Sertoma President’s Mid-Month Missive
February 2010
(Please share this with Sertoma Clubs in your Districts/Regions)
NEW SERTOMA CLUBS – YEA!!!!!
I had the honor of attending and being part of the Charter Banquet for our first new Sertoma Club built this Sertoma year, in Honolulu last month. 37 very excited and motivated members are now doing service in the name of Sertoma – across the pond in Hawaii! They sponsor an incredible group of gifted Serteens and have also incorporated our hearing health mission into their mission. Congratulations & welcome to all these new Sertomans who are most eager to meet all of you “mainlanders” and are thrilled about upcoming “distance learning” opportunities, given their distance. Last week, I was again honored to be part of another new Sertoma Club charter event in Joplin, Missouri, centered around a Boys & Girls Club focus, again with a Safe Ears hearing health component. These dedicated new Sertomans are eager to get started with their mission – now that they are “official”! I will soon be traveling to the third club to be chartered, in Napavine, WA – between Seattle and Portland, the third week in March, and again, they are excited to be working on their mission and focus as they become official.
WELCOME to these three new Sertoma Clubs – the first 3 of many to be built this year. Be watching upcoming issues of this Missive – as this freight train of growth keeps rolling!!!!
“Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”
In more than one Sertoma newsletter or conference this year, I have read and heard this recurring theme regarding the four generations of Sertomans (Traditionalists/Veterans-ages 65-88; Baby Boomers-ages 46-64; Generation X-ers - ages 31-45 and Millennials-ages 10-30) all working side by side within our Sertoma Clubs. Each generation offers different styles, strengths and values. If we are not aware and understand the differences, friction results, but if we manage these differences well, our clubs will benefit from this diversity. Not to stereotype our members, but in general terms, statistics show the following:
Traditionalists – these members have built the Sertoma world as we know it. They are dedicated, hard working, sometimes use past experience to move forward (backwards focused) and the times they grew up in have shaped their perspective. They are stable, loyal, efficient, focused and mature. They can also be uncomfortable with change, conflict and reluctant to buck the system. Their leadership style tends to be fair, consistent, clear, direct and respectful. They are telling us: “your experience is respected, your perseverance is valued and will be rewarded”.
Baby Boomers – these members (that would be me!) grew up differently than the group above (our parents) and were born during one of the greatest expansion periods in U.S. history so as a result, their childhoods were optimistic and positive. Parents doted on the boomers and child rearing was viewed as a pleasure not an economic necessity. Boomers strive to succeed, are better educated, want a better lifestyle, dollars are paramount and we are the ‘sandwich generation’ taking care of children and parents. These folks have a team perspective, are dedicated, knowledgeable and focused on service. They are not naturally budget-minded, may put process ahead of result, can be sensitive to feedback and can be self-centered. Their leadership styles focus on equal treatment, warm-heartedness, mission-defined, and the democratic process. They are telling us: “you are important to our success, your contribution is unique and important”.
Generation X – these members have a distrust of permanence of both institutions and relationships and this generation is sometimes referred to as the “latchkey” generation, as they grew up in a struggling economy and soaring divorce rates, so they were left to fend for themselves. Their loyalties are to family, self, community, co-workers and company. They are accepting of diversity, require extensive feedback, skeptical, and have a lower standard of living than their parents. They are independent, creative, techno-literate, willing to challenge and change the status quo. They can be impatient, have poor people skills, inexperienced and cynical. Their leadership style is direct, competent, genuine, informal, flexible and results-oriented. They are telling us: “do it your way, there aren’t a lot of rules”.
Millennials – These members are known to be like the Gen X’ers on steroids!! – born with a computer mouse in their hand, pampered, nurtured and programmed. They are smart, techno-savvy, do-it-yourselfers, have new ways to look at the world, childhoods were overscheduled, and the lines of fantasy and reality are sometime blurred. They don’t command – they collaborate. They are optimistic, able to multi-task, are determined, and socially responsible. They need supervision and structure and are inexperienced handling difficult people issues. Their leadership style is motivated, collaborative, positive, organized, coach-able and achievement-oriented. They are telling us: “you can be a hero; you and your fellow Sertomans can turn this community around.”
SO – what does all this tell us? Each generation has things in common: each desires independence and control; to grow and develop personally and professionally; to contribute to the “greater good”. As you work to retain existing members, and recruit new members, think about the make-up of your club. Does your club consist of mostly one – or another – of these groups? If so, perhaps thinking about ways to interest other generations in your club, should be a focus. If you have conflicts, maybe using the above generalities will help you think about why some leaders/members, respond as they do.
The bottom line is this: Sertoma is an inclusive organization. A diverse membership can be a good thing. Don’t limit yourself to one age group or another – embrace working together and bringing different skill sets to the table; with members of different ages, perspectives and personalities. Recognizing the differences to help you understand people, may be the first step toward greater success!
For more information about the above, take a look at “The Bottom Line” magazine.
WHY Belong?
In last month’s Missive, I shared with you the 501C3 non-profit values of belonging to a larger organization like Sertoma – rather than just being out there on your own. To follow that up with other reasons to be a member of a larger organization – the network of having hundreds of Sertoma Clubs throughout the nation, to share ideas with, gain knowledge, information and help, is invaluable. As your President, I am honored to receive many newsletters from clubs and Governors. This information gives me great ideas – to share with all of you!! For instance, the President of one of our clubs who has been around a number of years, recently shared with me some initiatives he is focusing on this year, some new, some old – to challenge his members regarding recruitment. I am sure he would love it if any of you would like to adopt any of these in your own club!!
· He developed a “President’s Circle” recognizing members for recruitment, which has 3 levels, bronze (1-2 recruits), silver (3-4 recruits) gold (5 or more recruits) (reminds me of the Olympics!) As each member earns the right to be in the President’s Circle, that designation is indicated on a colored sticker on their name tag and a chart with this info.is near the name badge box every week so every member knows what the others have done;
· draw a color of paper as you enter club meetings, and that determines at which table you sit; this helps with those who sit with the same ‘ol group each time, and encourages mixing and getting to know one another;
· Monthly “take five” – where a member is chosen to talk for 5 minutes about themselves, business, personal life, interests, whatever they want to share – it’s amazing what we DON’T know about a member we have sat next to for years!!
· A new format for New Member Orientation with a power point created by the President about their club, what they do, and they will continue to edit and post on their club’s website to find out what new members are learning about Sertoma, he says there is a lot of interest in this;
· They have developed a new “Associate Membership” for college students who want to become involved in their Sertoma club but don’t have the time to commit, so they can network with members, develop business contacts for jobs once they finish college, they help with volunteer activities and become engaged with a Sertoma club – giving them a much better possibility of being a Sertoman after college – an exciting new initiative!
· Picking up and driving older members to meetings has met with great success;
· Building a new club in their area – which has not been done in a long time. All of these new things – excitement, new energy – go hand-in-hand with the impetus to build a new club. This Sertoma Club is thriving!! Great job to this committed President!
Stay tuned for more installments about the “benefits of membership” – there are SO many!!
Final thoughts for the day from the Little Rules of Life:
1. Never refuse homemade brownies.
2. Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.
3. Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards.
4. Live your life as an exclamation – not an explanation.
5. Count your blessings.
Yours in Service, 
Julie Hejtmanek – Your Prez
222 SW 7th Street, Topeka, KS 66603
785 235 5678
juliehejtmanek@ksjustice.com
Rev. Jim 
SERTOMAN OF THE DAY: 
n/a 
Bob Buckland 
Bill Benton
