It has often been said that you will get out of life what you put into it. The truth of that statement cannot be overstated and can be applied to every arena of our lives including Toastmasters.

In our Toastmasters Journey, there are an abundance of learning opportunities, and if we will lean into them, we will find a plethora of benefits that will benefit us in every arena of our lives. The key is we must choose to lean into them to experience the full benefits they have to offer.

While it is true that Toastmasters is a volunteer organization, if to the best one’s ability, one will lean into the leadership opportunities that Toastmaster offers as if they were paid opportunities, they will find tremendous learnings that can be gleaned that will make them more effective in their paid opportunities. If we choose not to lean it to them or only lean into those opportunities half-heartedly, while there are some intrinsic benefits we will gain, we will miss some of the most valuable benefits that could be applied to other arenas of our lives including paid employment opportunities. 

These learnings will set us apart from other candidates in some of the best ways possible, and we will experientially see that “Toastmasters IS Where Leaders are Made.” 

For us to truly lean into the leadership opportunities that Toastmasters offers, we must understand the cost, the learnings, and benefits of serving in leadership.

1.     The Cost of Serving in Leadership

§  Time

–   Serving in leadership will always require a time commitment, and the higher one aspires to go will require a higher level of commitment. It is important to understand the time commitments that come with a leadership role that you are seeking to serve in. If the time commitment is more than you anticipated, then perhaps you should consider another role or serve at another time when you have the bandwidth to serve in the role in a manner that role deserves.

–   Work–Life Balance is important, and yet, it should never be used as an excuse to not fulfill the responsibilities of your role. It is important to know how to prioritize your responsibilities so that you are best able to fulfill the responsibilities of your role. If prioritization of role responsibilities is unclear, be sure to ask your leader to define the prioritization for you.

§  Putting your opinion aside for the greater good.

–  Understand that while your opinion is important when you are a leader, you need to always act and make decisions that are in the best interest of the people you are serving. Sometimes that will mean laying aside your personal preferences in a given matter and making decisions that will add greater value to those you are serving.

§  Good Leaders are Good Followers

–    There is an ancient proverb that says, “He who is faithful over little will be made ruler over much.” As we demonstrate that we can be depended upon to deliver quality results in an integrous manner for the tasks we are asked to complete in the timeframe we are asked to complete them in, we will often be given greater responsibilities. We will be seen as trustworthy and dependable. The opposite is true as well. If we do not deliver quality results, complete tasks in the timeframe we were asked to complete them, or not do things in an integrous manner, we run the risk of having responsibilities removed from us. That is why it is always in our best interest and those that we are serving to lean in and give our personal best in all things.

–    Being a good follower will enable us to have empathy and compassion for those that we lead & serve.

It will demonstrate that we won’t ask those who report to us to do anything we wouldn’t do ourselves. This type of servant leadership will command not demand respect. Those who do not respect authority will often demand respect rather than look for ways to earn it by modeling the behavior they wish to see. By modeling the behavior, we wish to see, regardless if we are a leader or a follower, will demonstrate the Toastmasters Core Values of Integrity, Respect, Service, and Excellence. Those traits will be the positive differentiator in all that we say and do.  

2.     The Learnings of Serving in Leadership

§  Leadership is a learning journey. All of us – even the most world renown leaders (whoever you believe that is) – have room to grow. We never arrive. We simply can improve if we will lean in and be intentional about learning and growing. If we are always endeavoring to be the best version of ourselves, it will be amazing what and who we can become as leaders. We will add greater and greater value to the world that we touch. It is then that we will be positive difference makers in Toastmasters, in our day job, and in arena of our lives.

§  Toastmasters provides an abundance of leadership opportunities from Committee Members, Club Officers, Area Directors, Division Directors, District Leaders, Region Advisors, International Directors, Board Members, and even the International President. Each leadership opportunity has a list of skills that you can learn and develop through serving in the given role. You simply need to lean in and learn. If you do, you will be like scores of people across the globe who have had doors of opportunity and even dream jobs open up to them because of the skills they learned and developed in Toastmasters.

§  Staying Humble is Key to Learning. It says that we don’t know it all. The reality is none of us know everything about everything. It is good to know our strengths and areas of expertise. At the same time, we need to recognize that other people have strengths and abilities that we don’t have. Together, we are stronger. Leaning into this truth helps us to be open to other perspectives that may catch something we missed which is a key skill in any team environment. When our hearts and minds know that we don’t know it all and we maintain a humble posture towards others, we increase our capacity to learn exponentially. 

3.      The Benefits of Serving in Leadership

§  Competence Breeds Confidence  

All of us can be nervous about stepping out of our comfort zone to try new things such as agreeing to serve in a leadership role. Yet, if we are willing to say yes and lean into leadership opportunities, we will find ourselves learning and growing in ways that might surprise us. In the process, we develop skills and abilities which causes our confidence to bloom and grow.

§  Discovering Our Hidden Potential

Each one of us has talents and abilities within us that are often far greater than we could imagine. We typically are aware of some of the talents and abilities, and yet, it is often when we step out into new areas that we discover hidden talents and abilities that we did not even know that we had. As competence and confidence grow, we find ourselves with a greater sense of fulfillment knowing perhaps in a greater way that we matter and that our lives can and do make a meaningful difference in the world that we touch.

§  Servant Leadership is about Adding Value.

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you were able to help an individual, team, or organization fulfill their goals and step onto the path of their potential. As you help others achieve their goals, you will be amazed at how you end up realizing your own goals and dreams. Serving in leadership truly is a Win-Win.

As you consider leadership opportunities in Toastmasters whether at the Club, Area, or District level, I hope you will consider the cost, learnings, and benefits of leadership and LEAN IN. If you do, you will be amazed at how much you will learn, and grow, as you make a meaningful difference in the lives of your fellow Toastmasters and help take District 6 to the next level!

Remember that TOGETHER – The BEST is Yet Ahead!

Sincerely, 

Colleen Marie