Page 14 - June 2020

FROM THE DESK

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Eldred Brown, DTM - Club Growth Director

Wow! How quickly this year has passed! eat an elephant: one bite at a time? Yes, it’s true.
We’re now more than halfway through the last A few months after I finally felt I knew what
month of the program year! Now, when we’re I was doing, the most unusual thing happened.

transitioning out of old roles into new ones, is We got hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we
an excellent time to review the year that was and could no longer meet in person. We had
set goals for the year to come. to move just about everything to the
What, then, can I say about the year we’re web. Clubs either started meeting online

about to close? There were a lot of challenges! or chose not to meet at
What more can I say than that? all. Toastmasters
First, we changed Program Quality Directors International
about three months into the year. As thankful mandated

as I am that PJ stepped in to finish the year as that all
our Program Quality Director, the change was district activities were to
stressful for me as your Club Growth Director. I be conducted online.
also needed to learn some more advanced time I can’t count how many hours Emilie, PJ, and

management and marketing skills to handle the I spent on Zoom together changing plans and
workload of building new clubs and supporting creating policies for how our District 7 Zoom
all clubs in achieving excellence through accounts could be used. Your Trio dealt with a
membership growth and retention. lot of headaches through the Coronavirus crisis,

That wasn’t easy for me. At times I stumbled. to include even canceling our district conference
One important lesson I learned from this was and moving our annual business meeting and
to prioritize my work and identify the one or contests to Zoom. But by working together, we
two most important tasks I can complete every learned a lot about how to manage a crisis as a

day. It’s a lot easier to do one task, then the next team. That skill cannot be undervalued!
task, then the next task, than to be paralyzed Now I’m looking forward to starting the next
by worry about how I’m going to accomplish year as your Program Quality Director. I’m
everything. You know that saying about how to working with PJ and Lorri on your new Trio to

14 ONE COMMUNITY