Right Wisdom

I held my first Frontier Division Council meeting on Wednesday 7/24. I spent the first 30-40 minutes training on how to put on a contest. Thanks to some previous material other Toastmasters had created I only had to create my powerpoint with my perspective and use the information previously created. We then spent the remaining 50-60 minutes talking about challenges and how each of the area governors are doing with their areas. We talked about the contest dates. The Frontier Division contest is on 10/1 and all the areas need to have theirs done before that date. We also talked about officer training. All officers from each club within the District should get trained and the Division and Area Governors do the training. Part of being a leader is making sure those you lead are well trained and ready for their leadership roles. The Frontier Division will work as a team to make sure we service all the clubs and their members within the Frontier Division. Looking forward to my continued...

It’s possible that you have heard the term “bench strength”. This term refers to those future leaders in your company, those who are being groomed to take over when the other leaders leave. A company should have great bench strength and be willing to think outside the box when it comes to promoting leaders and moving them up the ladder. But it isn’t as easy as just promoting people they have to be ready. In baseball teams don’t promote players from triple A to the majors unless they are ready. If they do it sometimes takes longer for the player to catch on and it will hurt the team. How is your bench strength? Is your company grooming your next leaders or do you have to go outside the company to get the talent you need? As a leader you have to prepare your people to succeed you as leader. You have to ready them or they will leave. What are some things you can do as a leader to make sure they are ready to be the next leader? ·          Toda...

Have you ever heard the phrase “it’s not my fault”? Maybe you have even said it a few times. It seems as if there is a prevailing sense that people no longer want to take responsibility for their actions. People will find an excuse for everything. If they are late it is because of traffic. That may very well be the case but people need to allow extra time. It is better to get there early then late. If you are a leader you even have more responsibility. You need to make sure the image you convey is one of honesty and integrity. You need to take responsibility for your actions. Leaders are also trying to pass the buck. They end up passing it down to one of their own people. This really makes the leader look bad. As a leader it is your responsibility to know what your people are doing and to also make sure they understand what is expected of them. If they screw up then you should be the one to take the heat. You should be the one telling others that it is your fault; you didn’t trai...

It used to be that if you were planning a trip you would get a map and figure out a route. Everyone had a road map in their car and would pull it out if they were lost or needed to know how to get to the next town. You would have to have a state map and a local map and sometimes multiple states if you were traveling across the country. Now days if you want to get somewhere you can check Mapquest, Google Maps or if you have a GPS you can use that. This will give you precise directions on how to get to your location. So what does all this have to do with leadership? As a leader you have to give directions to those around you. Just like finding your way to a destination in your car has changed giving directions to the people you lead has also changed. People learn differently so as you give direction you need to make sure everyone understands exactly what is expected of them. Training people do do their job is a role you as the leader must play. It is important that you train them to ...

Thank you for allowing me a respite yesterday as I was much under the weather. Sometimes the leadership game can knock you out for a round or two. It will not knock you out permanently. Especially if you follow quality leadership practices. Growth and leadership go hand and hand. Without growth leaders do have the potential to be permanently knocked out of the game. We have looked at communication through being actively involved in a group like Toastmasters to grow your communication skills as a leader. We looked at mentoring and being mentored as another way to continue to grow as a leader. Today we are going to look at an unusual way to help you as a leader grow. That is to surround yourself with capable and aspiring followers. If the leader can hire quality workers. Then train and encourage those workers to be the best that they can be. Doing this will help produce future leaders and will help you grow as a leader. It will help you grow because it will show others that you can...