Bill SituClub President If you play on a sports team (or have formerly played on one), you're probably familiar with the term, "team player". However, being a team player is a concept that applies broadly to any kind of team setting. It is also an important act of leadership. Machine AnalogyLast year's Thanksgiving open-house event was one of many tasks that required collaboration and team effort. There's a saying that any team is only as strong as the weakest member. This statement can't be more true. An easy way to understand this would be to see how machines work. Machines of all kinds, from the most basic to the most complex, consist of components working in coordination to make the machine function. A defect in any one of the components will in some way impact the overall functionality of the machine. Of course, the degree to which the defect will affect the machine's operation can vary, but it still goes without saying that if there's a problem with one component, then there's a problem with the machine as a whole. A team works fundamentally in much the same way. When one person falls short, it'll drag down the overall performance of the team. That being said, you don't want to be the one who drags everyone else down by not doing your part or doing poorly at it. Having Team's Interests at HeartDefinition of "organization" on dictionary.com According to dictionary.com (I am an English major, so I absolutely LOVE this website XD), an organization is "a group of persons organized for some end or work". The part of this definition to emphasize here is "for some end or work". This means that every organization has a strategic set of objectives that the members strive to accomplish. Toastmasters clubs are no exception. In a previous post, I mentioned about club awards (Distinguished, Select Distinguished, and President's Distinguished) and how clubs need to meet specific goals in order to qualify for them. Qualifying for club awards is just one of many tangible achievements that members work toward realizing every year. It goes without saying that this requires all members of the club to be on board and do their part to contribute. It's also worthy noting that although Toastmasters is a fairly low-stakes environment, we cannot ignore the fact that every member has a firm obligation to contribute to the club's success, as is specifically stated in the new member's affirmation: "I ________________, IN THE PRESENCE OF MY FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE _____________ TOASTMASTERS CLUB, MAKE THIS FIRM OBLIGATION...TO ATTEND MEETINGS REGULARLY AND PREPARE FULLY FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT... TO APPLY MYSELF TO THE PROJECTS OUTLINED IN THE TOASTMASTERS EDUCATION PROGRAM...TO PARTICIPATE ACTIVELY IN CLUB ACTIVITIES...TO EVALUATE OTHERS IN A POSITIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER...TO BUILD OPEN, FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY FELLOW MEMBERS ...AND TO BRING OTHER NEW MEMBERS INTO THE CLUB SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO GAIN THE BENEFITS OF TOASTMASTERS." When you commit to the above statement, then it is clear that you have the club's interests at heart. Stepping Up"Where Leaders Are Made" appears on the very front page of the Toastmasters website. The motto of the Toastmasters organization is, "Where Leaders Are Made". Sure enough, leadership is one of the central skills that the Toastmasters organization aims to teach members. For Toastmasters who are in club officer positions or higher (e.g. area, division, and district-level officers), it's fairly obvious as to how leadership come into play. However, every Toastmaster realistically has the opportunity to practice and exercise leadership even if they are just a club member.
Let's take a look at one of the most rudimentary tasks of every Toastmasters club — determining roles for weekly meetings. In every meeting, there are various roles that need to be filled, including chair, timer, grammarian, etc. Voluntarily taking on roles in itself is a form of leadership in that it shows willingness to contribute to the success of meetings. This also aligns with the statement in the new member induction about "participat[ing] actively in club activities". Anytime that a task needs to be done, those who willingly contribute are actively demonstrating leadership. Of course, taking on meeting roles is just one of several ways. The key word here is initiative. One of many things that leaders do is stepping up to make things work for the team. Not doing so simply puts the burden on other team members, which needless to say, is never conducive to team success. In short, so long as you're a Toastmaster, you have ample opportunity to practice and develop your leadership skills, even if you don't hold any designated leadership position. Being an effective team player is the first step, where the end result will be a win-win-situation for you and your club.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSBill Situ Archives
August 2020
Categories |