At 12:29, President Ouimet started the meeting and Tom Strode led us in our patriotic song with Rotarians joining in. Inspiration was provided by Cyril White who quoted from Alexander the Great. Downs Herold led us in “Sing, Rotarians” to the tune of “On Wisconsin” accompanied by Tom Strode with the second song being “Sing and the World Smiles with You”.
President Ouimet mentioned that 3 new members are helping with today’s meeting which is great, but we still need more volunteers for the meetings including greeters, attendance takers, and set up volunteers. President Ouimet also announced that a thank-you letter was received by the VA for the veteran’s kits which serves as a reminder of the great work that Rotary does in the community. Thanks again especially for Don Deatrick’s leadership of this initiative.
John Sepp announced the birthdays for the week and anniversaries of club membership.
Dennis Powers talked about the Rent-A-Rotaractor program. This year, the Rotaractors are volunteering for Honduras Child Alliance & RCAA has provided grants for the work. They will pour a new concrete floor in the classroom so it doesn’t flood during the rainy season. One of the main ways that Rotaractors raise funds for their travel costs is the Rent-A-Rotaractor program, so please be creative in the ways that Rotaractors can assist you with any tasks around your house. Use the google form in the Rotarian to sign up.
Nishta Bhatia talked about the Rotary Environmental Action Group and announced that we have met most of the volunteer numbers for the February swap event scheduled on Feb 3 & 4 (a few volunteers are still needed for the 4th). A flyer had information about how to Reuse, Repair & Recycle within in the Ann Arbor community were on each lunch table.
Shelly MacMillan talked about the preview night for Wine, Women & Song which has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 2, and the entire event was moved to the first full weekend in March. Shelly will be reaching out to members individually to check in regarding whether they wish to refund their tickets or will attend the rescheduled event.
Rosemarie Rowney introduced Dr. Jane Dutton – today’s speaker. Dr. Dutton’s research and expertise lies at the intersection of strategy, management and organizations, and psychology. Since 1989, when she joined the University of Michigan faculty, she has enjoyed a joint appointment between the Management and Organizations department at the Ross School and the Department of Psychology. Dr. Dutton’s research is focused on processes that build capabilities and strengths of employees in organizations. She mentioned that she is speaking on behalf of the Center for Positive Organizations.
Thriving is based on core assumption #1: that we all want to thrive at work and in life. When we are thriving we are growing, learning, positively energized, engaged, resilient, creating/innovating, engaged/committed, generous/production, caring/compassionate. It’s really challenging today, especially with the pandemic to thrive due to uncertainty, depletion and fear, increasing demands, and non-stop change.
Thriving is based on core assumption #2 – to create more thriving, we need to see and unlock resources from within.
Core Assertion: 3 key paths to Unlocking Resources for Thriving Organizations – increasing positive connections, positive emotions & positive meanings. Research has shown that to move to a flourishing/thriving state that we need 3 times the rate of positivity to negativity to move people into a more positive state.
Path 1. Build More Positive Connections with Others – micro connections that make up those relationships. What are positive connections with others? The defining features include vitality/zest, positive regard, and mutuality.
Why do positive connections matter? Positive connections: 1) increase your capacity to think and create, 2) increase physiological health instantly allowing us to live longer), 3) increase your capacity to adapt and be resilient and can reduce stress and anxiety.
For units or organizations positive connections allow these to become more adaptive – better learning (more resilient), provides great cooperation and collaboration, and people are more committed and attached.
Take-aways for positivity within organizations or groups: Power of positive intentions, first moments matter, questions we ask matter, importance of genuine interest, find common ground, and let your bodies talk.
Thought experiment: How does your organization (or group) foster the building of positive connections? When on-boarding new members? Running meetings? These key initial interactions matter greatly. Use the first 5 minutes of a meeting to build high quality connections.
Path 2 – Experience more Positive Emotions – Positive Emotions are a pleasant or desirable situation response, usually follows an appraisal, and associated with action tendency.
The Power of Gratitude provides the following outcomes:
Psychological – more alert, alive, and awake (unlocks energy), more joy & pleasure, more positivity and happiness, healthier heart rhythms. Social: more helpful, generous, and compassionate, more forgiving, more outgoing, feel less lonely and isolated.
How to build this within an organization and cultivate gratitude/appreciation? Examples include: recognition practices, huddles/check-ins, and expressing appreciation at the onset of meetings
Path 3 – Foster More positive Self-Meaning – How do I think about who I am as a person? What positive practices am I using as an individual within my organization? One way organizationally is to gain knowledge and use strengths at work. In Rotary, do we know who has what strengths within the club? How does your team/unit foster awareness and use its strengths? Composing Teams? Job Crafting? Research shows that’s its more effective to shore up people’s strengths rather than focus on reversing weaknesses.
To summarize, cultivate thriving in your organization by unlocking resources from within. Unlock resources by cultivating more positive connections, positive emotions, and positive meaning; build it into your daily routines and your organization (or group) practices. https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/
Quotes of the Day was if you only live once but if you do it right, once is enough from Mae West.”
President Ouimet adjourned the meeting at 1:25.
Respectfully submitted by,
Jennifer Fike
