Another voice has been added to the debate: Jeff Bailey of MostToast. He is another person being critical of TM. By critical I mean, looking at things from a different point of view, questioning the effectiveness of the organization.
I read some of his and Olivia's blog posts yesterday and this morning. It got me wondering why this issue has resulted in me feeling so energized and excited about TM again. I realized my entry on the implications of being a DTM say a lot about why I have been feeling so detached from the organization. I have been seeing the problems, but have not been aware of how deeply they impacted my experience with the organization.
It's not that I want to leave Toastmasters, I want to help improve it. I know that's my favorite leadership style: change agent. I love helping pull an organization through change. I am a good visionary and goal setter. This is me in my element. I have been detached because I am not in a great position to be a change agent at the moment and other goals in my own life have been pushed forward now that I have completed my DTM.
I am finally beginning to understand what is irritating me: the cheating, the sloppy speaking skills, the fact that I need to be self motivated to really learn anything from the organization, and the bureaucracy of the organization.
It irritates me that have to pay two full memberships to be in an advanced club and my home club. It irritates me that I get two copies of the magazine. It irritates me that the new webpage won't even remember my username and password. It irritates me that district leaders whine about how hard it is to get leaders, but then don't take proposals for sessions at conferences. It irritates me that they never stop talking about DCP and don't provide real leadership training. It irritates me that there is no evaluation for leaders.
Yes, I am probably going to bitch about it for a while. I am going to try and not whine about it. I want to change this organization because it has value and can be relevant again. I need help though.... will you help?
Friday, December 05, 2008
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11 comments:
I think it is the nature of Toastmasters as to why there seems to be a lot of politics in the organization, be at the International, District or club level. It is possible that most who joined this organization are those who have self-esteem and self-confidence problems, and after going through parts of the program they feel that they could do anything to the point when they are in power they could be more concerned about their legacy than anything else. So when there are conflicting views and priorities, it could turn people off like you and I from parts of Toastmasters.
I think if you ask some of the your past District officers, especially Past District Governors, you will probably find them talking about things that irritate them as much or perhaps even more than what they treasure from their experiences in their offices. I get that view from some of the past District Governors in my home district.
Just like in the general political world, you could say that the good people stay away from running for District Toastmasters office and those who run are less than desirable. Our current Immediate Past District Governor ran for our Top 3 FOUR times because there were many of us, including myself, that have had major issues with her such as what I explained above. Unfortunately because there were very few people who either wanted to run for Top 3 or were not ready for it, she did get elected and was able to serve as our DG last year, where she basically did nothing but show off herself and make a desperate pitch on June 30th of this year to get Distinguished District (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toastmasters_district30/message/1682), obviously to leave her term with some sort of legacy.
The best way to invoke some change is to get more involved in your District, but that means you have to put in more time than you'd like and put up with the crap that some there could give you as they have their own agenda. Otherwise, you can use your blog to give solutions to what you think is wrong plus ideas that both clubs and districts should try, which is the primary reason I've put together my own blog earlier this year. You can also serve as a mentor to some of the club and district officers you know well and if they succeed and get recognized due to your wisdom, they could serve as agents for the change you envision.
It does get under your skin doesn't it?
Toastmasters could be soooo much more if there wasn't such a paralyzing fear of change.
I really have enjoyed this discussion.
Best wishes,
Jeff
I don't think that we are being negative. Seeing a problem, drawing attention to it and proposing solutions is what it takes to thrive. That is leadership. You mentioned that Toastmasters wants leaders. I think that they want followers. Real leaders are irritating;)
You can certainly learn leadership at the club level. In fact the club level is where Toastmasters shines. I am ready for folks to figure-out that at the club level you don't need Toastmasters at all. No dues no religion-like ritual, no obligation to anyone other than the chosen few who that choose to make the journey with you. You can design your own projects and learn the specific skills that you want to learn when you need to learn them.
Fighting Toastmasters is a losing battle. In fact it isn't the right battle. Finding people who share your vision and who are willing to help one another learn to be great, that is the battle we should be fighting. That being said, true heretics continue to fight even when the cause is lost.
Hopefully this idea will spread and start a movement.
Looks like you aren't the only one who is getting excited over this. Heck, I may have to join Toastmasters again so that I can fight from within. I wonder how many magazine subscriptions I will get?
Will,
You have a very good point about good leaders staying away from Toastmasters. I think the organization higher ups are just as responsible for the DCP abuse. They put pressure of the Top 3 to make it happen at the district level. My district has been distinguished for 5 years and there is a lot more pressure each year to continue. It comes from the past DGs, the directors and the top leaders in the organization. Part of me wants to see what the Top 3 get for training to know from my own experience.
I think you are right about having to get involved to make change. I can only do so much with the blog. I think people need a reason to change and a member bitching from the outside is not going to inspire leaders to change.
Jeff,
These are people who are known for their paralyzing fears be it public speaking or change. Their real problem is that they react to everything with paralyzing fear. Maybe we need to create an organization to help people deal with getting over paralyzing fears.
It may be that the Board of Directors may be as bad as district officers in shoving the DCP and other things down our throats, but from what I've seen in my home district it has to do with the people in charge rather than the Toastmasters system itself. What drove me out of district involvement and nearly out of TM was some of the people in charge who I strongly believe they are more concerned about their legacy and glory.
I don't think Toastmasters develops followers instead of leaders. Rather some of those that become leaders of our clubs and districts feel that everyone else must follow them and may not respect what others do unless it matches their view of the world. I admit I have felt that way at times over the years but when I saw others doing that, especially when I was on the wrong end, it did change how I handled things.
One warning about bringing up change, especially if you are in some sort of power, if you bring the word "change" so often and bring ideas that alienate others you depend on, people can look beyond that and see that you are doing it for your own glory. Years ago the LGET in my district made change his priority as we had not been Distinguished District for the past 10 years - "change is coming, oh yes it will" is a line he used often. However his ideas of change include making Area Governors treat their TM jobs like firemen and policemen in which they should devote TM 24/7 and if they didn't they should resign. His vision was to get our district #1 in the world when he is DG, obviously so he can come out with a big legacy so he can be some sought-after speaker (he was out-of-work during his term and didn't seem to want to find a job to the point where he had to bum rides from other TMs). We were #3 in the world when this guy was our LGET, but as one of the Division Governors I noticed there were many reasons why we achieved that and it wasn't necessarily due to the work of the district officers.
Sara,
You and I certainly have the same mindset when it comes to change and Toastmasters. I too have been a change agent, and I love playing Devil's Advocate. And I know enough about organizations and human behavior to know nothing can be fixed until a problem is recognized.
I love Toastmasters and the gifts it has given me, but there is much that can be improved. That is part of my mission - to cause beneficial change. It is in my nature. I cannot stop, for if I do I will quit Toastmasters all together and find something else on which to unleash myself.
I am relatively new in Toastmasters and I've split duties as VP-Mem and VP-Ed and resurrected 2 clubs in my 2nd full year in Toastmasters and now President of the 2 clubs I have resurrected on my 3rd year.
I have seen clubs padded with phantom members and achievements towards the end of last term. Seeing such dishonesty can really discourage one who really worked hard. But in the end these padders only cheat themselves and they carry that legacy internally for the rest of their lives besides being exposed--notice the massive drop from its base membership in midterm? And their club meetings are no fun at all.
If you wanna stay positive simply change your mindset--focus on the qualitative and not the quantitive. Don't compare DCP points with the rest. Effects will be noticeable in a matter of time. You'll see your members become visibly better speakers and leaders than those of clubs that focused on the DCP.
Zlady, you have a good point about being positive and changing mindsets. I don't think it's as simple as that. Phantom members are an epidemic, not a small problem. They are part of a larger problem as well. The thing is that club's who use phantom members will seek them year after year to boost their numbers. Those clubs do a disservice to the members who take the program seriously and impact what people think of the organization.
The club level isn't necessarily the problem, it's the districts. For those of us who are involved at the district level (or want to be), the focus on DCP points is different and there is more pressure. I don't care how my club compares to other clubs, but if I am an area governor or division governor I am concerned with multiple clubs. Check out the district reports sometime and see what I mean. They are not easy to make sense of, but the pressure to be a distinguished Area, division or district is scary. There are a certain number of clubs they must end the year with so it is important to keep a club going- it's easier than starting a new one. They have to have a certain number of CC award, AC awards, members in total, etc. Think of one club with it's phantom members multiplied by the 10s or 100s.
Bill, we change agents have to stick together. I think change happens best from the inside. I don't ever expect there to be immediate change and I don't expect it to be easy. I suspect there will be some resentment from people who like things the way they are.
I feel like this is a recover program... the first step is admitting there is a problem. By talking about it, we can hopefully inspire people to be more honest. Isn't this the point of the leadership training we are suppose to be getting... a real leader doesn't do, but leads through the process. You have to inspire to lead, set a vision of what it all can be and set a plan to make it happen.
I am just doing what TM has taught me.
Will, you have a good point. I think we always have to be careful. You can say the word change all you want, but if you can't create a vision of what that change looks like AND get people to buy into it, then you are sunk.
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