service above self

For my sins, I’m a member of more organisations and clubs than I care to think about; spanning the whole spectrum, from education to health, business to charitable causes, with a bit of fun thrown in for good measure. One thing that all of these organisations have in common is that in order to be effective they form committees and in order to survive, as the winds of change blow through, they need to evolve and develop to accommodate a range of factors, both internal and external. There is a well-known acronym, PESTLE, used to describe the many influences that can affect an organisation, taking into account Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors. This naturally means that from time to time there will be differences of opinion in relation to what form any change might take, how quickly, and who might be involved. Unsurprisingly, this can sometimes cause discord, which in my opinion, far from being a negative factor, can in fact be healthy. We all go about our daily lives in the certain knowledge that whatever we believe in must be right, and to have our views challenged should cause us to take a look at things from someone else’s perspective. Certainly in representing others, as difficult as it may be, it is incumbent upon us to retain an open mind until all the facts are before us, without trying to drive forward our own agendas at all costs. Given the waves of friction that sweep through organisations from time to time, and I can think of a number affected locally, I feel that there are lessons to be learnt about tolerance, discipline, and allowing others to have their say in the face of adversity. New membership of any organisation brings with it new ideas, some welcome, some not so. However, we all, as individuals, need to feel that we have a voice, and that others will at least grant us the courtesy of listening. In a global context we continue to reap the negative effects of friction caused by poor communication and differing ideals, which as a society costs us untold damage in terms of not just money, but also the resulting impact on every aspect of our lives. What we must all try to do is to understand each others’ points of view, exercising tolerance, and most of all, acknowledge that in a democracy there should be no shame in compromise. As a cook I often think that running any organisation is like making a well-loved recipe, passed down from generation to generation – you may well have the same basic ingredients, but it is the quality and combination of those ingredients and the way in which they are put together that can have very different results, depending on who is the chef, and what additional experience and skills they contribute. Different results, but not always better or worse. It is no surprise to me that the Rotary motto is ‘Service Above Self’. We’d all do well to remember that.