Leaders

How many of you have achieved or are actively working toward your Competent Leader Certification? I like to think of this as a rite of passage much akin to a teen-ager getting a driver’s license. It’s a sign you have arrived. When you joined Toastmasters you were given a manual with exercises and a check-off list to make you a Competent Leader. How cool can that be?

You may be asking, “What’s in it for me? What is a leader? Why would I want this?” A leader is someone who has the capacity to influence others to achieve worthwhile results. Some people are content with simply doing the job and letting others crack the whip. Wouldn’t you like to get up in the morning knowing you are in charge of yourself and can do what you set your mind to do? You can lead.

Anybody who has been with me since the dawn of my Toastmasters journey knows that it is my life-long goal to be the person on the movie set who calls, “action." They will testify, however, that I am an introvert. I cannot deny this. My dream and this characteristic do not go hand-in-hand. I don’t mind being in front of an audience. It’s the speaking part that kills me. I must battle this demon if I am to be a leader.

Through Toastmasters, you will learn more than just leadership. You won’t be cracking whips. We don’t do that here. You will develop communication skills. Not only will you be able to speak eloquently, you will enhance your ability to listen and thoroughly evaluate the information you garner. You will be using more than the standard 10 per cent of the average human brain’s capacity. Anything above that 10 per cent is extraordinary.

Imagine the feeling of exhilaration as you stand on a stage or at a lectern in front of a crowd of people all of whom share a common goal. Notice I said “exhilaration” not “anxiety”. You speak and your words flow with grace, eloquence and beauty. What more could you want? Besides more money and power. That will come. What do you have to gain?

In addition to battling the dreaded Publicspeaknaphobia, Toastmasters gives everybody opportunities to develop skills needed to listen, learn and think. That’s what it is about – listening, learning and thinking.

• Listen. Listen to what others have to say. Listen to their messages. Listen to yourself


• Learn through evaluation. This is a very important part of the listening process. Giving feedback is as important as receiving feedback. This is not a school. You are not being judged. You are among your peers. We evaluate. You evaluate.
• Think critically as you grow and observe yourself as well as others.

You will also develop organization, motivation and teamwork skills.

• Organization. How to be prepared. How to put your message together. How to conduct a meeting and secure the steady sail of your vessel. How to budget your time accordingly. How to set goals and follow through no matter how difficult the long and winding road may seem.

• How to lead through motivation and encouragement. Everybody has an opportunity to speak. Everybody has an opportunity to listen. Everybody has an opportunity to learn. And…

• Teamwork. A team is a group of individuals united for a common goal. United we stand. Divided we fall. We are your team. Nobody falls. All of us have a common goal. Let’s speak about it.

If we are leaders, what does a leader do? Leaders congratulate those who win, cheer those who come in second and applaud and encourage those who participate.
The beauty of it is all of the above-mentioned opportunities and characteristics are applicable to your day-to-day life. Do you motivate, encourage and teach your children so that they too can achieve worthwhile results? Will they motivate, encourage and teach their children? Are we a nation of leaders who create leaders? “If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain; if you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees; if you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people” …Chinese Proverb


Wouldn’t you want to be a people grower in any career you choose and any road you take? At Toastmasters, you gain confidence as you hurdle the self-made obstacles in your path.

How many of you would like to become a professional speaker? Would you need to be able to market yourself as a leader in your field? Motivation and inspiration definitely apply here.

Do you want the words “Distinguished Toastmaster” to stand out on your CV? If you are interviewing for a job and the human resources director, fresh out of school, asks about the significance of a certain brand of kitchen appliance, would you regard this as a golden opportunity to exploit your Table Topic speaking skills by teaching and inspiring this poor lost soul who obviously needs to put you on the payroll ASAP?

How many of you are currently in a management position? Do any of the above-mentioned learning experiences apply here? Yes they do. You will learn to train, listen and motivate. You will lead others to train, listen and motivate.

You will have the opportunity to speak outside the club. How? Enter contests. Conduct a speechcraft workshop. Get involved in your area and/or district division. Get out there and volunteer. Toastmasters provides a variety of leadership workshop modules that you can conduct within or outside your club. Everything you need is available to you.

Around the same time I started in Toastmasters, another fellow joined our club. For a long time, Brian, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, could not present a speech without reading from his notes. Brian kept on track, worked his way through the offices and eventually became club president as well as district governor. Speaking became second nature to him. He accomplished this because he got involved. He followed the teachings of the Masters of the Toast. As a member of a Rotary Club, he found and made opportunities to give speeches outside of Toastmasters. He met with me one-on-one and coached me through the evaluation process. He took initiative and was able to influence me to achieve worthwhile results.

That, my friends, is the definition of a leader - someone who has the capacity to influence others to achieve worthwhile results.

Toastmasters creates leaders.

Leadership springs from anyone enabled and encouraged to express himself while working with purpose and meaning.

It is a journey of many steps. You took the first step when you made the decision to join. When you pick up you Competent Leader manual you are taking a step. When you accept an assignment from your Vice President of Education, you are taking a step. When you create a speech you are taking a step. When you stand at the lectern you are taking a step. When you listen to others at the lectern you are taking a step.

No matter how minute the step, it is a giant leap in a small world.