Speaking About Leadership

I don't know why leadership has become such a hot topic with me. For the past few weeks, I've been almost obsessed with wanting to learn and share as much info about leadership as I can.

I spent several hours at speech contests observing the Area, Division, and District leadership of Toastmasters. And they seem to be a good group of people with whom I would like to be involved. I have been a member of Toastmasters long enough to know that the dynamics of each team changes year to year. The group of area governors this time around is fun, and I like most of them. Next year, I'm hoping they are even better!

I already told my boss that I was probably going to be an area governor next year, which is a July 1-June 30 commitment. It's a leadership training program that I've avoided for years. But, I feel I'm ready to commit and take on the challenge.

Some really great opportunities have come my way since last year when I accepted an invitation to speak at a leadership workshop at Security Service Federal Credit Union. I set it up like a mini Toastmasters meeting with a Toastmaster of the day, an Evaluator, and a Table Topics Master, and of course, my speech. It was so successful that they started 2 Toastmasters clubs last month.

I'm on the mentor team for one of the clubs that meets close to my office, and they meet at 7:00 in the morning, so I can do it and get to work at a reasonable hour.

Today we got the schedule for our next club meeting, and I'm Speaker #1, so I quickly found an article that John C. Maxwell wrote for Success Magazine that I'm going to use. I actually took it to the meeting yesterday just in case I needed to fill time as the Toastmaster of the Day.

The article is about leading from the middle of the organization. It's really good, and I'll use it as the first of a series of speeches about leadership. I read John C. Maxwell's book the 360-Degree Leader, and I've listened to his "How to Handle Criticism" on the Success Magazine CD. Plus, I've read most of his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He's a great teacher.

When I was president of our club a couple of years ago, I challenged everyone to complete their Competent Leadership manual, and one person did! I still have lots of projects to do to complete mine, but I will, slowly. And when I do, I'll earn a CL, then practically next day, the CLB, and shortly after that, the CLS.

I'm doing everything for the advanced levels, but getting through the manual is grueling! And that's the first level! The hardest part is remembering to get someone to evaluate me as I do the projects!