If you missed the first part of this topic, it is available here.
One advantage to blogging is the ability to add ideas after the fact. My presentation on becoming a Toastmaster’s President’s Distinguished club would not have had enough time for me to cover all that I wanted to, but the blog has no such limitations, so I’m continuing the same topic. Yesterday, the 10 Club Goals and 1 Requirement (have 20 members or net +5 new members) were distilled into 6 objectives and some ideas for obtaining the objectives were presented. Today, I present some more techniques. These techniques should be used by you as president, your officer team, and every member in your club if you wish to reach the club objectives.
1. Prune, rather than Fertilize. It is very easy to set lofty goals when your motivation is high, and your motivation is likely at its highest when you are first elected (or appointed) to your officer position. I was as guilty of this as anyone, looking to make our club more accessible online, add online payment and registration, and a few other quixotic goals that I fortunately can’t remember. However, the reality of club leadership (and some advice from Jack Welsh in his book “Winning”) made it clear. You have to focus on the highest value objectives because your resources are scarce. While some things would be nice, would they get you closer to your goal? Are some of the objectives required for distinguished status out of reach of your club? Even these objectives might need to be pruned so your club can focus on what it can achieve.
2. Share what you will do, not what you ought to do. It is easy to say that I should do something. It is another thing entirely to say I will do something. If you say you will, then not doing it is disingenuous on your part. If you say you ought to do something, then not doing it is perfectly acceptable and produces no disconnect between what you say and what you do. Don’t give yourself this out, refer to your goals as what you will do. Encourage your members to state their personal goals in the same terms.
3. Someone could win with the hand you were dealt. In the same position in the same club, someone out there could make your club outstanding. Make it you.
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