Leadership

Lion Leadership Development.

Lions Clubs should encourage all members to attend leadership training and development programs where potential leaders learn how to do a better job by:
• Being a better communicator
• Being a team builder
• Being a problem solver.

Leadership is situational. Different situations call for different styles of leadership. In effective relationships, there must be balance. If one or the other tends to gain more in a relationship, and this is conspicuous to the other, then productivity diminishes. In volunteer work, each person in the relationship must receive his or her needed degree of satisfaction and gratification. Meeting the needs of others so they will meet yours, is one of the most important things a leader can do.

Lion leaders
• Establishing club goals.
• Explaining overall tasks to everyone involved.
• Assigning specific tasks to individuals.
• Encouraging members to support the efforts of other Lions.
• Encouraging an open exchange of ideas, including contrasting views.
• Look for ways to increase the satisfaction that Lions receive from their efforts.
• Reward individual Lions for their contributions.
• Look for ways to increase the prestige of the club.
• Find ways to increase interaction between Lions club members.
• Celebrate successful Lions projects.
• Visualize all that your club wants to accomplish in order to be a positive influence in the community. Then establish goals that will help guide you along the path to success. Believe that you can do whatever you want to do!
• Instill a “make it happen” attitude in the club membership. You must believe that success is the result of good planning and determined execution of plans.
• Build teams. With encouragement and motivation, leaders encourage Lions to work together as a single unit. A good Team will always accomplish more than a bunch of individuals will accomplish. Understanding why people join a Lions club is helpful to building a team, and some of those reasons include:
- Serving the community.
- Belonging to an active community group.
- Making new friends.
- Developing & improving leadership skills.
- Making a difference in the commuity.

The TRIANGLE of SUCCESS for Lions Clubs =
MEMBERSHIP / LEADERSHIP / PUBLIC RELATIONS.
As you build a Triangle of Success in your club, you should: CONSTANTLY RE-EVALUATE YOUR GOALS. Don’t let your club be a “Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda” club. It’s easy to say: “We coulda done it, but…” or “We woulda done it, but…” or “We shoulda done it, but…:” Build a team spirit in your club and a positive attitude in the membership so that all of your club members have a MAKE IT HAPPEN attitude.
• Membership is the very foundation of the Triangle of Success. Without an active, growing membership, a club will soon start to “wither on the vine” and go away. Membership does not just happen. Each member must seek out people they know and who they think have leadership potential. We know how to ask for new members, now we need to know how to keep them. It’s simple:
- Get them involved immediately
- Ask for their ideas
- Try new things
- Give frequent “pats on the back”
- Have fun at all you do.
• Leadership is the catalyst that sparks the fire of success in a club. Without good leaders to make things happen, the membership soon gets bored and goes away.
• Public Relations is the capstone of all that we do. Without good public relations our communities do not know what we do and our workers do not get credit for their efforts. Implement a dynamic Public Relations program for your club. Invite the press to dinner meetings and club activities. Make them your friends because friends will do more for you than others will. Keep the community informed about what your club is doing.


Some Challenges:
1. Membership is aging, stagnant or declining - or all of these things and possibly more.
2. “Mature members” fear new ideas or change from the current way of doing business.
3. Programs are often boring and of little interest to the members – maybe even non-existent.
4. Fundraisers are sometimes unsuccessful because they are poorly planned or conducted.
5. The “stars” that do it all are tired and need some new helpers to get involved.
6. Good Solutions = More Rewards.

Some Solutions:
1. Reject excuses for no new members; get more folks involved; get more new members.
2. Try something new if current activities don’t work.
3. Get “outsiders” to come in to speak a few minutes.
4. Try new fundraisers. Two small ones vs. one big one may accomplish the same goal.
5. Spread the work around; get everybody involved.

Some Rewards:
1. A larger club usually means less individual work, more club income, and more fun for all concerned.
2. Sometimes new ways work better than the old ones if you will just try them.
3. More good programs bring more members out for meetings and increase the potential for having fun.
4. Raising more money allows you to help more folks and get more satisfaction.
5. The “stars” shine brighter and spend more time helping others get involved in club activities.

Characteristics Of Good Clubs:
• Active, growing membership
• Organized meetings
• Service activities
• Fundraising activities
• Good public relations
• A team spirit
• Member development
• They have fun!

Leader as a Communicator. Whether you are conducting a meeting for a small group, making a presentation to a Lions Club or serving as Master of Ceremonies at a large convention, you can drastically increase your chances of being a successful communicator and appear to be a good leader if you will follow some very simple rules. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the more you prepare, the more likely you are to have success. Here are some simple guidelines for success.
• Never speak in public unless you are prepared. To get prepared:
- Decide what you are going to say.
Write it out.
Read it aloud ahead of time.
- Revise and refine your comments.
 Use your notes when you are speaking, but don't read them.
• Avoid using "space fillers" such as, "I mean," "You know," "Like I say," "At this time," "Er," "Um," "Uh," and the like.
• Don’t adlib during your presentation; stick to your notes. Don’t read your notes!
• Don’t tell jokes. You might offend someone. Even if only one person is offended, that is too many.
• Don’t try to be funny. Leave that to standup comedians.
• Never introduce a head table without notes that include each person’s name, position/title, and District or home club.
• If you make a mistake (which can certainly happen even to the best speakers), correct your mistake very matter-of-factly and move on. Don’t giggle, laugh, or make a comment like, “It must be the water here” or “I can’t read my notes.”
• Don’t bring attention to something that does not need to be highlighted by saying something like, “Here’s my Cabinet Secretary, Lion John Simple. Your wife’s not here, huh John?” or “Here’s my Cabinet Treasurer, Lion Bill Bent – where are you Bill?” Mention only those who are present. Know your facts and stick to them.
• When you are conducting a meeting in public, don’t turn to someone else and say, "What should I do now?” or “Can they do that?” or “Now what?” This shows that you have very little knowledge of the process in being and that you are not in control. When the audience finds out that you are not in control, they stop paying attention.
• Always start everything at the scheduled time, even if many of the expected participants are absent. More of them will be on time for the next scheduled meeting. Check everything out beforehand (PA system, tape recorders, projectors, etc.)
• If you plan to introduce someone in the audience, make sure they are there before you start. If they are not there do not mention them and do not bring attention to their absence.
• Don’t try to be “cute” at the expense of someone else. Avoid trying to make jokes about someone in the audience. If you absolutely must lose your cool and pick on someone, pick on yourself or make fun of yourself (but this often backfires).
• Address people by their correct titles. Don’t address non-Lions as Lions. Make  sure you know who is a Lion, Lioness or Leo and who is not.
• If you are introducing someone in the audience, use the correct name for their organization, not what you think it might be. Do your homework.

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