the LEAD... October 2010 Toward a Common Goal Meewasin Valley Leaders meets the third Saturday of the month Time: 11:00 am Loca�on Peter D’s Restaurant #2 - 1301 8th Street East Saskatoon, SK Website; h�p://meewasinvalley.freetoasthost.org Club Contact: Don Francis Phone: 306.382.7813 Email: [email protected]Guests are always welcome. Come out and discover the leader within you. A simple defini�on of a team is “a group of people working together toward a common goal.” That defini�on captures the essence of Teamwork. Working together will always far out-perform individual efforts. A team is made of individuals, and each of those individuals has different strengths, and certain areas where they do not excel. Recognizing and leveraging the strengths of the individuals will help to make the work of the team flow more smoothly and effec�vely. It is unlikely that a group of people will all have the same strengths, or that they would all be weak in the same areas. There is a good probability that the members of the team will complement each other and each will play an important part in the success of the team. Teamwork is a complex subject, and there are many books and ar�cles wri�en on the subject. Below is a list of some of the hundreds of thousands of online ar�cles and websites that are available on the subject: h�p://www.buzzle.com/ ar�cles/teamwork/ This is a site that has a lis�ng of Teamwork ar�cles. h�p:// www.changefactory.com.au/ ar�cle_categories/ teamwork.shtml Another site lis�ng Teamwork ar�cles. h�p://www.teamworkandte amplay.com/resources.html Another great resource for This month’s theme: Team Experience/Climate Toward a Common Goal ......…............... Pg 1 We’re All In This Together .................….. Pg 2 Recommended Reading ..…………….…..... Pg 2 Who Do You Know? ............................... Pg 3 Congratula�ons .........…………………………. Pg 3 Welcome .............................................… Pg 4 Beyond the Club …………..............………… Pg 4 In this Issue
Transcript
the LEAD...October 2010
Toward a Common Goal
Meewasin Valley Leaders meets the third Saturday of the month
Time: 11:00 amLoca�on Peter D’s Restaurant #2 - 1301 8th Street East Saskatoon, SKWebsite; h�p://meewasinvalley.freetoasthost.org Club Contact: Don FrancisPhone: 306.382.7813Email: [email protected]
Guests are always welcome. Come out and discover the leader within you.
A simple defini�on of a team is “a group of people working together toward a common goal.” That defini�on captures the essence of Teamwork. Working together will always far out-perform individual efforts. A team is made of individuals, and each of those individuals has different strengths, and certain areas where they do not excel. Recognizing and leveraging the strengths of the individuals will help to make the work of the team flow more smoothly and effec�vely. It is unlikely that a group of people will all have the same strengths, or that they would all be weak in the same areas. There is a good probability that the members of the team will complement each other and each
will play an important part in the success of the team.Teamwork is a complex subject, and there are many books and ar�cles wri�en on the subject. Below is a list of some of the hundreds of thousands of online ar�cles and websites that are available on the subject:h�p://www.buzzle.com/ar�cles/teamwork/ This is a site that has a lis�ng of Teamwork ar�cles.h�p://www.changefactory.com.au/ar�cle_categories/teamwork.shtml Another site lis�ng Teamwork ar�cles.h�p://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/resources.html Another great resource for
This month’s theme: Team Experience/Climate
Toward a Common Goal ......…............... Pg 1We’re All In This Together .................….. Pg 2Recommended Reading ..…………….…..... Pg 2Who Do You Know? ............................... Pg 3Congratula�ons .........…………………………. Pg 3Welcome .............................................… Pg 4Beyond the Club …………..............………… Pg 4
In this Issue
Recommended Reading
The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants
By John C. MaxwellI received a copy of the book “The 17 Essen�al Quali�es of a Team Player” as a prize in a team building mee�ng several years ago from a manager that was commi�ed to
developing his team and a fan of John Maxwell’s wri�ng and have read it several �mes since. As the �tle suggests, the book iden�fies 17 quali�es of successful team members and dedicates a chapter to each. The 17 quali�es iden�fied are:1. Adaptable2. Collabora�ve
The chapters are short (the whole book is only 150 pages) but packed with informa�on that is easy to understand and apply. For each quality Maxwell opens each chapter with a couple of quota�ons and a story rela�ng to the quality and then follows with ‘Fleshing It Out’ where he breaks down the quality and analyzes it followed by ‘Reflec�ng On It’, ‘Bringing It Home’ , and ‘Daily Take-Away’. The book is intended to be read one chapter at a �me to allow the reader to absorb the informa�on on each quality and then internalize the lessons through prac�ce and reflec�on. If you are working to build a cohesive team you can try what one leader I know did; he assigned each team members a quality and they were responsible for ‘teaching’ the quality and facilita�ng a dialogue with the rest of the team during the weekly team mee�ng, one quality per week. By using this format, team members gained insight into the quali�es that make good team players, they learned about their team members and they had a chance to prac�ce their presenta�on and facilita�on skills – a triple win!Whether you read this on your own or as part of a group, this book is easy to read and the lessons are easy to follow. I recommend this book as an essen�al resource for Team Members and Team Leaders.Lynne J. Marr
We’re All In This Together
Meewasin Valley Leaders is a club that serves members interested in developing leadership skills. One of those skills is “Teamwork”. Our club provides a wonderful opportunity for teamwork toward a common goal of becoming a dis�nguished club through achieving goals in the Toastmasters Interna�onal Dis�nguished Club Program.To date, our club has achieved two of these goals: 1 CL, AL, or DTM, and the combina�on of submi�ng the Club Officer List and one dues remi�ance on �me. We have achieved 1⁄2 each of two other goals: 4 new members, and a minimum of 4 club officers trained.We appreciate the efforts of all of our members as we work toward this common goal as a team of individuals. We have a tradi�on of having seven of our seven officers trained each training period, so it is likely that goal will be achieved. To become dis�nguished, our club must have a minimum of 20 members. Our current membership is 15, so we must recruit at least five more members, which will give us one of the membership goals and put us within one member of achieving the second membership goal. If we were to achieve both membership goals and the club officer training goal, we will be dis�nguished. Or, we can achieve an educa�onal goal in place of the second membership goal.There is no reason that we should be shoo�ng for the bare minimum, so we encourage all members to do what they can to invite guests, complete educa�onal designa�ons, and to con�nue to support each other as we all con�nue to grow and floursish.
When faced with a task, do you tend to try to get it done yourself? Do you plug away, pu�ng other things on hold so that you can be sure to meet your commitment to others and get the thing done? Do you find that you are o�en in the situa�on of racing to meet a deadline because your workload is just a bit too heavy? These are situa�ons that many of us find ourselves in – usually quite o�en.The ques�on is why? Why are we trying to do it ourselves? There could be a lot of different reasons for this. We might not want to give up control, a�er all, we know that we can do the job right, why rely on somebody else. We might think that we just can’t find somebody to give us a hand. The la�er is most likely a false assump�on. There are a lot of people in our lives that are willing to give us a hand.If there are so many willing people, why do you end up doing things yourself? I can hear you now…
”Nobody ever volunteers to help me.” While that may be true, have you ever thought that perhaps, just perhaps, there are people willing to help, but they are wai�ng to be asked. Many of us would be willing to help if we are asked. Most of us are unwilling to step in and offer help – we don’t want to insult you. A�er all, we don’t want to infer that you are incapable.Next �me you are faced with a task or project that you would like some help with, stop and take stock of the people that you know. Think about their skills and experience and choose one or two that would fit well with your project. Then go ahead and ask them. Most likely they will be happy that you asked, they will be happy that you have confidence in them, that you trust them to do a good job. Go ahead, ask!Who do you know…
Congratualtions
All of the members of Meewasin Valley leaders express their sincere congratula�ons to our club representa�ves at the Area 19 Contests that were held on October 13, 2010 at the Grosvenor Park United Church.Our Table Topics representa�ve, Joan McAulay, placed first, and our Humorous Speech representa�ve, Lynne Marr placed second in their respec�ve contests. Joan will go on to represent Area 19 at the Division E Contests to be held on October 30th, 2010. The Division contests will be held during the a�ernoon at the Great Western Brewing Company in Saskatoon.Our club was also well represented in the audience as several of our members volunteered to take on roles at the Contests. We are pleased that our members get involved, as true leaders do, and we are especially proud of our contestants for a job well done.Congratula�ons once again to both Joan and Lynne!
Follow the Blogs
Have you checked out the Toastmaster related Blogs?
Keep up to date on what is happening and gain some insight into various Toastmaster related topics on the Division E Blog at h�p://www.divisionetm.org/blog/ and the District 42 Blog at h�p://www.d42tm.org/blog/ . Don’t forget that you have the opportunity to express your own opinion on the topics by leaving a comment.
Beyond the ClubDivision E Fall ContestsWhen: October 30, 2010 Registra�on 12:30 pmWhere: Great West Brewing Company
519 2nd Avenue NorthSaskatoon, SK
Who: All members of Division E Toastmasters Clubs and guests
District 42 Fall ConferenceWhen: November 12-14, 2010
Where: Canmore, AB
Who: All members of District 42 Toastmasters
To learn more visit: h�p://d42tm.org/fallconference/fall2010.htm
Toastmasters Advanced Bootcamp
When: November 20, 2010Where: To Be AnnouncedWho: All Toastmaster members who are looking
for a path to achieving their Dis�nguished Toastmaster Designa�on (DTM)
Pharmacy & Nutri�on Speechcra�When: Starts January 8, 2011 and runs for 4 weeksWhere: University of SaskatchewanWho: All Toastmaster members
Welcome
Meewasin Valley Leaders welcomes our newest member, Dale Miller.
Dale has been a member of Toastmasters since May of 2002. Throughout his Toastmasters journey, Dale has had many roles, from his current role as the Division E Chief Judge to the appearance of his alter-ego – Super Toastmaster – as a conference Co-chair for the District 42 Spring Conference in 2009 in Saskatoon.
Dale brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the club. We look forward to his contribu�ons toward our goals and each of our personal growth. We all look forward to being a part of Dale’s growth as well.
Dale, welcome from each of our members. We are pleased to have you on board with us.
the LEAD will be published monthly this year. We are looking for ar�cles of interest to our members, links to resources that pertain to leadership, especially those that pertain to the current or upcoming themes.We are looking for book reviews. Each month we will publish a review by one member of a book that they have read that might be of interest to our members. We would also like to publish these on our website, building a recommended reading list.The deadline for ar�cles is one week prior to our mee�ng.Please submit ar�cles to Don Francis at [email protected]
