Serving in a Leadership Team position in our Chapter is an honour we should all aspire to. It’s an opportunity to influence the success of the Chapter in a major way. Serving the Chapter is part of the commitment we make when joining BNI and one of the greatest strengths of BNI is that Chapters are self-governed.
Serving in a Leadership role is also a major responsibility and not something to be taken lightly. The direction in which the Leaders steer the Chapter will directly affect the value members receive from their investment.
Part of this responsibility is to ensure all Chapter Leaders respect the BNI system. After more than three decades of evolution, the BNI system is a finely honed and structured framework which is widely regarded as the most successful business referral marketing system in the world. Forbes Magazine listed BNI as the #3 overall small business association you should belong to.
BNI is a tried and proven method of growing businesses through developing great business relationships within a supportive and professional community. It’s important to recognise that the success of this system relies on it being utilised properly and to its full potential.
To help Leadership Teams identify and exceed BNI’s minimum standards, there’s a Chapter Charter that each Chapter must comply with in order to maintain their affiliation with BNI. Leadership Teams must abide by this Charter when governing their Chapter, to ensure a great visitor experience and successful outcomes for all members.
The BNI System is made up of the BNI Agenda plus the Rules of the Game. While there are many elements to the Chapter Charter, meeting these two requirements are fundamental to achieving success.
It’s very much like the McDonald’s philosophy, customers of the Golden Arches can walk into any McDonald’s restaurant in the world and expect the same experience. Except for some cultural considerations, every store looks the same, feels the same and sounds the same. The food is the same, and the processes for making that food are the same. This is McDonald’s way of ensuring quality control and customer satisfaction, across the globe.
With the annual Leadership change over just around the corner, incoming Leaders must be mindful that their fellow members have allocated time and money out their marketing budget to engage BNI’s services and they didn’t pay to be part of some random coffee club or social group.
The Chapter Charters must be respected, in order to protect the investment made by members as well as the consistency and integrity of the BNI brand.
When Leadership Teams adhere to the Chapter Charter, BNI ‘Best Practice’ is in place. This is proven to maximise the return on investment for each Chapter member.