Page 26 - August 2017 Voices

Delegation & Second Chances
by Hammad Khan
Three years ago, I
served as vice president
of Future Stars Gavel
Club. I never imagined
that, as a high school
senior, I would get a second chance to serve as
vice president once more. In my preparations
for the position, I reflected on the mistakes I’d
made last time, and how I might learn from them
for the upcoming year.
Before last year’s election meeting, I noticed
that our club lacked the mentor support that we
had previously received when our coaches more
heavily drove our club. Previously, mentors
supported members by helping us practice our
prepared speeches. But when one of our coaches
left, the support system began to fall apart. As
the incoming vice president, I wanted to rebuild
a mentor support system in which members
would support one another.
However, my role wasn’t primarily for
mentor support. How would I decide which of
my responsibilities to prioritize? The approach I
took was to talk with members and address their
concerns about club management and activities.
When the feedback overlapped with my thoughts
about the mentoring program, I knew that the
club needed to change.
Although making a list of priorities is a good
first step, change does not happen without action.
Club members must actively work together
towards the goal. This obstacle forced me to
learn how to delegate tasks to other members. I
noticed that some members were more reliable
than others because they consistently finished
their tasks promptly and appropriately.
I was taught the beauty of delegating. Seeing
the strengths and weaknesses of people gave me
knowledge, with which I assigned the right task
to the right person while giving the right support
to members where it was needed. Delegating
effectively got every member to participate, and
their participation helped to rebuild the support
network that we had almost lost.
A delegator is most effective when they are
in constant contact with the delegate. I did that
26
in two ways: 1) every club meeting I meet face-
to-face and discussed upcoming deadlines and
followed up with email reminders; and, 2) I
listened to the best of my ability to the suggestions
or concerns members raised. By addressing their
comments seriously, I worked more productively
with them. Lastly, maintaining communication
with the previous vice president was extremely
helpful. Not everyone gets a second chance at
their officer role, and standing on the shoulders
of previous giants helped me hit the ground
running.
With only a few months left for me in the vice
president position, I reflected on the mistakes
and lessons learned from the previous year.
However, I also saw the successes that stemmed
from my past experience. This made me realize
that second chances don’t mean much, unless
you learn from past experiences.
Hammad is a high school senior at Catlin Gabel
School, and has been a part of the youth Gavel Club,
Future Stars, for 4 years.
Future Stars Gavel Club, is a youth communication
and leadership club administered by Toastmasters
International, helping the young people of today
become the great leaders of tomorrow! The club is
open to all middle school and high school aged kids. It
gives them the opportunity to become better listeners,
thinkers, speakers and leaders.
The club meets weekly during the school year
every Saturday from 10:30am-12:00pm at 4115 SW
160th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon 97007 in the first
room in the portal. To learn more about Future Stars
or to visit the club, pleas contact Coach Humaira at
futurestarspdx@gmail.com. Visitors are encouraged to
visit the club and see for themselves why Future Stars
should be part of their educational journey.
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 AUGUST, 2017