There comes a time in every leaders tenure when the firing of a volunteer becomes a necessity. The necessity may arise from different circumstances, but I am thinking primarily where the necessity arises when one person takes on a task for the benefit of Rotary and becomes the permanent chair of a committee. They often think of that assignment as their task to do and no other person is willing or capable of doing it as well as they do. Often all of the members of the organization consider it an assignment to be left in the capable hands of the person who has done it forever and seems willing to continue doing it until they are no longer able.
The permanent committee chair is not being challenged to do their task different, better or adapt to new opportunities. They can easily grow complacent with the idea that what they have done in the past is acceptable and no change is necessary, desirable or possible. Their competence and experience becomes a trap for both the organization and themselves.
Rotary and the Rotary leaders can also grow comfortable and complacent in the knowledge that this is one committee they don’t need to worry about. The problem with this complacency is that the organization can grow stagnant with a lack of trying new things. The larger loss to the organization is the lost opportunity for others to take on new challenges and responsibilities. Bringing in new members and not providing them with opportunities for service is a primary cause of losing new members and not growing the organization.
That brings us to how a Rotary leader ‘fires’ a volunteer. In my experience it is seldom a pleasant experience for anyone involved. The best thing to do is move the permanent chair to a new – bigger – better responsibility. sell them on the idea that the health of the organization will be enhanced by their accepting this new challenge. Moving people on to new challenges can often reinvigorate their interest and involvement in Rotary.
The greatest benefit will be realized when you convert the permanent chair into a coach/counselor who grows others to chair the committee they once handled with such ease; that is especially true when the result of their effort is a successor who moves on to other committees and become coach/counselors themselves. Just imagine what that multiplier effect can do for the health of your Rotary Club. Creating other leaders is the highest calling of leadership.