Page 10 - September 2020 Voices

PJ’s PERSPECTIVE

Thoughts on Leadership

PJ Kleffner, DTM - District Director

After spending the last couple of months working and plan for the future. However, if the same
on our District Success Plan and Budget, I got small group of members fill the officer roles

to do something fun on September 16th—help year after year, eventually, they will burnout
the Civil Tongues Club celebrate their 20th and the club will likely die. That is why it is so
Anniversary. This is noteworthy, because less incredibly important to have a steady flow of
than half of the clubs in District 7 have reached new members joining our clubs. New members

this milestone. bring fresh ideas and energy to a club. They are
You should know by now that I’m a numbers also an important pool of potential club officers.
guy, so I have to go there. The median age of D7 I think I can safely say that none of the original
clubs is 18 years, meaning that half are younger officers are still leading the clubs mentioned in

and half are older than that. The average the previous paragraph.
age is 25.6 years, which is skewed higher by Leadership succession is always on my mind.
Portland Club and Salem Toastmasters at 85 It should be on your mind, too, especially if you
and 81, respectively. Of course, there are many belong to a “semi-annual” club that elects officers

septuagenarian “honorable mentions,” including for six-month terms. You will be electing new
Vancouver, Oregon City, Corvallis Evening officers in November, so they can be trained
Group, Roseburg, Evergreen, Hood River and at TLI in December to take over the reins on
Astoria. January 1st. Even if you belong to an “annual”

I won’t list all the rest, but there are many clubs club, your first meeting in May is when you elect
that have been around longer than my nineteen officers for the new term beginning July 1st. It
years as a Toastmaster. They have seen multiple will be here before you know it. You can do
wars, economic boom and bust cycles, epidemics, these new officers a huge favor by getting them

and wild fires. (How many of you remember the involved now, so they can “shadow” the current
Tillamook Burn?) I believe the common factor officers to learn about the job before their term.
in their survival is strong leadership. Someone Thinking beyond the club level, what are
has to look beyond today’s immediate crisis your long-term goals as a Toastmaster? If you

10 ONE COMMUNITY