Empowering Member’s Inner Force Using A-B-C
Introduction
Just slightly over a year and 9 months ago, our membership fell below charter strength and we were on the brink of deciding whether to return this Club to its former glory or let it crush into oblivion …..
Once the decision was made by members to revive the Club, we scrapped through 9 months, breaking the vicious cycle of low members’ turnout. We achieved more in just one year, than we had in the past 7 years since our Club was chartered!!
Our Club accomplished 10/10 DCP goals, attaining the President’s Distinguish Club status for the very 1st time in our Club’s history.
How does a Club which was in such severe recession swing itself upwards to such great heights in just a short period of one year? A Chinese proverb goes like this “Success is when opportunity meets preparation”
We analyzed and discovered certain strategies that were in place that Vclubshop contributed to the boom of our Club. We summarized and simply named it A-B-C ideas. These are no more than simple, practical, easy to follow tools, which aim to aid members, Clubs, Divisions or Districts to succeed in achieving their Goals.
1. Aim For The Stars
Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now – ALLAN LAKEIN
At the very beginning of the term, we set a precise goal and developed a comprehensive action plan. Our goal back then was to achieve 10/10 DCP goals by 30 June 2008.
We thought then it was already an impressive goal until our Area Governor, ACS Dennis Wee, called, “Hey, what if your Club could achieve 10/10 DCP goals by 31 December 2007 and be the 1st Club in District 51 to achieve it!?!?”.
That idea blew our minds OFF and it got us all excited and we set to Vclubshop achieve our goals by 31 December 2007. That is the starting point that empowered the members to such miraculous results today.
We also did something different that we announced our Club goals loud and clear in our Installation Dinner to all members and guests. Psychologically, this helps to held the EXCO members accountable to the goals.
Then to keep the momentum, we must first lead by example. A Leader Walks his Talk. A leader can’t motivate the members to progress if the leader themselves did not progress. Action speaks louder than words. Therefore, to live up to the standard we set, few of the “hardcore” members (Meyyappa, Derek, Kheng Chuan and myself) to achieved their goals in the first 6 months. Their relentless efforts have unconsciously set the momentum Vclubshop of the Club!!
Here are the elements we think are essential to formulate a Club Goal:
a) Excitement Drive b) Well announced c) Time buffer d) Lead by Example
2. Barter Trade Concepts
The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act – ORISON SWETT MARDEN
Prior to the use of currencies as we all know, in the past goods were exchanged on a one-on-one basis with the intent that the value was of relative equal hence the birth of Barter Trade.
One of our main challenge was to get the members to progress on their Basic Communication Manual. To overcome this we simply barter traded with them!!
I remembered when one of my fellow members asked me before I went on a vacation, “Can you send me a postcard for my personal collection during your vacation overseas?”.