Brought to you by: District Leadership Team
By: Jeannette Kreher Heberling, DTM
As my term as your Club Growth Director comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on what an incredible honor it has been to serve every club and member. Supporting all clubs and all members has not just been a role-it’s been a privilege, a learning journey, and a constant source of growth for me as a leader.
Over this past year, I had the opportunity to “ghost write” 20+ blogs on behalf of the District Trio, with one goal in mind: to equip you, our members, leaders, and clubs, with practical tools and fresh ideas to thrive at every stage of the Toastmasters journey. From membership building to member experience, from leadership development to marketing your club’s story, each blog was written with passion and purpose. Whenever you need a spark, a solution, or a reminder that you’re not in this alone, reach out to me or revisit the blog. {And yes, this was used as my Blog Project, two-fold purpose of sharing what I’ve learned over my 10-year journey with about half of it in Toastmasters leadership and providing credit to the club for the educational goal!}
If there’s one message I hope stays with you, it’s this: find your why! Share it boldly! Your reason for joining Toastmasters matters! Your growth matters! And when you share that story, you create intentional synergy which aligns purpose, people, and action in a way that multiplies impact. When we connect our individual “whys” with a shared vision, we don’t just grow, we elevate each other and strengthen everything around us.
As you move forward, here are a few simple reminders to take with you:
- Keep your meetings intentional: every role, every agenda, every moment should create value. (Real-world skills are developed here!)
- Build intentional synergy: align club goals, member aspirations, and leadership actions so everyone moves forward together. TEAM=Together Everyone Achieves More!
- Celebrate often: share the DCP Goals and progress toward it, create milestones, and remember even small wins build momentum. Who doesn’t love a celebration and recognition?
- Invite continuously: growth doesn’t happen by accident. Who can you help grow, learn, and lead-bring them to a meeting!
- Lead with service: when members feel supported, clubs thrive. We are all volunteer leaders, get members involved.
- Stay curious: there is always something new to learn, try, or improve. Toastmasters is your ‘sandbox’ to try new things, try different ideas, a place where you receive instant feedback for forward growth! If it doesn’t work, redo the speech or project! Keep a growth mindset!
Most importantly, remember this: each one of us is the heartbeat in our club. Your energy, your commitment, and your willingness to lead make all the difference.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey this year! Keep growing. Keep leading. Keep creating intentional synergy. And keep sharing your why, the world needs more powerful passion, better communicators, better leaders, and more coming together in community!