Get Up And Grow - Competent Leadership

Who is this guy? And why is he smirking? You think he is smiling? Really? Take a closer look. Go ahead. Now you see. No really. That is a smirk. It is a condescending. He can't really talk. Just a pretty face.

We attend almost every meeting. We invest time and hard earned money .That is to say $$$$$. This guy puts on a suit and smirks.

We are chasing a CC or a ACLB or a DTM or WKW.

And there he is smirking. Competent Leadership. What else do you guys want???

Nice suit Toastmaster guy. Oh and a vest. I can forgive him for being young. I console myself. "Youth is wasted on the young". Just a model. All form and no substance.

One of the things that is too easy too neglect in the hustle and bustle of our meetings is our progress through this Competent Leadership manual. We have things to do. We have deadlines. We really care more that they get done. And that they get done on time.

But we are doing things we should be getting some kind of credit for. I am well aware of the tendency of this army of volunteers to just get the job done. We are not a self serving entity. Either individually or as a group.

I believe we have to dedicate some time and focus toward getting the credit for what we do. This helps us, our club, Katy Toastmasters, achieve our Distinguished Toastmaster goals. It also helps you advance toward the recognition of higher achievement that you have earned. In short let's get "paid" for the job we are already doing.

With that in mind please take the time to examine your Competent Leadership manual. Have you already completed some of these projects but have not documented this fact? You can still get credit for them. Have someone in the club fill out the evaluation portion.

I am well aware of the tendency of this army of volunteers to just get the job done. We are not a self serving entity. Either individually or as a group.

I believe we have to dedicate some time and focus toward getting the credit for what we do. This helps us, our club, Katy Toastmasters, achieve our Distinguished Toastmaster goals.

For example: Did you serve as an Ah-Counter? Then get evaluated. Take your CL manual to another member and ask them to evaluate you. Of course ideally you would do this the same meeting that you acted in this role. But if you neglected this at the time it can still be done. Have our Vice President of Education sign off on the portion that says "VPE INITIALS". It is that simple.

Some questions?

I have been a "Listen Master" I don't see anything in my manual about that. How do I get credit for that?

Project Six. "Assist the club's webmaster". As the Listen Master if you turn your notes over to the clubs webmaster then you have fulfilled 1 of 6 of the "Organization and Delegation". You are only required to assist on 1 of the 6 projects. Just one. Mission Accomplished.

I have been a "Greeter" I don't see anything in my manual about that. How do I get credit for that? You may. Let's look into this:


Project Six "Help Organize A Club Membership Campaign or Contest"

We have a year long membership campaign in progress. As the Greeter you are welcoming guests and visitors. You are also distributing the "Guest Packet" that contains vital information about our club to these visitors and guests. If you serve as a Greeter you are eligible to be credited for this project.

Project Seven: Facilitation: One is charged with the task of completing 2 of 4 projects. Not all four. One of them is "Befriend A Guest". To fulfill this project one must:

• Help the guest overcome his or her fears and influence them to join the club or attend another meeting
• Discuss the guests goals and concerns.
• Describe how the Toastmasters program would help the achieve their goals.
• Make yourself available to the guest outside of the club meeting.

Most of us have done this as a matter of course. A casual "give me a call" or "send me an email" if you have any questions qualifies for the last point. Get credit for it.


Some advice for members new and old. A bit of strategy.

For the newer members.

Start with Project One. Volunteer for the "Ah Counter" role. You need only to do it once to begin filling in the projects of your CL Manual.  The same is almost true for the "Grammarian" role. You can count on being called upon within a meeting or two to address the "Table Topics" criteria.

For the more experienced members.  More often than not it is a matter of us paying attention to what we have already done or things we do without thinking too much about the CL Manual period.

In summary I hope that the reader is more aware of the processes involved. I hope to follow this up soon with a more thorough examination of some paths we might choose to get us all there faster. Get credit for it.