ROTARY CLUB LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

By Joseph Derr

To foster the development of leadership skills and increase awareness about Rotary at the club level, the RI Board recently created the optional club-level trainer position. RI provides basic guidelines, but how clubs and districts implement the program is limited only by their own creativity.

During the past two years, members of two Rotary clubs in El Paso, Texas, USA, have developed a unique training program called the Institute for Leadership, which focuses on cultivating individuals as leaders and fuses Rotary values with personal growth concepts.

The two-day leadership development seminar was developed by a team that includes Past RI Vice President Irving J. "Sonny" Brown, and three professional leadership trainers (all past club presidents and a governor-elect).

Though initially planned for Rotarians alone, the training program is now offered as a community service to other organizations or individuals. The institute can help serve the community and attract prospective members to join a Rotary club.

How does it all work? Sonny Brown answers some questions …

Q: Why did you create the Institute for Leadership training program?
A: We wanted to provide Rotarians with a personal growth experience that would serve them not only in Rotary but also in their family, business, and community — without great expense and time.

Q: Who participates?
A: The program is uniquely Rotarian, but not only for Rotarians. We want to promote Rotary as an avenue for personal growth to all members and prospective members. For Rotarians, we try to inspire and awaken greater passion for leading and serving through Rotary. We want Service Above Self to come alive in every Rotarian.

Q: What's on the agenda?
A:  We don't deal with Rotary club management or Rotary information, but rather focus on Rotary values such as ethics and leadership. Our interactive exercises cover subjects such as collective potential, building rapport and teamwork, leadership styles, coaching and development, leadership commitment, the art of listening, and leading by example. We also incorporate essential Rotary values, such as The Four-Way Test, the Object of Rotary, and the Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions.

Q: What inspired you and your colleagues to develop this program?
A: Most of the organizers have been involved in RYLA for years. Of course, RYLA focuses on fostering youth leadership, but all Rotarians who are personally involved in RYLA find their own leadership skills become greatly enhanced at the same time. So we thought to ourselves, "Why not offer a 'RYLA for Rotarians'?" It was an exciting prospect! Since we began planning in November 2001, over 200 participants have graduated, and more than 30 have become Rotary club presidents. Other participants have become officers or board members of their clubs. We have been actively promoting the program in neighboring districts, and currently five districts have started their own program. Attending the most recent event [16-17 March] were representatives of three Rotary districts from Oklahoma, Arizona, and another Texas district. Incoming Director Phil Silvers joined this latest group as a participant.

Q: How does the program help Rotary?
A: As individual Rotarians develop their leadership skills and enhance their personal growth, they gain a deeper understanding of Rotary values. All of that serves to build Rotary's future. Rotarians who invest two days in our program gain a lifetime understanding of who they are as leaders. We help them identify skills that will enable them to perform as leaders at the highest possible level. Most importantly, the meeting helps participants discover themselves and that brings out the great potential that is within each Rotarian.

Q: How can others get involved?
A:  Just contact me via email at ibrown@elp.rr.com

We have an open invitation to any district to send representatives to our seminars, so that they gain a personal understanding of the benefit and the challenge of starting such a program. The program has been so successful in its designed format that we are excited to share it with districts that wish to start their own event. It all starts with training facilitators who have participated in one of our seminars. To assist other districts in starting the program, we are very willing to send members of our team to assure that the training of their trainers is complete. Follow-up support is always available, as may be requested.

[Webmaster Note: Nearly four (4) years ago, Past District Governor Diane Kessel, encouraged District 5450 (home district for Rotary eClub One) to adopt a similar Leadership Institute. The team from El Paso traveled to Denver, Colorado and a group of about 30 District 5450 Rotarians were the first D5450 group to "graduate" from this program. Out of that first group, a team of facilitators were selected and in October of this year District 5450 will hold it's third Leadership Institute. While the model used for the course has been modified somewhat by the D5450 team, the concept that provides an opportunity for personal leadership development and expansion of leadership skills, is still very much part of the two day event. I am honored to be a third year facilitator for the team.]