Your Voice, Your Solution for succession planning

At 2:11PM on 8 March 2012, Anagbado Ikemefuna wrote: Who is an executive secretary/director in a club? Would he be a rotarian on non-rotarian? Will he be paid? And by whom?

At 8:51AM on 10 February 2012, Ernest Hauser wrote: Succession is very important

At 9:05AM on 9 November 2009, Bob Hanna, Membership Ch 7040 wrote: Succession steps works for some clubs. Others could split the Secretary's job into Two positions, ie Membership & Recording., by dividing the work it would be easier to recruit canidates.

At 9:16AM on 28 October 2009, Fred Kemmerley, D7770 South Carolina wrote: I am in the middle of my second year as Secretary of a small (12) club. I have recommended to our current President the name of a person capable of executing the duties of Secretary whom we will meet with to determine her interest in the position. We will follow the normal Nominating Committee and Members vote process but it is not a position to put a person in without determining their willingness before their nomination. The Secretary's position is essential for those whose next position is President, in my view.

At 8:42AM on 19 October 2009, hemant khire wrote: Some times we treat secretary as our office secretary , in fact he is more responcible in club reporting , functioning . Divide work in between secretary and joint secretary if financialy possible appoint executive secretary . He is as good as responcible and devoted as President .

At 11:07AM on 15 October 2009, Bakulesh Pandya wrote: I have been associated with this prestigious organisation since 1984; and have lead the my former club in 3200 (RC of Cannanore) 11years back. Have seen up and downs of the club, during my tenure and otherwise! Have to suggest that if the club is to go on, the executive officers have to be better oriented, besides being committed and dedicated! The the area of selection, the seniors have to play a positive role. Even while bringing in new members, club has to see whether these members are genuinely interested and have a sense of service in them. Lastly, once they are in, they should be involves in some way or other, and make them feel that they are wanted & valuable. These suggestions may work to a great extend, and can solve thre problem of retention! Quality will improve & this can positively reflect on the organisation.

At 9:47AM on 1 October 2009, bensah (ghana) wrote: five years is too much for one person ,are there not other members in the club to hold that role ?l think the problem is Wat the Secretary goes through if a person is been made mockery of for simple mistake on one will like to be in that sit because they no they will be laughed at

At 10:08AM on 1 October 2009, Rtn. S.K.Damani, RID3030 wrote: I have read some of the comments stated in here. i agree with Rtn. K.S.Srinivasan, that there is no CLP. Secondly, in which RID is this club.The club m"mship must be very weak. Induct new members. A club Sec's post is only for a year, (max two yrs) than he is suppose to move further to be the Vice-President and than than the President.. solution is simple temporaroly ask another Rtn. to fill his place. And most important start a new m'ship drive. Induct new blood, new ideas. Future problems would be solved. RI President kenny's message: M'ship growth of min. 5%. This Club should plan for 20-30% growth. All the best.

At 11:28AM on 28 September 2009, Neal Steiger wrote: Five years is simply way too long a tenure for club secretary for the following reason. The secretary, by nature of the job description, is closer than anyone else to knowing and understanding the club constitution and bylaws. The club is enriched by having regular turnover in this position. It took me at least two years to really understand the job in depth, but the more members who take on this enriching post, the healthier the club.

At 11:29AM on 28 September 2009, Abdul Awal wrote: Thanks for thanks for the excellents comments from different agengels. This is the most important position for an effective club. In this case, if the Secretary wants to quit is better than just holding the position for the year and not performing. Regards, M. Abdul Awal, President, Rotary Club of Dhaka Orchid, Dist - 3280

At 2:33PM on 22 September 2009, amit wrote: When management is engaged in succession planning, an org chart can be very useful for highlighting and selecting suitable successors for upper management positions. Most positions require special skill sets and qualifications in order for the company to continue and transition smoothly with the successor in place. An org chart can include relevant skills, anticipated retirement dates and other pertinent information useful during succession planning. If an unexpected vacancy occurs, having a considered succession plan within the org chart can minimize the disruption on the organization. There is a automatic program for succession planning - OrgPlus Enterprise. It available there: http://www.orgplus.com/products/orgplus-enterprise

At 2:38PM on 22 September 2009, Rtn Paul Agbroko, RC Effurun, Nigeria wrote: This looks to me to be somewhat peculiar to this club and perhaps a a few handful others. As far as I know, the job of club secretary is quite strategic, exciting and full of responsibilities. It is in my view, one office in a well organised Rotary club that should have no shortage of contenders at the club's AGM. My view as club president on this poser, is that there is something fundamentally wrong with any club where any secretary would hold office for all of five years and when he wishes to disengage, there are no members willing to step into that office. For me, it would be either that such a club has not adopted the CLP and also may not have adopted the SRCC and perhaps does not even have an AGM where elections to club offices and club board are held.

At 10:12AM on 21 September 2009, K.S.Srinivasan wrote: The Problem is the club is not organised and have only few members. The members should follow CLP and adhere to the plan that the secretary will take over as vice President and then as President. This will enable new incumbunt taking over as Secretary. In some clubs, members do not understand the difficulties of the Secretar as he is the custodian and coordinate with the President,and submit monthly reports by doing clerical calculations about the percentage of attendance.Remembering the weekly meetings and the name of the speaker etc if it is not regularly written in the Register provided for. The problem may be only in other countries like India, but in US they have paid secretaries who know much better than the President or the Secretary of that year. K.S.Srinivasan

At 8:38AM on 18 September 2009, Rtn Dinesh Pandya (Dist-3140) wrote: Very wel said Rtn Bruce de Graaf , I see most of the post are telling their own story. What we need to concenrate here is 1. Why club secretary wants to resign? 2. Why he was holding the same position for five years? 3. Why no one is ready to take the position? What you have said is much appreciable that Secretary = Be organised. Once again I emplhasis on implimenting CLP in the club.

At 8:55AM on 17 September 2009, Rtn Bruce de Graaf wrote: I am the Secretary of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest. I inherited the gig with a phone call after not attending a meeting I clearly should have attended.. I received the news that I was elected unopposed to the position of Secretary. I gotta tell you, the Secretarial gig is not a difficult one. The key to it all is being organised; knowing where to get things and knowing when reports are required. As the custodian of the records of our club the sum up is Secretary = Be Organised. Appointment of personnel by application of guilt against the 4 way Test is a crock. If someone does not want to do it then ultimately the results will reflect this..This is the time. This is the place. I am the person. I enjoy hanging out with my Rotary brothers and sisters and this is part of my contribution to the well being of my club. Succession planning is about mentoring and involving newer members; start them small, allocate a Board portfolio. I made a decision to join Rotary, I did not have to and had I not got a Board role I doubt if I would be as involved as I am. At our club we do not need new members, we need new Rotarians. New members make up the numbers; new Rotarians make things happen. Go Crows Nest.

At 8:45AM on 17 September 2009, Miguel Angel Di Lorenzo wrote: I agree partially with Patricia Beckenhaupt, but I really prefer analyze the reasons around people prefer to leave our organization (for example, by means of a resignation interview or a similar meeting). Simultaneously we can publish innerly the new vacant position and emphasize this requirement between club members. If some volunteer applies for it, the last or past secretary can tutoring or mentoring to the candidate during a reasonable period of time, previous selection based on competencies model. And when the new volunteer is ready, we will can announce this new appointment; it is very important the adequated transference of task knowledge.

At 8:44AM on 17 September 2009, Rey Abellada, Baguio Sunrise D3790 wrote: Find out what is causing the Secretary to feel burned out. Are the reasons controllable? Is there something the club can do to lighten the load of the secretary? Address the issues to win back the confidence of the Secretary. Consider theappointment or election of Assistant Secretaries which may ease the burden. The Assistant Secretaries can be tasked to handle specific Secretarial jobs which is still under the supervision of the Secretary. This way, the Secretary is still given due importance and recognition while at the same time, training possible replacements should the Secretary insist on giving up her position. Look also on the awards program of the club so working members can be given due recognition that can reinforce their commitment to the club and to Rotary. The election or appointment of Assistant Secretaries could diffuse heavy workload while at the same time its good move to train not only secretaries but future leaders. The position of secretary allows one to have a broader perspective of what goes on in a club and Rotary.

At 8:42AM on 17 September 2009, Spencer Jordan wrote: Our club includes numerous retired military people. They are very good at appointing a "volunteer" Is is always someone who is qualified for the position and has not held it previously, but is to "shy" to volunteer on his or her own.

At 4:35PM on 15 September 2009, Terry Bass wrote: First understand that the Secretary's position is a detailed/report centric position. Are there members in your club that seem to have those attributes. Second - throw it out to the club. If no volunteers, ask your board if they know a member that is detail oriented. Third - If possible, get your Secretary to agree to playing a mentoring role for when you get a new secretary. Fourth - Recrut the person that you feel would be a good fit (based on board feedback as well), letting them know they'll be supported. Fifth - Support the new secretary by checking in that everything is ok and providing a lot of positive comments!

At 9:51AM on 11 September 2009, DGN Rob Gilligan wrote: Try not to get into that situation in the first place. Try to get fresh blood and fresh enthusiasm at least every second year. Rotarians enjoy a fresh challenge and certainly five years does not provide that spark. If that does not work then appoint an assistant secretary every year with defined responsibilities. This may lead into someone deciding to take over the whole portfolio.

At 9:01AM on 10 September 2009, marion wrote: having the post as secretary of a club is not that easy. sometimes you almost do all the work load especially if your president is not capable in the position of being a president, as many clubs elect their president because of financial capacity or political connections. so at the end its vision , mission and goals of rotary . the 4 way test is just getting to be a paragraph memorization. thats the time the club just sink. members are not responsible of paying dues , iregular attendance in their club meetings,club officers not doing their reports and mostly the mis-used of matching grants. i realy don't know if TRF are aware of this. everybody suffers, the club and the district.

At 9:19AM on 8 September 2009, Rtn Rajendra Yelnoorkar, wrote: Appoint an executive Secretary to help Honorary Secretary for doing routine clerical and correspondence work. Adin Committee's Director could request one of his Committee's member to work as Hon Sec.with this aid. It create an impact of Executive Boss's position seeing Hon Sec moving around with Executive Sec.as aid and doing Weekly meetings' Work on the Dias with respect and arranging Meetings,witting minutes with the aid of exe. Sec. It will create liking for the position among the members. Later on strategy could be made by the Club to select the Sec for less period and making it as a compulsory post before going for President's position.

At 9:23AM on 8 September 2009, PDG John Wigley wrote: The secretary's role is the most time demanding in most Rotary clubs and therefore I would suggest that the club should appoint an Assistant Secretary who could be responsible for the preparation of the Club's Board minutes and any other matters delegated by the Secretary.In this way the club is training another Rotarian to become the next Secretary. If the District conducts the Rotary Leadership Institute program then its members should be encouraged to attend so that they are prepared for leadership roles in the club and also gain a much wider knowledge of Rotary.

At 9:43AM on 8 September 2009, Rtn Masood Rabbani wrote: Trainings play important rule to motivate the members for service oriented assignments.To a secretary in club is a hectic & responsible duty but it develop a lot of shills in ones from management point of view which helps him in his personal life.We must motivate all members for their personal growth as a good manager & leader even in his daily life.

At 9:47AM on 8 September 2009, somanagouda Biradar wrote: If the Secretary wants to resign the members should contact him to know the details.If the reasons are genine one then he may be releaved and the Jt.Secretary may be appionted as the Secretary for the remainig period.

At 9:49AM on 8 September 2009, Bronx Hebrona wrote: One way to deal with it is to elect/appoint an Assistant/Vice/Deputy Secretary who assists the Secretary and will be next in line after the current Secretary's term ends. This can be made part of the by-laws or implemented through a resolution of the Board. This enables the successor to become familiar with the functions of the Secretary and helps ensure a smooth transition and continuity.

At 9:47AM on 8 September 2009, s k varma wrote: if treasurer is wkg in close tandem with secretary then he can take over

At 9:45AM on 8 September 2009, Clyde Edmonds wrote: I see the problem solving forum as a great benefit to those Rotarians who wish to address issues within their clubs. It would be extremely helpful if they be permitted to offer topics of interest for possible discussion.

At 2:03PM on 3 September 2009, Jan Deiterring wrote: If your club is small, possibly the club could combine the job as secretary/treasurer.

At 2:04PM on 3 September 2009, Rtn Dinesh Pandya wrote: Club Secretary post is one of the key post. For the same post, if a person had continued for five years, need to find why others are not interested for it. First of all I strongly suggest ammendment of Club Bylaws, to restrict a person for holding the same position for more than two years. With this, it will be mandotory for the club to search alternate. Secondly, with unanimous decision, club can adopt a strategy that person who hold Chair Position of 'Club Admin Committee' should be the next Club Secreatry. With the CLP implimentation, now club will have a Rotarian with Administration knowledge, for the post of Club Secreatry. To resolve the issue, personal discussion and group meeting will certainly help.

At 11:14AM on 2 September 2009, Patricia Beckenhaupt wrote: Recruitment does not generate an automatic response. The secretary's position is a job, albeit a volunteer one. Determine why the secretary wants to resign - is it because he/she is unable to continue because they have held it for so long or are there challenges and barriers to completing the Secretary's responsibilities that are tiring and discouraging. Then fix it! Feature the position in a weekly internal Rotary communication - email or newsletter. Include a detailed description of the position, benefits to the individual as well as the club, support that is provided to enable the person to do the job and recognition for the Secretary's work. Have your Executive Board come up with some candidate names and approach them on an individual personal basis. Share the club Secretary's successes with the club so that everyone is aware of the good work that has been done in past. If there is conflict around the position - resolve it before recruiting a new person or at least have a plan in place to address issues so that they can be quickly resolved and the new person can move forward knowing that he/she has support. Finally, the position should be held in high regard by the other members of the Executive Committee and communicate this to the club members.

At 11:29AM on 2 September 2009, David Ogu wrote: Urge members to reflect on the objects of rotary and then apply the four ways test in their commitment to they future of thier club then ask for nomination of eligible persons at the next fellowship.