Principles over Personality The important things that come from worthwhile endeavors and organizations can be described as similar to the layers of an onion. My observation is that those layers can be remembered by thinking of them as four words that begin with P. Specifically; Purpose, Principle, Policy and Procedure.
I recently put forward a few comments about Purpose by way of a reminder that Rotary has a purpose; the Object of Rotary starts with these words, “to encourage and foster the ideal of service as the basis of worthy enterprise.” Keeping that purpose at the center of all the things we do in Rotary helps us remember why people belong to and participate in this organization. The next layer in my metaphorical onion is Principles, and keeping those principles in mind is as important as the central purpose. Our Guiding Principles can be found under that title on the Rotary International website as a part of the Object of Rotary. They include the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; maintaining high ethical standards in business and professions; recognizing useful occupations, and dignifying each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; while applying the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life; and advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
In recent months I have repeatedly offered my thoughts on the importance of setting Policies as a part of governing the Rotary club. The final layer of our metaphorical onion is the written procedures individual Rotarians and committees follow in implementing the policies established by the club board of directors and Rotary International. Those policies have to be consistent with the guiding principle and overall purpose of the organization.
To be as successful as we can be, it might be essential to take note of the lack of the fifth ‘P’ that often creeps into our organization. The fifth ‘P’ would be the one that represents the personality. Why is it that we let our personal differences of opinion creep into our efforts? Rotarians should be able to work with people who share their purpose and principles, even if they don’t share common opinions on religion or politics.
When you watch the Super Bowl game this Sunday, you might note that the best teams in the game of football consist of people with different backgrounds, skill sets, and beliefs. Still, they all have a common purpose and follow guiding principles with common policies and specific well-laid-out procedures.