2019 Governor Installation Ceremony

2019 Governor Installation Ceremony

CTAC 6/19/2019

 

 

Tonight we gather to celebrate the continuity of District 6290 and specifically to recognize our dear friend Brian Robertson. As I have matured in my understanding of all the District leadership offices, it is clear to me that Rotary is a team sport. Each new leader builds on the shoulders of all those that went before and strives to pass the baton to the next runner further ahead then they received it. Brian has certainly risen to and exceeded that challenge.

 

Brian and I both live in the sparsely populated North. This was a blessing because we often carpooled together to Southern Locations like Chicago, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Holland. All of which are roughly 8-hour round trips. During those drives, I got to know a successful businessman who loved his wife, his family, and Rotary. Like all Governors, Brian was confronted with challenges (small and large) and always included me in finding solutions. It was his feeling that there should be continuity in leadership. I hope that I can be half as good a mentor to Jon and Gary as Brian was to me. During his club visits - Brian challenged all of us to choose between being just a club member or a real “Rotarian”. In my mind, Brian you are the District 6290 2018-2019 Rotarian of the year. Please accept this plaque as a small token of our respect for you as a person and our appreciation of your contribution.

 

The Caption reads: Presented to Brian Robertson District Governor 6290 2018-2019 In Honor and With Deep Appreciation for your Unselfish Dedication, Leadership and Continuous Support of the Ideals and Principles of Rotary International

 

 

John – Thank you very much. It is inspiring to hear your excitement about Rotary and how it is and will continue to positively impact the world we share.

 

When I was previewing the slides Dianne and Suzanne prepared for tonight’s presentation, I thought it was nice to have a slide that said “Good Luck Dave” thinking what a nice message to start my Governorship. I now realize they really meant it as “Good Luck Following John Hewko”.

 

Well here I am – The new guy – Thanks to Tom Schmidt, Chris Etienne, Jane Millar, Al Bonney, Ed Swart, Gernot Runschke, Jim White, and of course Brian – A Bona Fide Kool Aid drinker. I’m inspired with all they have accomplished as they built on the shoulders of the PDGs that preceded them. I am blessed to inherit a Great District that is well run. One of the aforementioned PDGs even gave me these words of encouragement. And I quote “Don’t worry Dave our District is so strong EVEN YOU can’t mess it up.

 

I think every new leader brings their strength as an offering to Rotary. Our Foundation gets stronger every year as Chris passed to Al who in turn passed to Gernot. Tom has taken Leadership Development and District Training to a new level. Ed saw our Youth program operating in Silos and recruited John Noling and then stepped up himself to lead a more integrated approach. Brian saw the need to increase Membership and Public Image from individual leaders to a broader based team of leaders. Of course none of that matters because we all know that Kathy is the real wizard behind the curtain making sure we all show up - hair combed, teeth brushed and ready to get to work.

 

So what does the son of a waitress and coal miner from West Virginia bring to the table? As many of you know my Graduate work at Johns Hopkins and my business background was Organizational Development and Process Engineering. What many may not realize is that I also had a double major in History and Religion at Carson Newman College. Blending my right brain social training with my left brain technical training has left you with the schizophrenic mess you see before you this evening.

 

In my almost 40 years of being a turn-around agent for Health Care Companies that were struggling, I learned some key lessons. Companies begin to fail when they forget why they exist. They confuse processes with product. They can’t see the forest because of the trees. I hope to build on Brian’s theme of “Be a Rotarian” by a “Back to Basics” approach to empowering our 60 clubs to decide who they are and what they want to be.

 

I have come to believe that Motivation is always internal. It wells up from inside each of us. We motivate ourselves when we are exposed to causes that speak to our hearts. In the end I believe that we can not motivate anyone. However, we can create an environment that encourages motivated people to succeed. As stated above, our District has created that environment. We are well positioned to assist all of our clubs as needed. Thanks again to all the other Kool Aide drinkers in tonight’s audience.

 

Now the question is - How did four guys in Chicago succeed in creating an International organization that exceeds 1.2 Million members? An organization, as General Secretary Hewko described that inspires all of us? I believe they saw a need and met it. They continued to evolve and update that vision over the years. Keeping it relevant for an ever expanding membership.

 

My hoped contribution will be to work with our clubs to get them to decide who they are now and who they want to be in the future. To get them to answer Mitty Chang’s value proposition for why their club exists. What is the need they seek to serve and how can they better meet that need? Using the principles of Continuous Quality Improvement, how can each club prioritize the opportunities they see -- to better serve themselves, their communities, and ultimately change the World. I want them to know how to lead their club in becoming a part of the Rotary that Connects the World?

 

In 2019-2020 2,700 Rotarians from District 6290 will again lead the way. Please join us in Petoskey on May 14^th at the GLCFA in Petoskey as we celebrate their success. THANK YOU!