“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” — John C Maxwell.
I’m sure that like most people I have a rather predictable routine each morning. Without going into details, part of that routine is turning on the news to get an idea of what’s happening in the world. Predictably, during the past several weeks the news I watch has focused on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and all the horror it has inflicted on that country. The devastation seen in the images broadcast to us are mind numbing after awhile and it makes me almost feel guilty walking out our front door and seeing a clear blue sky and hearing birds singing and seeing the lawn beginning to green up.
Again, I’m not a real deep thinker but a few thoughts keep coming to mind that I’ll share with you. First, leadership. Think about President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Clearly an iron-willed former KGB member who has bided his time and now wants to restore Ukraine to the Motherland at any cost. On the other side is President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Ukraine. An actor who no one thought could ever lead a country through this horrible time but has shown incredible courage, vision, tenacity, and bravery in the shadow of tanks and fighter planes destroying his country. Both are clearly leaders but very different agendas almost like a movie with a central theme of good v. evil. Hopefully the “leaders” in this terrible crisis will come to some agreement soon to spare the citizens more devastation and heartbreak.
Second, I’m thinking about Rotary. I learned that ---
“In Ukraine, Rotary is represented by 52 clubs in different cities of Ukraine and has almost 1000 members. There are 9 clubs in Kyiv. Our Rotary Club Kyiv International opened on December 27, 2019, and has 30 members. Among our members are entrepreneurs and investors, top executives, and public figures.”
What is their plight right now? How can we help them? What about the millions of refugees going to Poland and perhaps even coming to the US? DG Bob Hobaugh sent us information about Ukrainian relief efforts that I’ll make sure everyone receives as I get them.
So, what does this mean to us. Well, let’s be thankful for this wonderful country even with its many flaws and warts, it’s still better than most. We also need to be ready to help others if we can and I’m sure we will if the opportunity arises. And lastly, let’s be thankful when we have good leaders in our country, communities and Club who make good things happen for all of us. Good/great leaders with vision and tenacity need to be identified and put into positions where they can be the most beneficial to all of us in the future. We are fortunate that our club over the years has had solid leadership so let’s make sure that that continues in the future via the people that we identify as prospective members and then recruit.