Reassess, Reignite, Reach Success!
I have just finished a session of District Leader Training with 30 other District Directors from around the world.
Despite coming from varied backgrounds and cultures, we all had the same goals and the same challenges.
I met Fatou from West Africa, who wanted to ensure all 200 (!) clubs in her district were distinguished.
Claire from China wanted to support all clubs with fewer than 12 members.
And Ramani from Sydney wanted to build strong leadership in the district.
District Directors from Around the World
When we discussed the root causes of our issues and challenges, it distilled down to just one thing: the Club Mission.
“We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”
Do I do that? That was the question I asked myself. In my role of District Director, am I providing a supportive experience for our members to grow?
If you have set yourself a goal at the beginning of the year, are you on track to achieving it? There are five months left in the year, and although that seems like a long time, it is not. Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals.
Were you aiming to finish a level? Or complete a path? Or even achieve your Distinguished Toastmaster award? What do you need to do in the next few months to achieve your goals?
District 17 with International Leaders
If you are a club leader, what were your goals for your club? Did you want to achieve a Distinguished status for your club? Is your club on track? Are your members on track to achieve their goals?
The main purpose of District Leader Mid-Year training is to evaluate our progress towards district goals, and to support and motivate each other to achieve them.
The goals for District 17 this year are to:
- Increase the number of clubs by 7, giving our members a greater number of options to join Toastmasters.
- Increase our membership by 200 members, bringing Toastmasters to more people in WA.
- Support at least 35 clubs in achieving Distinguished status or better.
We can only do that if our members achieve their own personal goals.
So, let’s take the next couple of weeks to look at our own progress towards our goals. If we are on track, congratulations. But if you need some assistance, reach out to your club leaders, to your Area and Division Directors, and to the District leaders.
We want to ensure that this year is a successful year for every member of Toastmasters District 17.
Tom Bielski
District Director, 2025-2026
Toastmasters International, District 17
