DISCURSOS - Rotary International

Leadership
Clifford L. Dochterman
Past RI President
What kind of leadership will you give to the club presidents, secretaries, and district committees
in your district next year?
Google lists over 4 million entries on leadership. But I don’t believe there is one on the leadership
of a Rotary district governor. There are so many different styles of leadership. However, your
leadership job is unique because you are leading a group of Rotarian volunteers. What is the
leadership style of a successful district governor?
A district governor won’t survive very long using the leadership style of a top sergeant — I don’t
think those club presidents will line up for marching orders.
A district governor will not be effective using the leadership skills of an animal trainer, whose
tools are a whip and a chair.
A district governor will not find much success using the techniques of a football coach yelling instructions
to players in a championship game.
The skills of a successful district governor working with volunteer Rotarians require some special
consideration. You can be sure there is no chance to fire them and hire a new group.
Over the years, I have observed that some of the most effective Rotary leaders are those who
exhibit the leadership skills and temperament of a symphony orchestra conductor. Just as your
district leaders and club presidents are composed of a wide variety of men and women with
unusual abilities, special interests, and many experiences, a symphony orchestra is made up of
many separate instruments and individual artists.
First is the string section, with violins and cellos. I would compare them to those Rotarians who
are so important to your district but are often rather high-strung and frequently need to be tuned
in to the issues at hand.
Over here is the woodwind section of clarinets, oboes, and bassoons, which have to cover a
wide range in the musical score. In Rotary, the woodwinds might be the quiet members of your
leadership team, who are perfectly willing to repeat the theme of the year. Once in a while, you
might hear a squeak or two from that section.
Then over here is the orchestra’s brass section — the trumpets, trombones, and tubas. These
are similar to the Rotarians you can always hear, loud and clear. When they toot their horns, you
know they have an opinion — clearly expressed. Then occasionally, if it’s the tuba guy, the only
sound may be an “oomph.”
In the back of our orchestra is the percussion section, with drums, cymbals, and all the bells and
whistles. There may be big timpani, or kettledrums, which you only hear once or twice. I suspect
every Rotary club has a percussion section, whose members beat the drum for their pet projects
or use a drumroll to announce their arrival. You can’t miss the percussion section in any club.
In every orchestra there are those who are behind the scenes — the stagehands. They build the
risers, set the chairs, and handle the lighting and sound effects. In your Rotary district, they are
the faithful members you can always count on being there and doing the routine tasks. They are
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