Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which provides business training programs and previews 24-hours a day.