[dns-wg] Volunteer list for RIPE DNS working group chair

On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 4:21 PM Jim Reid <jim at rfc1035.com> wrote:
> > On 15 Oct 2020, at 23:40, Leo Vegoda <leo at vegoda.org> wrote:
> >
> > Succession planning is good but placing the burden on the chairs themselves seems a lot to ask.
>
> I strongly disagree Leo. For one thing, any burden from things like this is why WG co-chairs get the big bucks. :-) When you’re in a leadership position (for some definition of that term), it’s reasonable to be expected to show some... er... leadership. Succession planning comes with the territory. As is making an orderly handover when your term ends.
>
> Succession planning is not a lot to ask in terms of time or effort. Or shouldn’t be. In my experience it’s far less of a resource drain than planning or running a WG session. How hard can it be to identify a couple of possible candidates, explain what the job entails (preferably over a tasty beverage) and ask them if they’d be interested or willing to stand as a co-chair?

I agree that having conversations with potential nominees to the role
is completely appropriate. I just don't think that counts as planning.
It's really just a hope that people with the right skills will be
available at the right time.

> Finally, if a WG's co-chairs can’t or won’t do the succession planning who will? [Hopefully not yet another NomCom.] And would their efforts have any credibility? Imagine if it was someone who had never run a WG or understood the WG dynamics who tried to do the succession planning.

A NomCom can't plan because its role is to select from the available
options. Planning for this really needs to be done over a period of
years so that we're not just relying on a couple of conversations over
beer and the hope that people will have the time to volunteer.

Regards,

Leo