Leadership Development ?
Q. Leadership Development? Our club/area/division has had a problem for several years getting leaders. We have to practically beg members to hold office at the various levels. My feeling is that we are not developing new leaders; in fact, it's pretty much the same people year after year. There are, occasionally, new folks who hold the Area Governor position. Most of the time, though, they serve their one term unwillingly and poorly, precisely because they had to be begged to take the office. Thus goes the cycle of a poorly-run area, which makes the position look like a bummer, which in turn discourages people from seeking the office. Year after year the wheel seems to turn. I've thought about this a lot, and had a couple of brainstorms which are silly enough that they would never get enacted. However, I want to put them out for discussion. 1) Make awards for District Governor, Division Governor, etc. a two-year accomplishment. In other words, you have to have a good year yourself, and then help your successor have a good year also. The "Immediate Past" position would take on added importance. 2) Develop a "Leadership Mentor" program. Experienced leaders would take a new Area Governor (or whatever) under their wing, and (using the "hands off unless asked" criteria from another thread) support that person through their year. I am actually considering this for our new -- REALLY new -- club officers and our Area Governor (who is from our club) this year. The temptation, of course, is to say "This is how we've always done it...." and that would have to sort of a forbidden phrase. Anyone else having similar problems? Anyone else had this problem and defeated it? I guess the area is "Leadership Development" and a question of succession. As for the new Leadership Track....is it something that would address this? So far it seems to be another title to give to those who are already active. Is it actually enticing inactive or low-active members to become more involved? Waiting for those answers
A. We actually had an awesome workshop on that (actually on getting the most out of your own membership) at the District 61 Spring Conference in Montreal this weekend. We came to the conclusion that the reason that a lot of newer toastmasters don't get involved in the Leadership aspect of the club is because they're afraid they won't know what to do. One of the ways around that is to make sure they understand that a) they won't be alone, b) they'll receive a manual relating to their position from TI, c) they'll get training on their position, and I venture to say d) the person they are replacing won't suddenly fall off the face of the earth, they'll still be around to ask questions to if a knotty problem comes up. I'm the VP Membership-elect for my Advanced Club. I've only been in TM a year and my immediate reaction was "What? I can't do that!" Then I thought "hey, the leadership track wasn't created to make you fail, it was created to help you succeed magificently, so do it!" One of the other things someone mentioned is that we're all in this together: talk to your leaders at Area, Division and District level. They'll have experience and insights you might not think about. Hope this helps. -Even if the person they are replacing falls off the face of the earth, or is kidnapped by space aliens, or something--the person is not alone. One of the biggest advantages to attending District sponsored club officer training sessions is the opportunity to meet other people who are filling the same role as you are. If you swap phone numbers, then you have a network of people facing similar challenges to fall back on, and who can give you advice, suggestions, or just a sympathetic ear when you run into trouble. The other big advantage is the opportunity to sit at the feet of a guru, meaning someone who has filled the position before, who can give you insights into doing the job. This guru can poinbt out things that worked well, other things that caused problems, and answer the questions you have. I've taken a different position - I'm VP Ed elect for my advanced club. It's going to take some getting used to after two years on the District team (Area 15 Governor, Division A Governor).Not to mention, a pile of contacts who may be able to help. Never forget this newsgroup either. There's a wealth of insights and experience out here too.
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