Celebrating the Colors of Altrusa

From Linda Moore's Leadership Luncheon presentation at our recent District Nine Conference.

I love to watch all types of sports from football, basketball, golf, baseball/softball, and many others at all levels! My household of husband and two kids refers to sporting events as “family entertainment.”

The past 12 months have called for lots of sporting celebrations in the great State of Texas—aka District Nine—First, Baylor University is now home to the current Heisman Trophy Winner and the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champions!  The Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team won the World Championship! The Texas Rangers baseball team played in the 2011 World Series and was just plays away from winning the title.  

Also in the last 12 months, Altrusa International has adopted a new logo with new colors and I felt we needed to “celebrate” these colors and identify the leadership qualities of each.

Teal: The tallest color in our logo—From our International President’s Message in the October 2011 International Altrusan, “Picture the color of the oceans linking lands around the globe and representing the worldwide nature of Altrusa.” I cannot think of any better way to say it. Teal represents the International organization. Teal is the color of communication, self-awareness, initiative, and sophistication. All four of these descriptions describe qualities of leaders. A leader must be able to communicate with her superiors and her subordinates. Communication is a KEY to being a great leader. A leader must have self-awareness and know when she is in over her head or when she has things in control; know when to speak or when to stay quiet and be aware of personal feelings around her. A leader must have initiative and be able to tackle a project or program without the daily affirmation from others. Even though we need affirmation occasionally, it is not the reason we take on a leadership role. Sophistication is something that we gain as we mature. Look around this room and witness the sophistication and leadership qualities we have in our District Nine leaders. This room is filled with “Teal” leaders!

The next color in the logo is Gray: The gray color in our logo represents the clubs and districts. Gray is the color of intellect, knowledge, and wisdom and is perceived as long-lasting and classic. Well, this is all about leadership. Leaders must possess intellect about their passions. Altrusans are so passionate about their communities and their projects. Just ask an Altrusan and she will share her intellect about her favorite project. Knowledge is ongoing and growing in leaders. A leader must be willing to learn and gain knowledge from every experience. Wisdom is again something that we gain as we mature. This room is filled with “Gray” leaders as well!

The third color of the logo is Gold: The gold color in our logo represents ASTRA, Altrusa’s treasure and future. Gold is a bold color associated with wealth and prosperity. Gold is representative as praise and commendation, value, and excellence. Leaders are praised and valued by groups, mainly because they are selected by those groups. A leader must not forget, they usually have been chosen by their peers to be in the capacity they are in, so they must be willing to listen and work for ideas and respect from their members. A true leader is of great value to their organization because they are willing to step up and take the lead. There is a lot of gold in this room as well!

The last color of the logo is Red: The red in our logo represents the heart and strength of Altrusans. The color red is energizing. It excites the emotions and motivates us to take action, which is exactly what leaders in Altrusa are all about! Red is the color of power and love. Red signifies a pioneering spirit, promoting ambitions and determination—which is a strong leadership trait. Altrusa is such a RED organization! Altrusa allows for members to become leaders, expand their leadership abilities, and promote their love and determination to help with their communities, their country and their world. Again, the room is filled with red leaders.

When you combine these colors, you find our new logo, which now makes sense: These colors were selected because they represent what Altrusa is all about. Leadership Qualities, Leadership Abilities, and the Leadership in this Room! Let’s all stand and wave our pennants in Altrusa celebration and see how the colors combine to invigorate and excite our senses and our abilities as leaders!

I want to make a toast to you to wrap up: Here’s to being open to the infinite possibilities in each soul; May your wonder always exceed your certainty.

Linda Moore
District Nine Director and Leadership Development Committee Chair
From the 2012 District Conference Leadership Luncheon Program