Page 12 - 2017 August Voices
P. 12
FROM THE DESK
STR-R-R-ETCH!
by John Rodke, DTM—Program Quality Director
A new year and a new start. I am excited to these leaders are working through their High
be serving as your Program Quality Director. Performance Leadership (HPL) projects. This
Our goal this year is providing meaningful exceptional manual will guide you through the
value to our members. Members of this great important steps in project management.
organization are what really matter. We come Now an important question: why should
to Toastmasters for many reasons. With your you care? Half of Toastmasters is the leadership
help, we can demonstrate how Toastmasters can element. Imagine if you are asked to put together
help people address these reasons and grow in a large-scale event or project in the near future.
the process. This dynamic interaction is how we How does that make you feel? Apprehensive,
achieve our purpose of creating impactful leaders nervous, concerned, and overwhelmed—or
and communicators within our community. excited, invigorated, inspired, and eager?
This year presents an excellent opportunity Learning through participating in District
for us to get out of our Comfort Zone and into leadership and using the HPL manual can get
our Growth Zone. We have an awesome slate of you from the first set of feelings to the second.
Area Directors, Division Directors, and Pathways I encourage you to ask your Area and Division
Guides who are ready to help you thrive in your Directors if they need assistance. In helping
Toastmasters journey. There are positive changes them, you will help yourself grow and help
on the horizon. This can be a source of anxiety. your Toastmasters community by creating
To reframe this, I encourage you to look within high quality events, bringing value to your club
yourself. When have you grown the most? When members, and having fun in the process.
you were comfortable? Had everything figured It is my honor to create positive growth within
out and perfected? Or when you had to stretch our District. I encourage you to attend your local
to learn something new? I would bet on the last Toastmaster Leadership Institute. Find out when
option. I have a fun challenge for you: ask your- it’s offered by going to http://d7toastmasters.org/
self how you want to grow this year and share this and clicking on event calendar.
with your club. Now you have the opportunity Cheers to an awesome year!
to make that happen.
On a District-wide level, one constructive
change has provided immediate success. This
involves incorporating support assistant roles
for our leadership positions. At the Area and
Division level, Directors are recruiting Program
Quality Directors and Club Growth Directors
to help them succeed in their positions. These
local Trios are an excellent opportunity to
empower and foster the next wave of leaders.
These positions enable the Director to delegate
some responsibility, while providing support
for a strong team. As an Area and Division Trio,
12 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 JULY, 2017
