Rotarians learn leadership under fire

"One action is worth a thousand words" was one of the leadership principles Sisters Rotarians learned this month.

At Rotary's weekly meeting, SAIF president and CEO Brenda Rocklin shared the 10 leadership principles she has learned through crisis management. The head of Oregon's workers' compensation insurance organization attended Rotary to kick-off a series of speakers on leadership.

Rocklin said she had learned many of her leadership lessons from experience by leading organizations that were undergoing crisis. After her beginnings as a lawyer, she became the District Attorney of Grant County, served as Director of the Oregon Lottery and then joined SAIF which was under investigation.

"I went to SAIF Corporation to try and turn things around," said Rocklin.

During troubled times, she keeps in mind that, "almost anything is easier to get into than out of." Throughout her speech, Rocklin used humor which demonstrated another leadership principle; "never underestimate the power of laughter."

"Even in our darkest moments at SAIF Corporation, I found a way to laugh every day," said Rocklin.

The CEO gives her employees plastic cocktail monkeys as a fun reminder that they "did something right today."

Rocklin showed a television commercial of cowboys herding cats to illustrate her point that, "leadership and accountability always start at the top." She said that like herding cats, there is no one plan that works to move an organization forward. She added a leader has to set the tone because employees notice everything a leader does.

Another guiding principle is: "Don't surround yourself with 'yes' people." Rocklin said she wants employees who will disagree with her.

"I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly," said Rocklin.

Rocklin said these principles are helpful whether a person is in management or not, adding that she thinks of them in her personal life too.

More than half of the workers' compensation policies in Oregon are issued by SAIF (State Accident Insurance Fund). Rocklin said SAIF handles about 45,000 claims a year which range from a splinter to death.

"We never want to lose sight of the fact that these numbers are people," said Rocklin.

Rotary President Scott Pillar said Rocklin was a great start to a series of speakers on the topic of leadership. The next speaker will be Oregon politician Kevin Mannix who will speak in April. The lunch speaker series is open to both Rotarians and the Sisters community. The speaker schedule is available at http://www.clubrunner.ca/sisters.