January is Vocational Service Month

January is Vocational Service Month on the Rotary calendar. Vocational Service is at the heart of Rotary, which was founded on the classification system of membership. Business and professional life are the bedrock of Rotary, and Vocational Service is a major force in promoting
A Short History Lessonhonour, integrity, and trustworthiness in business.

Originally only one representative from each business or profession was invited to join a club. Paul Harris felt that if several members of the same profession were to join, they would either sit together and “talk shop” or compete against each other for other members’ business. The idea of “trade-boosting” was gradually eliminated and by 1912, Rotarians were no longer required to exchange business with one another.

The Forgotten Avenue of Service
Of Rotary’s five Avenues of Service* – Club, Vocational, Community, and International – Vocational is difficult to define, so it is sometimes called the “Forgotten Avenue of Service”. One reason is Club, Community, International and Youth Service activities usually involve groups of Rotarians. They enjoy the fellowship of Club Service, the satisfaction of serving the needs of their communities, and the hope that their International Service promotes world peace and understanding. But Vocational Service – the second Avenue of Service -- is generally conducted by individual members.

Service Above Self
Rotary’s early leaders often cited the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – as the guiding principle of Rotary’s Vocational Service. By the time the National Association of Rotary Clubs held its first convention in 1910, the networking emphasis had begun to shift. The majority of clubs told the new Civic Committee that Rotary should move from being a booster club to improving their communities. The concept of “he profits most who serves his fellows best” became “he profits most who serves best”. This idea morphed into “Service, not Self” and finally, it became the Rotary slogan we know today -- “Service Above Self”.

In 1940, Rotary International defined the Object of Vocational Service “to encourage and foster: high ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society.” Today’s Rotarians still pride themselves on being able to use their professional stature and knowledge to make things happen worldwide, wherever there is a need for change.

The Rotary Code of Ethics
Back in 1912, when Glenn Mead succeeded Paul Harris as President of Rotary International, he recommended a code of business ethics be formulated to contribute to the advancement of business morality. At that time, there were no consumer protection laws or truth-in-advertising statutes. Fraudulent and deceptive business practices were the norm. The unwritten law was caveat emptor, “Let the buyer beware.” Since the adoption of the Rotary Code of Ethics in 1915, at least 145 national industrial codes of conduct practice have been adopted as a direct result of the influence of Rotarians.

The Four-Way Test
Rotary’s current code of ethical conduct – The Four-Way Test – was developed during the Great Depression, by a Rotarian, Herb Taylor, from the United States, as a four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The code’s four points are simple and direct – “Of all the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

The Four-Way Test was officially adopted by Rotary in 1943 and has been translated into the languages of over 100 countries. It appears on highway billboards, in schoolrooms and on the walls of businesses, in labour contracts, courtrooms and halls of government. It’s even on the moon, in the form of a Four-Way Test pin planted on the surface by astronaut Buzz Aldrin!

The Heart of Rotary
Vocational Service remains at the heart of Rotary. In 1987-88, RI President Charles C. Keller reinvigorated the Avenue by appointing the first Vocational Service Committee in 50 years. The committee redefined how clubs could more effectively participate in Vocational Service and drafted the new Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions.

Today, with over 1.2 million members in more than 35,000 clubs in nearly 200 countries, Rotary provides humanitarian service, promotes high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build international understanding, goodwill and peace.

* Youth Service, the 5^th Avenue of Service was officially recognized by Rotary during the Council of Legislation in 2010.

The author would like to thank David C. Forward: A Century of Service (2003) as part of the material for this article.

And here is the second letter on Vocational Service

From: Ian lancaster, Immediate Past Chair of the District 7070 Vocational Service Committee

The Rotary monthly theme for January is Vocational Service. Another Rotary year is half over and Governor Jim has shared his vision during his club visits, along with President John’s theme of “Rotary Serving Humanity”.

By way of introduction for those who don’t know me, my name is Ian Lancaster, a member of the Rotary Club of Toronto Sunrise in downtown Toronto. My classification is ‘Nursing – Palliative Care’ and I am the Chair of both your District Vocational Service and Vocational Training Team Committees for the Rotary year 2016-2017. My vocation has given me a rare insight into life. I’m very, very fortunate to be able to help guide people at the most difficult time in their lives.

I want to share with you some of those insights that have come my way through personal experience, considerable research and a little soul-searching.

One of the most important steps you can take toward achieving your greatest potential in life is to learn to monitor your attitude and its impact on your work performance, relationships and everyone around you.

What attitude do you bring to work with you? No puzzled looks please. In general, people don’t have a high level of attitude awareness. They’ll know if they’re hungry or if their feet hurt, but they usually don’t have a good handle on their attitude. That’s a mistake because attitude is everything. It governs the way you perceive the world and the way the world perceives you.

We all have a choice. We can choose an inner dialogue of self-encouragement and self-motivation, or we can choose one of self-defeat and self-pity. It’s a power we all have. Each of us encounters hard times, hurt feelings, heartache, and physical and emotional pain. The key is to realize it’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how you choose to respond.

As we have often heard, your mind is a computer. It can be programmed. You can choose whether the software installed is productive or unproductive. Your inner dialogue is the software that programs your attitude, which determines how you present yourself to the world around you. You have control over the programming. Whatever you put into it is reflected in what comes out.

Many of us have behaviour patterns today that were programmed into our brains at a very early age. The information that was recorded by our brains could have been completely inaccurate or cruel. The sad reality of life is that we will continue to hear negative information, but we don’t need to program it into our brains.

The loudest and most influential voice you hear is your own inner voice, your self-critic. It can work for or against you, depending on the messages you allow. It can be optimistic or pessimistic. It can wear you down or cheer you up. You control the sender and the receiver, but only if you consciously take responsibility for and control over your inner conversation.

Habitual bad attitudes are often the product of past experiences and events. Common causes include low self-esteem, stress, fear, resentment, anger and an inability to handle change. It takes serious work to examine the roots of a harmful attitude, but the reward of ridding ourselves of this heavy baggage can last a lifetime.

As a Rotarian engaged in a business or a profession, you are expected to bring your best attitude with you and consider your profession as an opportunity to serve.

What incites you to take action to change your life and the lives around you? Basic motives include love, self-preservation, anger, financial gain and fear. Self-motivation requires enthusiasm, a positive outlook, taking care of your health, and a belief in yourself and your God-given potential.

With your progressive attitude, you’ll do everything in your power to distinguish your profession and promote its highest ethical standards. You’ll be fair and respect all you come in contact with, whether personal or professional, and offer your skills to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in your community and the community at large.

Your affirmation as a Rotarian is to serve humanity through your vocation/profession and to do good in the world.

When you have the right attitude, you can do the remarkable!

In Rotary’s Service,

Ian

Ian E. Lancaster RN, CPN, CHPCN(C)
ielancaster@xplornet.ca