Reprinted from my weblog ... www.RotaryDad.com ...

OK, it's July 1. That means I can't hide behind the "President-Elect" title anymore. I've recently run across a few humorous thoughts on Leadership in general, and on being a Club President:

"Lord, please don't let it fall apart during my year." - Cliff Dochterman

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Sir Winston Churchill

"Leading Rotarians is like herding cats."

"Anytime you get three Rotarians together, you have a group of experts." - Roger Climpson

Trying to understand leadership principles in the context of Rotary is amusing. How exactly does one person organize and inspire a group of accomplished individuals who clearly don't need to be told what to do? How do you constructively redirect someone who knows they aren't doing anything wrong? Where does one find the energy to stand-up in front of the group week-after-week to lead a meeting and entertain the assembled experts (guests included)?

And, then it hit me: Maybe there are similarities between leading a Rotary Club and raising children. How exactly does a parent motivate and inspire two strong-willed daughters who clearly don't need to be told what to do? How do parents redirect an intelligent little girl who is sure she hasn't done anything wrong? Where will I find the energy to wake-up - day-after-day - to cook breakfast, clean the house, do the laundry, and entertain the girls (mom included)?

The answers: I don't have them, but I'm going to try being a Club President and a stay-at-home father anyway! And I'm going to have fun doing both at the same time!

So, one more quote, and then the year starts ...

"Not every successful man is a good father. But every good father is a successful man." - R. Duvall