OMG, REALLY? You were a Club Officer at time! Well, what are you supposed to do now that you accomplished that goal? I cannot tell you how many times I had this conversation with other Toastmasters. They know that there is something beyond the club level but refuse to do anything about it as they sit wondering why they are not growing in Leadership Skills. My fellow Toastmasters, if you want to keep growing you must take on new responsibilities that will help you grow in the areas where you wish to expand your knowledge.
How many times did you hear someone say “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and still expect different results.”? If all you are willing to do is become a Club Officer, then all you will ever learn is the tasks of Club Officers. There are only so many tasks each year. While you can master those tasks after filling every club officer role a thousand times, the fact is, you are still only at the Club Officer level of experience. Which means you are incapable of helping anyone beyond that level because you do not have the experience.
Ta-Dah, and the cure is simple enough. It is time you expand your knowledge about what Toastmasters really is. Helen Blanchard once quipped:
“If you get out of Toastmasters all you can get out of Toastmasters, you’ll never get out of Toastmasters.”
Believe it or not, she was correct. Club Officer is not the end all of Toastmasters. There is so much more. For you, since you were a Club Officer, let us discuss the ideas of what comes after being Club Officers. The next level up is District Officer roles. Each club that exist belongs to an Area, each Area to a Division and each Division to a District. There are a number of leadership roles beyond the District but for the sake of this post we will just stick to the District roles.
Every year, District Leaders go out hunting for more members who want to learn more to become better leaders. No – they are not using bow and arrows to hunt you down – LOL. They are wanting to help people grow and reach new heights in their leadership skills. This is where you come in. You spent at least a year as a Club Officer. your appetite is whet. You want more, you want to grow, you want to take on more responsibilities. They are looking for you to join the team and help formulate the processes to whip our District into shape. It takes a finely honed District Leadership team to make a District Smedley Distinguished.
Now is the time that you let the District know that you want to be part of that team. You want to make an impact. You want to accomplish something new for yourself. You want to grow into a new person with great leadership skills because you know that great leaders get awesome things done. Good for you. You are in luck today. Reading this post will put you on the right track.
To qualify for a District Leadership position there are certain requirements you need to meet and certain documents you need to fill out and turn in to the District Leader Nomination Committee. To qualify for any position, you must:
- At the time of taking office
- District Director must have served at least six (6) consecutive months as Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, Division Director, or a combination of these.
- Program Quality Director and Club Growth Director must have served at least six (6) consecutive months as Club President and at least 12 consecutive months as a Program Quality Director, a Club Growth Director, a Division Director, an Area Director, or a combination of these.
- Division Director must have served at least six (6) consecutive months as a member of a District Council.
- An elective officer must have been an active member of a Toastmasters club in good standing for the entire preceding 12 months, or a member for 12 consecutive months within the past three (3) years within the District the officer shall serve.
- A member may only be a candidate for elective office in one (1) District at any given time.
- A member may only serve in one (1) position within any District Executive Committee at any given time.
District 33’s website has a nominating Committee page that explains the whole entire process of how to become a District Leader. You can find that page by clicking to here: District Nominations – District 33 Toastmasters. The page talks about all the roles that are available (elected and appointed positions), discusses the whole nominating process in detail and even has links to the required forms that need to be filled out.
The deadline for elected position nominations for next year is Feb. 28, 2025. I know that sounds like a way off, but it really is not. It is fast approaching. The sooner you get your package in the less you need to worry about that deadline. I often see people do their packages at the last minute and wind up missing the deadline. Then it becomes a nightmare because they have to run from the floor in addition to going through the nominating process.
From my perspective, you do not really begin to grow in Toastmasters until you become a District officer. You see, everything you do on the club is basically for “yourself”. Think of it as the club equals you while above the club equals others. At the club level, its one house. Everyone is close knit and know each other like a family. At the District level you are no longer interacting with just “family” members anymore. At the District level you are dealing with people at a City level.
Look around you. It does not take much imagination to see this. You interact with people outside of your home in a completely different manner than you do with your family. It is a totally different skill set you develop. In Toastmasters, District level leadership is also an entirely different skill set you are developing. You mastered the skills at the family level now is the time for you to step out of the house and master the leadership skills at the District level.
I look forward to seeing you as a District leader. If I can be of any help in getting you there, please do not hesitate to reach out and let me know. Always remember, you are not in this alone.