June 2006 The Rotarian
Dear fellow Rotarians,

At the International Assembly in San Diego in February, Past RI President and Rotary Foundation Trustee Bhichai Rattakul gave an excellent speech on leadership and motivation, highlighting courage and daring.

This year, the RI Board of Directors has shown great courage and daring. In spite of possible legislation in Russia that would make it difficult for Rotary clubs to organize, the Board decided to form the first Rotary district in that country. The opening of China for extension and the chartering of the two provisional clubs in Beijing and Shanghai are further examples of courage and daring, as are the decisions to go back to Cuba and to open Kosovo and Vietnam to Rotary clubs.

However, leadership is much more than courage and daring. It is the ability to think outside the box. For example, club presidents sometimes have to accept majority decisions that may not be personal favorites. District governors sometimes need to accept decisions that are not popular in their own clubs because they are in the best interest of the district. The Board has a particularly heavy burden: Even though each director is elected from two zones, it is vital that the director looks for what is best for Rotary International, not just the two zones. A director has the right to speak for two zones in the boardroom, but when it comes to decisions, the organization's interests must be considered. As president, I too have had to accept many decisions that might not have been my cup of tea. That has been vital for the growth of our organization.

There are many schools of leadership in the world today. One approach I favor is leadership by objectives. Together with a group of managers, the leader decides on objectives; then, individually, each member works toward the mutually agreed objectives. Another leadership technique I favor is delegation. Delegation of responsibilities shows confidence in one's
colleagues. After delegation, managers can follow up on work as it proceeds.

A good leader must look beyond personal interest or aversion. One must separate the business side of one's life from the personal side in order to achieve good results in both areas.

Leadership and motivation are extremely important in Rotary. Success is often based on courage and daring. Thanks for those words, Past President Bhichai!

Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
President, Rotary International