Welcome to the 2014-2015 Circle K Year. Some time ago, I came across a list of the most important factors in life & politics. On this “New Year,” I hope you find my adaptations of those rules to help you in your new roles as I know the original list did me.
-Kyle
1.) Everything is LOCAL
Everything you do throughout your year is judged by what your members see.
Ask yourself through every late night work session, every success, every failure, and every action, “How does this help my clubs and their members?”
2.) The Issue is not the ISSUE
There will be disagreements: find the root of them and work together to create a solution.
Chances are a Club Member’s or Club Officer’s issue is deeper than the question they presented you with.
3.) CHANGE comes from being RESULTS-ORIENTED
Make goals; hold yourself to them.
Forward progress doesn’t happen overnight; change happens through continued efforts toward known-results.
4.) IDEAS without urgency are only ideas.
You can have the greatest plans and most sincere motives, but you’ll fail when you don’t act with a sense of urgency.
You have 365 days; make each of them count.
5.) Keep in SIGHT what is IMPORTANT
Don’t miss the forest for the trees.
Never forget your goals for the year; judge every action against them.
6.) CELEBRATE small VICTORIES & Find a Way For Others Not to Lose
Take time to celebrate each success, no matter how small it seems.
This isn’t a competition; try to leave disagreements with both sides feeling like they won.
7.) Take a Little More of the Blame; A Little Less of the Credit
Give your success to others. Everybody already know’s what you did: tell them what your team did.
Accept the blame for failures, even when you didn’t cause it. Your members know that too; it’ll make them respect you more.
8.) It’s about DOING something important, not being important.
We aren’t important; the people we serve are.
The important thing is what we are doing, not us.
9.) Silence is a “No” answer
Respond; doesn’t matter who it is.
You never know what might come of it.
10.) Throughout your year, as in life, nothing is an accident.
Adapted from Bob McCurley’s “10 Most Important Things You Need To Know About Politics & Life”