Have you ever missed opportunities in life because of fear or a lack of experience? I have, and I regret those missed opportunities. Let me share a story with you about the first area speech contest I organized as an Area Governor for my Toastmasters district. This was back in 2013, and I had 6…
A great quote by my favorite author John C. Maxwell is that “Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do only occasionally!” In today’s blog article I am going to explore what this means. Knowing What to Do Many of us know what to do to be successful. Knowing what to do is great, but…
Earlier this week I wrote about the importance of having an effective transition between an outgoing and incoming leader in a volunteer organization. Today I want to dig into this idea a little deeper with a focus on what to do in a transition meeting between outgoing and incoming area and division Directors. Area and…
When you serve as leader in a volunteer organization, one of the most important things you can do is to plan a good transition to next year’s leadership team when your term as a leader is over. This includes sharing key documents, resources, and insights. It also includes mentoring and training the team who takes…
“I always honor my commitments to other people. I wish I was an other person so I can honour my commitments to myself.” – Jonathan Ettie The above quote is something I have thought to myself from time to time. One of my core values is integrity, and I am really good at following through…
I have read several books on habits and leadership, and there is a powerful statement about habits that comes from my favorite author, John C. Maxwell. John Maxwell said: “Ultimately, people do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.” I have experienced this phenomenon. For years I have…
My favourite author, John C. Maxwell, wrote a book called “Success is a Choice”. One of the main things that this idea brings to mind is that success is often one step beyond your comfort zone, and that making excuses in life will send you down the wrong path in life. Also, I have learned…
I enjoy planning and having a system for keeping track of my goals, commitments, and tasks. This system makes me an effective self-directed leader and if you develop a similar system, it can have the same benefits for you as well. But what does an effective system look like? For me, it is a system…
People love to make plans. We set goals, map out ideas, and imagine the results we want to achieve. But too often, those plans never turn into meaningful action, and without action, results never follow. The difference between intention and execution is where leadership is truly defined. In this article, we will explore what it…
As a member of Toastmasters International, I have served in different club and district leadership roles over the years. Serving in these volunteer leadership roles has given me something meaningful to do with my time outside of work. It has also helped to shape and develop my leadership skills. Being a leader for Toastmasters has…
