Getting Started

2. What Do You Mean, RDG?

I've seen many "recovery efforts" for various clubs in my time in Toastmasters, and there's a few symptoms of a "normal" club rescue versus a RDG (or Really Dang Good) club rescue. Having experienced quite a few of these efforts, I can tell you what separates the mediocre from the marvelous. Here's some typical "symptoms" to watch for:

"Normal" (read: mediocre) Club Rescue

  • Low awareness of real issues causing guests to not return, and members to leave
  • Middling "planning" with lots of nice ideas and "should dos", but little or no follow up
  • Low initiative to seek out and correct issues 
  • No effort by leadership to improve themselves
  • Confuses having tools or setting up technology with affecting real change
  • Little engagement of the club

RDG Club Rescue

  • Starts with BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) like "Achieve President's Distinguished for 3+ Years" and "reach 30-35 active members"
  • Effectively and consistently engages the officers and the members to play roles in the recovery
  • Proactively seeks out issues, challenges, and problems, then makes action plans with deadlines and assigned members to take decisive action on them
  • Clearly and consistently explains why it's worth working toward these goals, creating mental images that both push toward goals and pull away from failure
  • Leaders continuously pushing their own development
  • Effectively uses tools and technology to save on unnecessary work, but knows they are just pieces towards a larger strategic vision

If pressed to identify what separates a "normal" from a RDG rescue operation in a tl;dr (too long, didn't read) format, it would be "Identifies and attacks weaknesses in the club with intelligent, consistent, and effective action". Many officers meetings list a lot of things to do (usually as "this would be nice for the club"), but not a lot put deadlines on them, or decide who will do them. RDG Rescues demand accountability and consistent motion toward goals.