Every Toastmasters club in the world is guided by the above mission statement. By custom, we (club presidents) are supposed to read it aloud at each meeting. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t lived up to this expectation. I suspect, for the record, that I’m not alone.
I was browsing the Toastmasters website, however, when I came across Toastmasters International’s mission, vision, and values statements. I read them, which made me look up my own club’s mission statement. I read it, and that made me start to think.
Why are we here? (By “we,” I mean “we Toastmasters”). For many people, the lure is the opportunity to polish one’s delivery skills by practicing the oratorical arts in a supportively and friendly environment. For others, the lure is the opportunity to be a leader by serving as a club or district officer. Other still may be interested in the networking opportunities that come with membership in a Toastmasters club. Some may just be bored—but we’ll take them, too, because everybody benefits when a club is growing.
A few months ago, I was visiting the Charleston Toastmasters Club in Charleston, West Virginia (it meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 5:45 pm in the Charleston Public Library, if you’re interested), where I heard a speaker ask a profound question.
Do you have a personal mission statement?
Think about it. What are your goals? What are your ambitions? Have you taken the time to decide for yourself what path you want to take as you make life’s journey?
In a job interview, you might be asked the question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Can you answer that? It’s more important than you might think. If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there?
A leader is tasked with answering these questions for many people—an organization, a division, a department, or a team. The first and greatest challenge that you must meet to be a successful leader, however, is to answer these questions for yourself.
Toastmasters can help you develop the competencies necessary to succeed a developing a personal mission. Our time-tested programs, with their emphasis on participatory learning, teach you valuable leadership skills—agenda-setting, team-building, time management, constructive criticism, and mentoring.
Many people see these skills as valuable when leading others. Developing the agenda for your Toastmasters club’s next meeting teaches you skills that you can bring to bear at your local parent-teacher association. Judging a club speech contest helps prepare you to deliver employee evaluations. Planning a club awards ceremony equips you to put together a graduation party or a retirement luncheon. The possibilities are endless.
What we don’t realize is that when we lead others, we’re growing ourselves. When we participate in determining a group mission, we also determine our own place within it. It’s true, what they say—when you give to others, you’re also enriching yourself.
Do you have a personal mission statement? Maybe it’s time to develop one. Your local Toastmasters club is a perfect place to think about where you are, where you want to be, and what path you’ll take to get there. We have the tools and the techniques to make you a more articulate communicator and a more dynamic leader.
The best part is that when you join a club and interact with others, you’re slowly becoming the best possible version of yourself. Who doesn’t want that?
If you’d like to take the first step toward discovering your own mission, go to http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/ and search for a location near you. Or, if you’re in the Greater Beckley area, come to the Region 1 WORKFORCE West Virginia career center on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month, at 6:00 pm, and see our program in action.
You can do it. We can help.
We’ll see you there.
Joseph L. Chambers, CC, ALB
Area 63 Governor, TI District 40
President, Toastmasters Beckley
Area 63 Governor, TI District 40
President, Toastmasters Beckley
No comments:
Post a Comment