Page 6 - 國際扶輪3490地區2015-16總監月報第2期

R.I. R.I. President Message
K.R. Ravindran
President, Rotary International
04 總監月報 第02期
In the 1930s, Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter, had a wooden
sign hanging on his wall that read, Det bedste er ikke for godt: Only the
best is good enough. Today, Christiansen is remembered as the inventor
of Lego, the colorful plastic bricks beloved by children around the world. But
in the early days of the Lego company, its signature product was a wooden
duck – one built to the highest standards, out of aged beech, with three
coats of clear varnish. Lego's company history tells how Christiansen used
his ducks to teach a lesson in quality to his son, Godtfred Kirk:
One evening, when I came into the office, I said to my father: It's
been a good day today, Dad. We've earned a little more. Oh,
said Dad, what do you mean? Well, I've just been to the station
with two boxes of our toy ducks for the Danish Co-op. Normally they
get three coats of varnish, but since it's for the Co-op, I only gave
them two. So I saved the busi-ness a bit of money. He looked at
me in dismay. Godtfred, fetch those boxes back. Unpack them
and give the ducks another coat of varnish. You're not going to bed
until the work's done – and you'll do it all on your own. There was
no arguing with Dad. And it was a lesson for me about what quality
meant.
Today, Lego's quality standards are legendary, and its products are the
most popular toys in the world: Lego pieces outnumber humans 86 to 1.
We all recognize that this success stems directly from Lego's business
practices – its insistence on quality, efficiency, and innovation. I compare this
with our efforts in governance and accountability in Rotary, and realize that
sometimes we fall short of the standards expected.
The leaders at the Rotary International, zone, district, and club levels
have to maintain the highest standards in governance. The RI president and
directors must serve the membership in a meaningful manner; zone leaders
must deliver on the investment Rotary makes in them; district leaders must
provide dynamic leadership in the district and focus on transparency in
accounting and timely report-ing of financials; and club leaders must adhere
to proper reporting functions and get their clubs onto Rotary Club Central.
Just as Christiansen refused to consider sending a lesser product to
any of his clients, so should we refuse to consider giving a lesser effort to
any of our work. We must always demand the best of ourselves
– in our professional lives, and especially in our Rotary work.
For in Rotary, what is our product? It is not wooden ducks or plastic
bricks. It is education, water, health, and peace. It is hope, and it is life itself.
For this work, only our best is good enough. I ask you all to remember this –
and to do your very best to Be a Gift to the World.