Last week in our vision exercise meeting the group I was in got into a discussion around member engagement and how it fits within our overall strategic visioning exercise. Valid arguments were raised in support of making member engagement our first priority, while other voices were raised to support the need for the club to identify clear membership and project goals.

The conversation was engaging, the arguments on both sides compelling, but it left me considering the timeless conundrum "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"  For me, the question cannot be resolved with a simple either/or solution.  The truth of the matter is neither one can exist without the other.

I am thrilled to see club members working together to resolve important questions around our future, and create a compelling vision for our club, but I rest convinced the reconciliation of our engagement versus vision challenge is the realization that both issues are deeply intertwined.  Trying to untangle engagement from vision, or vision from engagement is virtually impossible because like the chicken and the egg, one cannot exist without the other.

Steve Jobs described it like this.

"If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t need to be pushed, the vision pulls you."  To paraphrase, when people get engaged in work that excites them, they inevitably get pulled into the greater vision.

I see this as a cyclical process.  If we can create a compelling vision we won’t need to prod members to get involved with it.  It will draw them to engagement like moths to a flame, and once engaged, working together with other Rotarians towards a common goal will feed, nurture, and ensure the vision keeps its momentum.

I look forward to working with you in creating a truly compelling vision.  Let’s make it big and bold enough to draw our members in and keep them engaged and let’s also make it so attractive that others see it and feel compelled to join us.

Yours in Rotary,