Last November I had the pleasure of attending my first Toastmasters conference thanks to a sponsorship from my supportive club, the incomparable Kirkland Eclectics. The theme was “Taking Off with Toastmasters”—a cleaver play on words since the conference was hosted directly across the street from the entrance to the Seatac International Airport. This one-day district conference was a great opportunity for regional Toastmasters members to network and share their knowledge about leadership, speaking, and communication.
On a personal note, this conference couldn’t have come at a better time for me. A health issue and a job transition simultaneously hit me shortly before the conference, leaving me reeling and trying to sort out the puzzle. You’d think that going time to a conference such as this (especially as a first timer) would clutter your head with even more information, right? Strangely, it had the opposite effect. What I learned there helped me to relax, regroup, and refocus on my priorities.
Everyone can benefit from the top three takeaways that I distilled from this conference, whether you’re on your way to optimum time management efficiency or you’re already leading your own team. It’s just great information that helps you focus on what’s important—and weed out the stuff you really don’t need to worry about.
Before I start on the Top Three, I should mention the three sessions I attended. From discussing how to be an effective mentor to how to create a good speech fast (oh, geez, how I need that) with mind mapping, selecting which sessions to attend in a restricted schedule wasn’t so simple. Here are my picks:
- “Time Management is an Oxymoron” with Diann Hitzel. All about effective time management from a pro—she’s a project manager (as evidenced by her presentation mind map that she displayed throughout to help us follow along)! I picked this one because I can never seem to get enough tips on this topic. I take what works and toss what doesn’t.
- Keynote: “The Four Commitments to a Winning Team” with Mark Eaton. (Yes, THAT Mark Eaton. Of Utah Jazz basketball fame.) We learned strategies to motivate your team and get results. This was a no-brainer: I wanted to see a pro Toastmaster in action.
- “You Are the Package!” with Corina Stretch. I was on the fence about this session. Here, I’ll just transcribe a part of the summary and you might understand why: “We’ll identify the key steps women must take to advance into position of influence and leadership—especially in industries long considered ‘a man’s world’.” Part of me said, “Yes, I work in technology! Yes, I’m a woman! Yes, I strive to lead!” *pulls out her wallet* Another part of me thought, “Eeeh, anything that reinforces the gender gap by addressing it and telling you how to game it isn’t something I want to be a part of.” Well, I could write a whole separate blog post about this topic alone, so we’ll move on…
To the Top Three Toastmasters Conference Takeaways!
1) Know your claim to fame.
When you know what you were meant to do and you do it, things fall into place and you’re in a better position to help others.
Mark Eaton said, “Do what you do best.” He recounted the story of trying to play multiple positions on the Utah Jazz and failing. When he learned that he could use his natural talent of height (7’4”, to be exact), he could—and did—make an excellent center.
Hitzel (‘time management’) recommended to “know thyself”. Be proactive in understanding who you are, how you operate. Three important questions to ask yourself are: What’s required of me? What gives me the biggest return? What gives me the best reward? These directly relate to Stretch’s (‘women leaders’) mention of the Talents-Passions-Market Demand Venn Diagram:
Image credit: http://www.mymoneyblog.com
This is a recipe for finding happiness. When you connect WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT with WHAT YOU ENJOY DOING and you FIND A MARKET THAT CAN CAPITALIZE ON THESE, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. (Uh, at least, that’s what they say. ;) )
So what’s your “claim to fame”?
2) Take time to think and plan.
This seems like a no-brainer, right? If you’re anything like me, time gets away from you. You get wrapped up in “emergency projects”—those things that pop up on your radar and it feels like the building is going to collapse if you don’t get it done ASAP. I’ve found that if you step away for two quality minutes, just you and your thoughts, and you think critically about these fire drills, perhaps they’re not truly fire drills. In fact, you might not even need to do them today… tomorrow… ever!
What if you took the time to think about the different facets of your life? Are your accomplishing your work goals? Are you spending enough time with your loved ones? How about that book you’re reading—how are you applying what you’re learning to your routine? Hitzel reminded us that thinking preceeds results. (“We’re human DOINGS, not human BEINGS!”) Give yourself a set time every day to reflect on what you need to do, both in the short and long term, to be successful. Give your brain space to breathe! We compress every day and we forget to let our minds wander. This is an important exercise, as some of our best ideas come to us when we’re relaxed.
The next bit is probably my favorite and most liberating take-away from the conference: plan for neglect. Hell yes, you read that right. Decide to not do AND DON’T DO IT. Stop piling stuff on your calendar and expecting that it will get done. Know your limitations. Understand where to draw the line and learn how to say “No.” Your sanity—and everyone else that you set reasonable expectations with—will thank you.
When are you going to schedule some time to think this week?
3) Encourage risk-taking behavior—for yourself and others.
Why would you want to encourage ‘risky’ behavior, you ask? After all, the word ‘risky’ has negative complications.
Eaton said, “When others take risks, your team moves to the next level.” We’re not talking about scary (stupid) risks such as staging a coup on your CEO. We’re talking about hatching plans for bold new campaigns, new product design, new methods to the company’s madness. Risks lead to innovation and progress.
How do you get there? You enable your team to take risks by protecting them and being their advocate. When they understand that you’re on their side and are “willing to take a bullet for them,” they’ll step outside of their comfort zone and generate some amazing results for the company. You’ll empower them when you commit yourself to their well being.
I can attest to this. I haven’t been in many situations where I had to protect others, but my best managers have put themselves on the line for my teammates and me. When I’ve seen my manager give their team members the credit for the good and have taken the fall for the bad—shielding us from the fallout—I have always been left standing in awe and respect for my manager. I feel like I’m in a safe environment, and in return, I commit myself to the success of my manager, the team, and the company. We’re a family that looks out for each other.
Who would you protect at this very moment?
There was so much more that I have learned at my first Toastmasters conference and I’m already putting into practice. However, these were the three takeaways that made me excited. And if you’re ever interested in joining a Toastmasters club (which I highly recommend), search for a club near you! You won’t regret it.
