Reset for Success
July starts a brand-new year for Toastmasters. There’s something wonderful and exciting about the clean slate a new year offers; a blank page – ready for us to write the next chapter of possibilities just waiting for us. It is the perfect time to hit the reset button and prepare yourself and your club for a year of success and growth.
Before you start writing that chapter, let’s consider how you would like to grow personally and how you would like your club to grow. To get to any destination, you have to know 3 things:
- What is your starting point?
- Where do you want to go?
- How are you going to get there?
To ensure that your club is living up to its mission, consider what it will take to G.R.O.W.:
Goals, Resources, Outcomes, Wishes.
Goals:
“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.”
Harvey McKay NYT Best Selling author.
Setting Club Goals is not just for officers – it’s a team effort. You must know your club’s starting point in order to determine where you want to go. One of the best ways to determine your club’s current location is to conduct a “Moments of Truth” session (MOT) early in the year. In fact, if your club has a goal to achieve the Golden Gavel Award, two MOT sessions are required each year because it helps your club identify what is working well and what steps are needed to take your club to the next level. Plan these steps, including milestones and deadlines for achieving them. Schedule the needed activities and celebrate successes regularly. Review, evaluate and adjust as needed. Steps to include in your plan:
- Attend Club Officer Training (TLI)
- Hold a Moments of Truth
- Complete your Club Success Plan
- Hold monthly Club Executive Meetings
- Plan open houses
- Schedule Club Contests
- Collect Dues Renewals early
Decide how Toastmasters can help you reach your personal and professional goals?
Resources:
What resources are available for you and your club to utilize to reach your goals?
Bookmark the D84 website and regularly visit to find essential documents, programs, and other linked and downloadable tools such as the Club Leadership Handbook, TI Dashboards of essential club information, and the District 84 Calendar. Research ways to develop your personal skills and talents; give speeches or even workshops about the personal resources you are using to achieve your goals.
Outcomes:
An Outcome is the result or effect of an action.
What do you want your club to achieve? Do you want your club to be Presidents Distinguished? Win the Golden Gavel Award? Do you want your members to experience the full potential of the Toastmasters educational program and its impact on their growth?
Define what it will mean to the club and members if these outcomes are realized.
Challenge yourself to improve in one area of your life. Decide the Personal Outcome you want, then set the goals and milestones to reach that outcome.
Wishes
Be careful what you wish for – it might come true.
What if we expected our wishes to come true? Would we be more intentional with our wishes?
Take time to evaluate yourself and your club, discover what you wish to change, and R.E.S.E.T. for success:
- Reflect on things you wish to change
- Evaluate what worked in the past
- Strategize ways to make your wishes come true
- Expect your wishes to come true
- Thoughtfully express your wishes on purpose with intention
We have a fresh start. How will you fill your blank page?
