by Jesse Ford DTM IPDD Over the last few years, while serving in District leadership, there have been times when I thought to myself “no way I could never do that.” Then, guess what happened? Yep, I found myself doing said things. Somebody once told me an interesting quote/philosophy on leadership. “The number one job…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director Have you ever heard of the term “helium hands”? No? Well allow me to explain. According to TheOdysseyOnline.com, “’Helium Hand’ can be described as an affliction where no matter what the request, or who it is from, the person has the uncontrollable urge to say yes or to volunteer.”…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director In a world that argues you need a job to get experience, and experience to get a job, enter the solution that is Toastmasters. Our Outstanding Leader of the Month for April is currently working a full-time job, is a member of one corporate and one community club and…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director There are large teams in the district that handle things like the Annual Conference Committee, the Summit Committee, and TLI. Sometimes, there are smaller groups. Both types of teams have a big impact on the district—and both are visible in distinct and unique ways. One leader in our district,…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director Overcoming hardship as a leader requires resilience and adaptability. Leading during difficult times means focusing on people first while simultaneously maintaining focus on the long-term vision. A leader must also first cultivate mental toughness. This means being able to handle stress, uncertainty, and adversity without losing sight of their…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director If you ever get a chance to go to a speech contest, I would highly recommend it. If you ever want to be part of the amazing team that puts on the events, that is where real magic happens. A contest needs a lot of helpers with everything from…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director If you were to ask people (nonmembers) what they think of when they hear the word “Toastmasters” you might be lucky if somebody says, “public speaking.” You would be really lucky if somebody said something about blah blah blah “leadership”. In the end, our organization, despite being around for…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director Typically, when talking about event planning people, will tell you that a project manager is responsible for, you guessed it…planning, executing, and overseeing. This can include managing teams, budgets, and deadlines. Sounds like a lot of work, right? Let’s combine that with being a Toastmaster volunteer leader, and our…
by Jesse Ford DTM District Director Andrew Carnegie once said, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get the credit for doing it.” I heard this and thought to myself for a while on it. It made me think who out there is doing this and…
