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Lisa Byer Talks About PETS Training..
April, 2009
As most Rotarians know, PETS is the President Elect Training Seminar. Rotary is committed to helping officers be effective and to have the tools to lead their clubs. When asked what was most useful about PETS, Lisa replied that seeing the whole picture and how our club can fit into it. The information about membership recruitment and retention was helpful. Lisa feels that she also has a better understanding of how our club can participate with the Foundation.
Lisa was also inspired by the speeches she heard. People who had done international service on behalf of Rotary were changed by the experience. As a result Lisa feels that working outside our community, as well as within it, can really inspire our members.
She has ordered a DVD of the speeches and she wants to offer it once a month for a while. Some of the speeches may be a little longer than our usual time. Lisa hopes that members will plan to stay a little longer than usual if they are prepared in advance.
Another insight that Lisa gained is that there is more flexibility on the club level than she had realized. Although there are rules and procedures to be followed and some expectations of all Rotarians, it is not a top down organization. Clubs have a good deal of autonomy. There is a lot of variety within clubs.
One of the problems with an organization like Rotary is that members all have such busy lives, that sometimes other things get in the way and we forget to communicate important things. "For me, I want to prioritize the best that I can and keep the issues in the forefront and communicate the best I can to involve everybody."
Lisa felt that it was an honor to hear John Kenny, the President Elect of Rotary International speak. He is a very gracious and personable individual. He stressed that Rotary is indeed in the hands of each Rotarian at the club level.
As with conferences that she goes to professionally, Lisa gained a great deal from the fellowship with other presidents elect, learning from them. "It is good to know that there are people in the same boat and that you don't have to reinvent the wheel everytime."
By: Sally Sugarman - Bennington Rotary Club Member
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