Being President of a Rotary club is a privilege and at the same time, a responsibility that has nothing to do with one's CV but with a desire to make a positive difference to the long term success of the club. It is not about it being "My Year", it is about the desire, knowledge and ability to galvanize a group of leaders (who are all volunteers) into action, action that is structured towards achieving the goals that have been set before you take office, in support of the long term strategic plan that has been developed by the team, designed to take the club to a place within a predetermined time.
In other words, being president is about being a knowledgeable leader with a desire to serve your club and your community. It is about being prepared to work really hard and to give the necessary time to planning every aspect of the club's existence and being an integral part of the execution of the plans. As a leader the president needs to know the entire team, know what motivates the individuals and what will have the opposite effect. The leader must be aware of who is available, willing and able to support the work of the club in the time period, failure to know this can cause failure, and no one wants the club to fail. Note I said the club, not the president as it is the club that will suffer not so much the individual.
As leader of a Rotary club you are the "Brand" manager; brand Rotary that is. If you know the brand and live the brand, you can manage it because every Rotarian is a "Brand" ambassador requiring your guidance on the single, unified message that your club will transmit, both internally and externally. Effective communication is vital to skill-set that every leader should possess. Brand cannot be communicated without personal interaction. Sending copious WhatsApp or email messages are likely to create barriers in the vital communication chain.
Members will realize that this topic is being addressed now, because our club is faced with choosing a replacement for the President Elect 2020/2021. Members are encouraged to read and understand the process for selecting the replacement President Elect as set out in the communication from PE Joel who assumes office as president on July 1st this year. The Board Elect has the responsibility of appointing a replacement for a Director Elect who for whatever reason, is unavailable to serve in the Rotary year for which they are elected. The President Elect in the Rotary Year 2019/2020 is unavailable to become president on July 1st. 2020. The Board Elect has agreed to poll the members for their opinion on filling the vacancy. The result of the poll will inform the Board elect of the opinions of the members.
The process of seeking nominations has commenced and will end on June 4th. The Board Elect will review the nominations and if there is more than one nominee who, in the opinion of the board elect, qualifies for the position, then a ballot will be cast for the members choice of President 2020/2021. The Board elect will make the final determination based on the Bye-Laws.