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The Importance of Mentorship
Eldred Brown, DTM - District Director
of specific tactics on how to conduct a church
choir, which musical settings to use when, how
to lead a choir through rough times such as
when they lose concentration and start making
mental errors, etc. In our hierarchical working
relationship, there’s even the necessary dynamic
of “we are going to do things this way, and I need
your cooperation.”
Even with the differences between mentorship
styles in church music and Toastmasters District
leadership, there are many similarities of
outcome. I learn a lot from both. As a church
music leader, I’ve learned from my mentor
many of the skills I need to be successful as a
choir director and as a leader—how to remain
calm when things go haywire, how to use our
church’s rubrics to organize a service, and how
to lead an ensemble of volunteer singers to get
the most out of their talents. This brings me to
my experience of Toastmasters mentorship.
One of the first things I did to prepare to
run for CGD was seek a Past District Director
to mentor me. I knew I was advancing into a
realm of leadership I had never done before, and
I needed to acquire the mindset required to be
successful. I asked Leanna Lindquist to be my
Trio mentor, and she gladly accepted. Through
many conversations, Leanna told me tales of
her experiences as a Trio leader and how she
worked through them. Leanna shared tips on
what challenges to expect during each of my
three years in the Trio and how to be ready for
them. Sometimes Leanna saw how I was making
myself less effective than I wanted to be and gave
me feedback on how to improve my service. She
shared insights as to how she dealt with different
personalities. These are all valuable insights that
continue to challenge me to see what I needed
to see to be an effective district leader and now
District Director.
So, what about you? Maybe you aren’t planning
to run for election to a District leadership
position. Maybe you joined Toastmasters a few
months ago and are already serving as a club
officer. Maybe you’re new and merely trying
to figure out where to go next. Do you have a
mentor? No matter what level you are or how
much/little time you’ve spent in Toastmasters,
you can learn a lot from a mentor. A mentor
can help you envision your future and help you
create a plan for how to make your envisioned
future a reality. To get someone to mentor you,
all you need to do is ask.
VOICES! | AUGUST 2021 13