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...

I spent Saturday at the District 6 TLI (Toastmasters Leadership Institute). I got the opportunity to training the VP Education officers. Had a lot of fun telling them about the DCP (Distinguished Club Program). I handed out index cards and those who didn't have a card had to put the group in order of the DCP points. I think they had a lot of fun learning about the DCP this way. I really enjoyed the keynote speaker, Roger Revak. He did a great job and it was a great speech on taking your Toastmaster talents outside of your club. I also took in an education session on a program called "Strive, Revive and Thrive". A proven program that helps clubs grow and stay strong. Also attended the awards luncheon. As division governor you are expected to attend as many of these district events as possible. that is a good thing it helps grow your leadership skills and gives you an opprotunity to share your knowledge and network with other Toastmasters. I'll be back bloggin...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Now that you may have listened to my speech on my vision for the Frontier Division you may be wondering just what a Division Governor does? The hirearchy within the Toastmaster structure is as follows. District - Within the district there are 10 Divisions Division - Within Each Division there are 4-7 Areas Area - Within each area there are 4-6 clubs Club - each club should strive for 20 members but there is an average of about 14 members per club. As Division Governor I oversee 6 area governors. I mentor and train my area governors. I conduct 2 Division Contests each year and I work with my  area governors to find new clubs and help build up and grow existing clubs. I also conduct and help area cgovernors conduct officer training. Today I met with one of my area governors to discuss his plans for his area. Looking forward to my final three one on ones that I am having I had two of them last week and one today. On Day two I found out that all the clubs in the Front...

Today, July 1st starts my 365 day journey through the Frontier. Not the final Frontier but the Frontier Division in District 6 Toastmasters. I am starting my year as Frontier Division Governor and looking forward to it. The year for me didn't start today it started a while back when I made the decision to run for Frontier Division Governor. Then I thought about my vision and what I wanted to accomplish as division governor. I decided that this year I will journal my journey and I want to welcome all of you along for the trip. Check back frequently for updates on how the journey is going. To kick off the Toastmaster New Year I have attached a link to my vision speech I gave. I hope you enjoy it.  Frontier Division Speech

I wrote and gave this speech last fall. This is honor of my dad on fathers day! It was Thanksgiving Day 2002 and my wife, kids and I had just arrived at my in-laws house to celebrate Thanksgiving. You could smell the turkey and hear the sound of football in the background along with young cousins jabbering about the fun they were about to have. I just settled down on the couch when the phone rang thinking nothing about it until my brother-in-law tells me the phone is for me. Someone calling me at my in-laws is not a good sign especially on a holiday. It was my oldest sister and the moment she spoke I knew it wasn’t good news. She went to pick up my dad for Thanksgiving dinner and found him dead in his bed. He passed away the way he always wanted to go, in his sleep. It didn’t make it any easier for the rest of us. My mom had passed away 6 years earlier on New Years Eve so it was now left to the three of us to be the leaders of the family. The drive that day from Andover to Eagan was ...

I have been away from blogging for a while. We moved to a new house in February and about that time I started working a second job. Sometimes as a leader you have to do things for a season that you might not normally do. I am going to try to blog more but you may not see it on a consistent basis. I will try it once a week but with the number of things I have going on that may not always be the case. As I said earlier Leaders have to do things for a season and sometimes they do things to grow their leadership and expand their circle of influence. On Saturday I was elected to be the Frontier Division Governor for District 6 Toastmasters. We had a great time at the dinner and International speech contest. I am looking forward to my growth as a leader by being the Frontier Division Governor for the 2013-2014 Toastmaster year. Look for more blogs in the coming weeks on other things leaders can do to expand their influence and grow their leadership.

I am watch the show " The Men Who Built America " on the History channel and they were talking about JP Morgan investing money in an unproven commodity, electricity. They said that JP Morgan saw opportunity where others saw risk. Any time a leader is about to invest time, money or energy into a venture they want to weigh the risk and reward of that venture. They need to determine if the opportunity far outweighs the risk that is involved. JP Morgan was a banking man and he didn't find success by investing in bad ventures. When he saw Edison's light bulb he knew that the opportunity was too great to pass up when compared to the minimal risk. We still to this day use the Edison light bulb and electricity so JP Morgan seized that opportunity and it paid off. Pay offs don't always occur you have to make sure what you are investing in seems worthwhile and will establish itself as a strong comsumer commodity. For instance if someone approached you to invest in a n...

Last time I blogged I gave you the first 7 of my 13 life changing habits for 2013. The nice thing about life changing habits is that you don't have to make the changes all at once. They will occur over time. As long as I have made the steps and I am working on those life changing habits in 2013 I am successful. Here are 8 - 13. Read my previous blog for 1-7. These first two may seem like they contradict each other but they really don't and I explain. 8.  Follow more and lead less - In some situations you have to be a follower and not a leader. That is how we learn and grow. 9.  Lead more and follow less - In other situations you have to lead more especially in areas of your expertise. 10.  Pray more worry less - Instead of worrying about things it is better to pray about them and let God be in control. 11.  Work more efficiently - Make better use of my working hours by finding ways to be more efficient. 12.  Work more and Play more - If I am worki...

Last time I mentioned that I had decided this year instead of coming up with empty resolutions I wanted to focus on some simple changes. Changes that will happen over a period of time and not necessarily overnight. Each of these can be personal in nature or leadership in nature, since this is a leadership blog. I decided to present it in the format of 13 in 13. This is 13 changes I will make in 2013. I was inspired by my daughter last year who did a 12 in 12 but I have always liked a bakers dozen so I am going with 13. Here are the 13 things I will change or do differently in 2013. Throughout the year I will expound on these and let you know how I am doing. I challenge you to create your own list. 1.  Read more watch less - I want to read more books, articles, papers etc and watch less inane television. 2.  Walk more sit less - I want to get more active from this sedentary 3.  Give more spend less - Self explanatory 4.  Save more spend less - Self explanatory ...

Have you survived the fiscal cliff? Maybe you are sick and tired of all the talk about the fiscal cliff. If you are one of those people maybe you can at least read what I have to say about leadership lessons from the fiscal cliff. The one main lesson we can learn from all of the fiscal cliff negotiations is a little bit of compromise. A great leader is willing to compromise but not willing to back down on their own principles. Unfortunately that is not what we saw in the fiscal cliff negotiations. Instead President Obama expected everyone to cave in to his demands and He wasn’t willing to compromise. On the other hand the Republicans compromised on the taxes but they didn’t stand firm on expecting spending cuts. Leadership must be give and take willing to give in but expecting the others to give in as well. That is what working together is all about and that is what makes great leaders. Washington is filled with people who are not leaders just self serving freeloaders believi...

Last year my daughter did something on her blog called 12 in 12. Instead of setting resolutions or goals she came up with 12 things that she would do differently. I was inspired by her 12 in 12 and decided to do my own 13 in 13 this year. I am going to focus on leadership growth and personal growth. The next time I blog I will share my 13 in 13.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Keep following this blog in 2013 for new and exciting information on Leadership and Leisureship. In the coming weeks look for a recap of some of my favorites from 2012 and a look into the future of this blog.

Tis the season, many people are in the midst of celebrating Christmas. They are shopping, entertaining and enjoying time with family and friends.   This is a great time of year to really relax and get away from your role as a leader. However to many people this can be a stressful and hectic time. It becomes a time for many to juggle their obligations to family, to work and the finances. How do you deal with the stress of the season? You need to find that one thing that is a constant during this hectic holiday. For me it is focusing on the real reason for the season. I focus on Jesus and His birth. It is a calming effect to focus on the one constant in life, Jesus Christ. Through all the chaos and craziness of this season the author of peace and calm is Jesus so I focus on His birth and every blessing He has given my family and I. What are some things that keep you calm during this hectic season? Here is a list of some things that might help you think about whether they are ...

I am sorry I haven't blogged in while. I have had some things I have been taking care of. I found the following blog article that I would like to talk about. It tells five things you shouldn't do if you are a manager. This blog article "Five Things a Boss Should Never Do"  is by Brenda Morris please read the article. The five things are: Micro-manage Constantly Re-prioritize Lose your temper Set unreasonable expectations Avoid making decisions If you are a leader you may have encountered people who have done one or all of these things. Have you done any of these things? There is a difference between managing and leading not doing the above will help you manage like a leader instead of manage like a manager. The next time we will look at Micro-managing.

I would like to find out from my audience what your leadership life is like? Do you find yourself a leader only in one aspect of your life or in all aspects of your life? Maybe you use different styles at work as opposed to your home. Are you a double agent when it comes to leadership, a Jekyll and Hyde type of situation when you lead. What I mean are you a nice leader in one area of your life and a tyrant in the other area of your life? I want to hear from you. Let me know how you lead in certain situations and if you lead differently and the reason why you lead differently.

Winter has officially arrived. Minnesota winters can bring snow and brutal cold and usually both. Today we spent the day digging out from our biggest snow dumping in two years. Last year we were spoiled with mild temperatures and very little snow. In the northern suburbs where I live we were fortunate to be hit with close to 15 inches. Because of this I spent part of the morning shoveling and then this evening shoveling again. I am one of those Minnesotans who does not own a snow blower. I have to clear the snow the old fashioned way, exercise and sweat. This is all part of a weekend of leisureship. I know what you are saying; shoveling snow doesn’t sound much like leisure. It really isn’t but if you look at it as exercise it is leisure. Many of you might spend money on a gym membership or home equipment when all you have to do is buy a shovel and live in Minnesota. It is good exercise, shoveling snow, but you have to be careful when shoveling snow to make sure you don’t hurt you...

I have been having a tooth ache for a while so last Friday I went in and they said I need to have a root canal done. I know what you might be saying what does this have to do with leadership? While I sit and try to manage my pain until I go in for my root canal on Monday I find myself thinking about what the dentist said. He gave me two options, “root canal” or “pull the tooth”. Since it is a molar back next to my wisdom tooth we decided it was best to keep the tooth that is why it will be a root canal and not a pull. Leadership can be like this tooth. Is your leadership methods worth saving or should you pull the plug on your failed leadership skills? Leaders should always be evaluating their leadership skills to determine if the method they are using is a valid method. Does that method work or has it run its course? When your leadership skills only need a tweaking or some minor adjustments it might be a good idea to save that leadership style. It might be time to give your le...

I would like to discuss an aspect of leisureship. We are in the throes of a long holiday weekend and just spent Thanksgiving celebrating the blessings and giving thanks for everything we have been provided. These weekends are supposed to be stress free and relaxing. We are supposed to spend time with family and friends enjoying their company. Thanksgiving is a great time for family, food and football. It is also a great time for leaders to relax and enjoy those three things. How did you spend your Thanksgiving? Sometimes people do other things during Thanksgiving evening and the weekend after. Friday is dubbed black Friday for the amount of money spent at stores on great shopping deals. Do you venture out on black Friday? It is starting to bleed over into Thursday and become black Thursday. I think it is crazy that stores open on Thanksgiving. I say let your leaders and workers relax that day and come into work the next day ready to be met by all the turkey hangover shoppers. ...

Today I would like to share with you a little Thanksgiving story. Actually it is a made up humorous story that I also hope will be thought provoking. It is looking at Thanksgiving from the turkey’s perspective. It is a question you can pose to your family and friends and be able to understand a little about their leadership style. I want you to think of yourself as a turkey. There are two kinds of turkeys in this fictitious world. Which group do you belong to? The first is a group of passive turkeys who believe it is their destiny to be eaten on Thanksgiving they view it as an honor to be served and eaten. They would do anything to make sure they were one of the select Turkeys chosen for this holiday. The second group is a band of turkey freedom fighters they will do anything to avoid being eaten. They think the lesser birds should be consumed because turkeys are above such a degrading display. They hideout and avoid the slaughter hoping...