You have completed the progression up the chairs and now you are the Grand Knight - Elect of your council. WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSE TO DO? If your council has made the changes necessary to return to the basics of the Order you will know that your first business as GK Elect is to establish your program for the next year. Are you going to sit down and decide all by your self? No, of course not. Your council chair officers - elect should be your advisors, They are a part of YOUR team and need to feel as much a part of the program as you.
Will you all sit down and come up with all new ideas? No. You will sit down with the program from last year and determine which programs were successful and sufficiently far ranging to satisfy all your council members, which ones need to be improved and which ones need to be dropped. This is why we recommend that you use the Columbian Form not only as a reporting tool for council activities at the end of the last fraternal year, but also as a planning tool at the beginning of the upcoming fraternal year.
Will there be room for new programs? There always is. Try them! The council may like them! Do not forget that programming your council activities includes programs in all our program areas (council, church, community, family, youth), as well as charity programs and above all membership.
Yes, membership is a program. Plan 1st degrees, and major degrees, then plan your recruitment program - of at least one open house, the invitation program, one on one, what ever you think will be the best set of membership activities to recruit and retain your members. Membership does not happen automatically; you have to have a plan for it.
Now. who is going to execute these programs? Your Deputy Grand Knight should be your program director ( remember when your term is over he will be next to take your position). It will be his job to follow up with the chairmen regarding their program and any needs for committee members and budgets. It is good practice for the success of your programs that you invite these selected men and their wives for a steak dinner (or at least a good private function) to thank them in advance. This is the time for you establish time frames and dates of the functions and assist them with committee selection. Let these men know what your plans are for the success of the council and ask them to help you achieve that success. Set the dates, change what needs to be changed and let them get to work.
AND ALL THIS BEFORE YOU OFFICIALLY TAKE OFFICE. That’s the true bulk of the years work all done and ready and waiting for action. Remember, successful teams always have a game plan before taking to the field.
Concerns:
Chair progression is important! If your council is not doing it now - then now is the time to re-establish or just plain establish the practice of expecting candidates for each office to progress through the various chair positions. It is for the ultimate good of the Council and each officer that he be expected to progress through the chairs so that by the time a man becomes a Grand Knight he has worked all areas of the council and know exactly what is expected of him. We must stop the practice of bringing a man into the Order in March, electing him to Deputy Grand Knight in May and Grand Knight the following year. This practice is not fair to the member nor is it helpful for the councils success. Take a look at the successful councils and you will see that each has a plan foe succession of chair officers.