Training the District Governor
Posted by Lawrence Reddaway
on Apr 02, 2012
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(Our very own Dennis Shore will soon take over as our District Governor; and he has kindly succumbed to my request for this article. We hope that his year is a great success. - Editor) As you might expect, Rotary has very strict requirements for the training of a Rotarian before they let them loose on a Rotary District as Governor. You may be interested to know something about the process. There are necessarily some non-negotiable requirements before you can be selected as a future Governor. Obviously you have to be a member in good standing and must have served as a club President for a full term (or at least 6 months as a Charter President) and you should have been a Rotarian for at least 7 years. Apart from being able to demonstrate a commitment to, and the time to do, the job you need to have acquired and demonstrated knowledge of all the many requirements set out by Rotary International. |
Candidates are interviewed by a prescribed panel, which includes 3 past Presidents who have not been a Governor and who are selected based on a vote of clubs in the District. There are provisions to challenge the nominating committee’s recommendation, but due to the scrupulous process employed it would be very unusual for this option to be activated.
After a Rotarian has been formally accepted to go forward as Governor, there is essentially a 2 year apprenticeship. The year as DG Nominee is to enable the Rotarian to begin preparation for the year as Governor, particularly by developing a good understanding of how the District is organised and how it works in practice. By working with the Governor and the Governor Elect and as a member of the District Board, the DGN supports the District leadership and looks and learns. During the year the DGN attends a national training program (typically 3 days); and attends Zone Institute, an Assembly of past Governors and Officers (3 days). Australia is Zone 8 and generally every other year we combine with Zone 7B (New Zealand).
These training programs and the Zone Institute foster a relationship between future and past Governors to encourage multi-district programs and cross district support.
During the DGN year, identification of the location and planning for the District Conference needs to be arranged.
The following year as Governor Elect brings more training and intensive participation in District activities. It is also a year of intense planning and determining District organisation. Training commences with 2 days at RI Regional Headquarters in Parramatta, and with RDU to gain an understanding of administrative programs, information about RDU and potential programs that we may wish to support.
This is followed in November with GETS (yes another Rotary acronym – Governor Elect Training Seminar) followed by the Zone Institute. The training is intense and facilitated by knowledgeable Rotarians, mainly past Governors.
In January, the 530 Governors Elect and partners from all around the world gather in San Diego, USA for International Assembly for 6 days of training and information gathering. It is here that the RI president Elect announces the theme for the following year and we are introduced to past RI Presidents and many senior Rotarians and Rotary Staff. There is much inspiring and motivational content as well as the opportunity to get to know peers from around the world.
Governors Elect are then sent out to ensure that Presidents are well prepared and ready to lead.
I think you will agree that Rotary puts a lot of effort into training Governors, which has much to do with Rotary’s growth and success for well over 100 years.
Dennis Shore