You know that I love you guys.
Or may be you don’t remember when I told you, you were too drunk to remember, or I was too drunk to tell it explicitely, or I forgot to mention it ; however, here you know : I love you, and I miss you my friends. I want you to know that every one of you seems to me a key asset for your team : the one I worked with, of course, and those newcomers board I didn’t work with, I wish I had, after the various talk we had.

As a former board member I have some measure of what engagement you’ve jumped into this year. Enough to know that your role is hard, that it requires courage and heart, and a will for challenges. I think no european board before you had so many of these qualities. I admire every one of you as a friend, I admire you as a team. (I may even envy you for being part of such team).
So you got the point, I love you my friends. This message comes from a loving and admiring friend.

For the record, I have absolutely no idea what you’ve done this year, or how far your team has been, as I have mostly no contact with Rotaract since we met in Amsterdam in October 2010. So this message is written absolutely contextless.

And it’s with all that love and respect that I think I have to give you a feedback.

Technically, it’s not mine, it’s a feedback from my girlfriend.

You met Rebecca in Amsterdam. May be you talked with her. She’s smart, she spot the key points in no time in many situation. So I drove her to Amsterdam at the Rotaract European Meeting. She discovered the rotaractors and the week-end/convention stuff for the first time. We met the dozens, hundreds rotaractors gathered there. She saw everybody was engaged with passion for our cause : bring friendship and peace all over the world, or let’s say : changing the human world as a better, wherever we can. She felt their energy, their power, it raised her sense of engagement either.

So after we talked with people, got drunk, danced, smoked a junk or two, get diner at the Gala, as dessert was finishing, she raised an engaged question :
- « Is at all ? »
- « wtf ‘all’ ? » I replied
- « You just meet, drink, dance, and nothing more ? »
- « … » (me speachless)
- « You’re all gathered here, like 200 guys, for 3 days, willing to serve humanity, and you just dance, drink, talk ? Is that all about these week-ends ? »

It hits me.

Well, no, it’s not really « all ».
At the European Conventions, once per year, we organise a few workshops where everyone can attend. But only at the convention, and with little output I must admit.

And well, no, not for all of us. I was a Country Representative during 2 years, and then in the european board 1 year, so I know some work all along, at every week-end. The Country Rep’ meet, brainstorm, exchange on how to improve Rotaract, share experiences from their countries, all along the week-end. All right. But how many are we, the Board and the Rep’ ? less than 30. Over 200 to 300 total rotaractors attending such week-ends.

Rebecca is fucking right. We gathered 3 times per year a huge pack of powerful yet young people in the same place, originating from all over Europe and beyond, linked by friendhsip and the same values, willing to change the world as a better. I’m not sure so many good will and heart and intelligence from so many cultures are ever gathered in one event like this. And yet, we dance, talk, drink, eat. That is all.

So.
Here you got Rebecca’s feedback, her surprise : as a regular attender, she didn’t see anything meaningful built/shared/done. Hard to hear first, but I must admit now she had spot a key point, once again.

Again, it’s a blind post, i don’t know what you’ve done this year and maybe you have this all changed. But I think the question of the outcome of these weekends, for the so many attenders, is a key question.

This post was first purposed to be an email I was writing to you my beloved board. The ending lines looked like a challenge, something like «I love you so I have to tell you this because I think you can do something about it».

Then I realized I was just repeating the same mistake again : focussing on a few people, overloading them with responsability. You guys, plus the club hosting the event can’t « organize » 200 people to work together ; you just can give them space, time, and tools and let them share and build whatever they want. But at the end, the outcome is everybody’s job. Every Rotaractor coming to a Rotaract Event can do something about it.

So, you, there, the regular rotaractor reading this. Actually, this message goes to you. You’re going to the Rotaract European Convention in a few weeks. You’ll have a unique time with unbelievable people like you :

What will you build there, for the world to change ?

With all my love,

Guillaume

J’ai passé 2 ans au bureau national du Rotaract France, au cours de laquelle chaque année j’ai diffusé différents messages.

Ceci est le dernier, mon épilogue personnel.

A bien y réfléchir, je n’ai jamais couché par écrit mes messages précédents. Afin que vous remettre dans le contexte, je vais essayer d’en faire une synthèse.

Pronostic vital engagé

Certains symptômes m’amenaient à la conclusion que nous étions mourants : la sensation que chaque année tout doit être recommencé ; que chaque initiative devient plus difficile, qu’une simple newsletter demande un effort anormal ; et nous n’avions eu aucune candidature au poste de coordinateur national pendant 2 années consécutives. En médecine, quand maintenir un état stable demande un supplément d’effort, c’est qu’on est mourant.

Prenant conscience que chaque voix pouvait alors compter j’ai décidé d’ouvrir la mienne et de proclamer haut ce non-dit lors de la convention nationale : notre mouvement était en dégringolade, nous ne pouvions plus nous contenter de laisser les choses dans l’état ou nous les avions trouvé. J’allais, de mon côté, investiguer sur le pourquoi d’une telle chute. C’était en 2008.

(je reviendrai plus tard sur ma prise de conscience et ses circonstances).

Tipping point

En 2009, j’ai donné les quelques raisons que j’avais identifiées, qui prises ensemble avaient pu amener la dégringolade de nos effectifs :

• une fragmentation : avec 18 districts sur France, Andorre et Monaco, chaque effort de stimulation doit être reproduit 18 fois, et l’émulation est autant pénalisée. Il nous a fallu 2 ans de travail au bureau national pour reprendre un contact régulier avec tous les districts.
• un seuil critique : lorsque l’on est peu nombreux et dispersés géographiquement, la connaissance devient distribuée sur un petit nombre de personnes, et peut facilement être perdue. 1/3 des effectifs sont renouvelés chaque année (estimation personnelle empirique). Le savoir-faire se perd, et en perdant la mémoire nous avons du mal à prendre du recul et à comprendre ce qui nous arrive… c’est un cercle vicieux.
• un paradoxe : la création de la coordination nationale. Censée rapprocher les rotaractiens de France, elle a probablement créé un conflit d’émancipation vis-à-vis des Rotary’s. Les clubs rotariens, en perdant leur rôle de référents, l’auraient mal vécu -chaque club a des parrains rotariens, après tout. Et nous sommes devenus… disons… un peu arrogants, ayant enfin une structure à nous -un syndrome père-fils, en somme. Sachant que le réseau rotarien nous amenait 1/3 de nos recrutements (estimation généralement admise), un petit calcul montre vite l’influence qu’une mésentente avec les rotariens peut avoir sur nos effectifs : 1/3 de recrutement en moins, c’est une diminution de moitié des effectifs en 5 ans.

Pour mieux comprendre ce type de phénomène, vous pouvez lire The Tipping Point, de Malcolm Gladwell, ou comment les changements positifs et négatifs se produisent à la manière d’épidémies soudaines, propagatoires et fulgurantes. Ils sont issus d’une combinaison de facteurs, d’effets de seuil et d’initiatives d’un petit nombre de personnes qui atteignent un tipping point -un point de bascule.

Un tipping point, c’est ce qui nous est arrivé.

Objectif : 3000

L’année dernière, en 2009, j’ai donc proposé un objectif formulé simplement : devenir 3000 (avec le soutien inénarrable de l’équipe du bureau national, bien entendu). C’est ma définition de notre poids de forme, que je compare à un pays comme l’Allemagne, avec 2800 rotaractiens, ou l’Italie, 5500. Il n’est pas normal d’être si peu, notre cause est belle : l’amitié entre les peuples ; nos valeurs dans l’action sont classes : « l’amitié par le service », développer ses compétences au service d’une cause ; nous tissons des liens forts, de nombreuses amitiés par delà les frontières.

Imaginez ce que serait une France à 3000 rotaractiens :  la puissance de frappe en communication et en recrutement ; la capacité de faire bouger ce qui nous tient à coeur, les actions qui envoient du lourd ; le réservoir de talents dans nos rangs. Si on est au Rotaract, c’est pas pour laisser le monde dans l’état où on l’a trouvé, non ? alors si on commençait par appliquer cet ambition à nous-même ? Il est temps de voir grand, là, tout de suite.

Le coeur d’un adolescent

Aujourd’hui, l’objectif 3000 a un an. Au sein du bureau national, nous avons tâché de le stimuler au travers des forums ouverts, un contact de terrain (Mickaël Jaud, notre président, a parcouru 30.000 km à visiter les clubs), et surtout par un soutien sans faille aux initiatives ambitieuses. Nous ne sommes pas encore 3000, mais les indicateurs aujourd’hui me font rougir de plaisir :

• nous avons retrouvé beaucoup de clubs isolés, repris un contact régulier avec l’ensemble des 18 districts : ils nous parlent de leurs effectifs, des dernières actions qui font leur fierté, des difficultés qu’ils rencontrent. Vu du bureau, nous qui connaissions à peine ces gens, nous avons aujourd’hui les derniers potins d’un bout à l’autre de la France, c’est devenu une vraie conciergerie.
• il y a depuis 2 années consécutives plusieurs candidats à la présidence de la coordination nationale. Nous attirons les leaders.
• la présence aux 4 week-end nationaux annuels bat des records : 50 personnes systématiquement, les places sont prises en quelques jours.
• nous voyons de nouveaux projets ambitieux, comme Musisep’ Tour, qui fédèrent au delà des clubs et des districts.

C’est lors de cette dernière Convention Nationale que j’ai été impressionné par notre nouveau dynamisme, une énergie perceptible à la fois dans les ateliers… et dans les soirées. Le poul est bon, il y a du sang frais, l’oxygène arrive à toutes les extrémités… le coeur du Rotaract en France bat comme celui d’un adolescent en émoi. Ça m’arracherait presque une larme.

Vous l’avez compris, c’est avec une certitude absolue de notre expansion future que je quitte le Rotaract aujourd’hui.

(à suivre : ce que j’ai appris)

Imagine you are Dr House, looking at the patient called « French Rotaract ». Here’s the data that you have :

Some facts from patient’s file :

• No volunteer for national coordination presidency in 2007-2008
• Year 2008-2009, a candidate did show up only at the last minute. It seemed he had to be pushed really hard, too hard because he finally resigned in the middle of the year (*)
• 2007 national convention was cancelled ; records says the organizing club has been chosen only 12 month before the date, which is way too short compared to previous editions (it is usually planned 2 years ahead)
• at national coordination, there is a list of closing clubs that is incremented almost every 2 month

(*) Disclaimer : only my humble interpretation, as i’ve been involved in that story

Recuring impressions gathered from interviews with « the patient » (= the rotaractors) :

• « each project is hardly completed. Every year it seems some easy things are no more easy »
  (national convention, national social projects, newsletter, collecting fees, etc.)
• « we hardly find people to serve on Rotaract management. Apart from leading, things like making a regular newsletter became hard. We hardly find one guy, bearing everything on his shoulder, or working hard to have some other rotaractors committing »
  (to compare, in some countries, for writing one article you get three volunteers in a snap)
• « we have no clear statement wether we are ok or not… how can we know it ? »
  (interpretation by contraposition : if we were ok… we would know it, wouldn’t we ?)
• « most of the time we do things because « we used to do that way ». When asked if these are traditions, or if it has a real meaning, « We always did that way » seems a recurring answer
  (interpretation : I think it is a collective behaviour that organisations tend to adopt when they don’t feel safe about their integrity ; it is a collective response to a feeling of weakness, you prefer to not risk to loose something when you think you won’t gain anything)

Some non factual comments of your « assistants » after observing « the patient » :

• clubs do less common projects than they used to ; nation-wide processes gets erratic (see previous articles)
  => it seems that information do not flow very well along the « patient’s body »
• clubs rarely call others for help now, which means to me they do not think about the other rotaractors as a source of help
  => it seems their overall unity gets weaker
• because of the turn-over, patient barely knows how it was « before », and the past is told more like urban legend than like facts
  => it seems patient has little memory

Now, Doctor, considering the symptoms, what would you say about the state of your patient ?

We call for club member lists in summer, and do the big count in September. Because presidents are in charge since July, they have 2 month to send us an updated list. The summer period means low activity and students holidays : it’s hard to reach people, and hard to raise motivation. For starting presidents, just discovering their new charge, reporting to us -national board- is not their top priority.

At a glance, these lists are a boring job to do, in a lazy period of the year, when people are hard to reach, and you’ll do it in the last minute. Now, imagine how you would do the job in such situation ? Nice, clean, perfect ? Noooope. If you are a normal human being, you will do one of these options :

• send at the last minute what you have right under your hand, probably the last year’s dirty stuff, roughly updated.
• send your list after the deadline,
• try to negotiate the deadline.

… some club do never send their list at all… and I wonder if it really changed something for them.

So that’s my point : to get good data, we set up deadlines. Then who’s dead after all ? …our data.

If you ask different workers « how much is Pi ? »

• mathematician says : « the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter »
• a physician says : « 3,14159 plus or minus 10e5″
• an engineer says : « almost 3″ [I'm engineer ]
• a geophysicist asks : « how much you want it to be ? »

(If you’re a geophysist, please laugh)(I had to tell it, it deserve to be spread)

Usually the geophysist is missioned by a client, and the client has expectations. The geophysist anticipate clients expectations, so the results are partly oriented by them. About Rotaract, it is the same with clubs member directory. The presidents answers what the national boards are expecting.

Some national board had policies about member datas, so they influence the collect, unconsciously. Spreading the message « please clean the ghosts members from our database », you launch a global ghostbuster effect the datas get shrinked quickly. On the other side, it can also happen that the national board call to raise the Rotaract manpower in France. Presidents want to be part of that success, they all want to bring hope. So you have a global ghost members effect : they keep as many members as they can in the directory.

Now imagine we want to analyze the tendency between two years : we have to consider the current board influence, the influence of the previous board, and compare them. Enjoy. It can’t be measured, it’s impossible. So, you get the point : to me, this national member count are not accurate, so we can’t analyze them : it is not a real evidence of an ongoing decline of Rotaract in France.

It is time to figure how healthy we are, apart from the number.

]]> http://duquesnay.fr/2009/02/a-geophysists-joke/feed/ 0 http://duquesnay.fr/2009/02/ghost-members-ghost-busters/ http://duquesnay.fr/2009/02/ghost-members-ghost-busters/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:23:45 +0000 Guillaume http://duquesnay.fr/?p=49 Sometime, a member leaves Rotaract. That’s life. But the way it happens varies, and the way we record it is not absolutely fluent. That, also, has an impact on the national member count accuracy.

Sometime the membre leaves suddenly. Reached the age limit ; new job ; moved in another city or country ; or wanna move his life to something new. That’s life.

But at a regular rate either, some member leaves slowly, staying away from the club’s life too long. She (or he) wanna stay, but day to day life makes him less and less available. At first, she gives news, emails, or phone calls. Is she « in », or « out » ?

The process is reversible : some people come back to action after being away a really long time. So it is fair to keep them in the list until they pay their contribution. When they doesn’t ? Well, it depends, but -my evaluation- if a guy send at least one email to say « Hello » to the club, she is still countered « in ». And it can lasts…

We have a name for that, we usually call them « ghost members ».
« Hey, I got news from Alexandra », someone reports : Alexandra, you’re « in » one more year. You, ghost member.

Then once, there comes a new president (we change every year). That one wants a clear membership list, he faces reality, and slash decision : « she is out ». As he processes the whole list, he often cleans up all the ghosts at once. Let’s call him a Ghost Buster. (Bill Murray is my hero.)

When you just look at the member list of a healthy club, it appears like this : for a few years, the clubs seems to grow more and more ; then one year, it seems to fall abruptly. Fake hope, fake deception : the club workforce remained stable all along. It’s just a number artifact of ghosts members being piled up a few years and removed at once.

You got he point : you can’t tell one club manpower just by looking at his member list.
But how do you think the national manpower is calculated ? The national boards sum up all these clubs member lists and count.

But I must say I do not trust these numbers, I think these datas are highly unaccurate.
I’ll try to explain that in the coming articles.

(if you don’t like talking about numbers, skip these and wait for the article about the health facts of french Rotaract)

I said already I felt a personal urgence to know what happened to us, like : I don’t want to stay with that mystery all my life. But another question came, more profund, more hidden after all these years. The frightening one, you’ve heard it in every plane drama movie : the altitude question

« -Situation seems back under control, captain !

- OK, How high are we from the ground, now ? »

This question means : How risky is our present situation ?

For Rotaract either, if we talk about a past fall, we need now an « altimeter ». Here’s how we can get it : let’s review what numbers we have and what they tell us, and then review what other healthindicators we could use.

From the beginning, i’ve been told we were declining. Or, more precisely, that after decades of stability we’ve been declining… and were now stable again. When I came to Rotaract it was said we are 400 people involved in France. Then maybe 500 next year, or around 350… Well, i’ve heard numbers.

Then one day, I’ve decided to know more than urban legends about that. Here is the story.

I’ve met former rotaractors from time to time. First bad tickle. The older were these guys, the bigger they told me rotaract was in France… before. See that ? The more you look in the past, the more we were… which means : the higherwe’ve been falling from. You can say « but why didn’t you do something ? ». Actually, there were no specified number, no evidence ; we rotaractors were busy enough with our day-to-day club activities, so we all deal with that, this is history for us.

When I was club and district president 2 years along, I did not attend european convention or any other international event. And I missed that : exchanging with other rotaractors from all over the world, talking about tips, recruitment, motivation… hmm… partying ! The European Convention in London went (May 2008), and I finally attended it (was great !). I got shocked. Under your sight, you could see 950 rotaractors from Europe and more, including 200 germans. I realized that we were soooooo little in France. That we had a problem ! Healthy Rotaract in countries comparable to us are way bigger : german rotaractors are 3000 while Italians are 5500. Then, the question comes tickle my mind : why are we that little, again ?

Don’t misunderstand me : everyone in french Rotaract has looked for solutions, at local, regional, or national level, we were all trying. But, hey, nobody –as far as I know- had any clue about the original cause of the problem. Of course, I’ve heard many possible reasons. So, I’ve tried from time to time to double check these facts. Global humanitarian involvement crisis in France ? A friend of mine working in national management of Secours Populaire (another non-profit organisation) told me he never heard of that, nor see the effects. Exit involvment crisis. Economical crisis ? So what ? We french people talk about economical crisis for more than twenty years, and our Rotaract crisis is not that long, and seems more regular that economics. Plus, we give time to Rotaract, not money !

There was that last one : the mysterious french exception (rational, right ?). It’s when talking to other country representatives that I came to the conclusion that all these reasons were wrong. We are not that different, other countries also have some of the mentionned factor, and never went into anything comparable. Not even one of these factor was able to explain such a fall. Not even a combination of them.

After four years without proper answers, i realized i will probably leave Rotaract without ever knowing why we were declining.

I want to know. Why the Rotaract in France has been declining for 15 years from now. I. Want. To. Know.

I’ve told my friends I felt the need to rest after that last year, because I’ve been deeply involved into my district representative role. Considering personal context, also, I needed to. However, seeking for answers was perfectly compatible with the rotaract retirement i was expecting : i haven’t heard any new theories in France for decades, so why not going to international parties events and meet as many foreign Rotaractors as I could ? To compare situations, ask for their external opinions. Like I always think, it’s not because we don’t have the answer that it is complex. It may be just a matter of changing the view angle on the problem. So, I’ve decided what would be my next year’s role : go seek for the answer in international events. Funky challenge, non ?

(And that’s why I proposed the next french Rotaract coordinator, Enguerran, to be International Representative of French Rotaracts).

After writing it down, I realize I can advice that to every rotaractor : if you need motivation, energy, or just to clarify your thoughts about what your doing, go to an international meeting. It’s a pure shot.