*So You've Decided to Become a Club Officer

Hello. You've clicked on this essay, most probably for 1 of 2 reasons:

  • You're thinking about becoming a club officer and you're a little nervous about taking on your first leadership role.

  • You're already a club officer and are beginning to unravel at the seams, trying to figure out how to manage all of this.

(or you're simply reviewing material. I don't know.)

The Club Officer responsibility is the first exposure to leadership that most people have in Toastmasters. For some people, it is their first exposure to leadership in their life, and the burden can be quite shocking.

Leadership is, at its core, a very simple skill. It boils to three skills, the ability to make a decision, the ability to face consequences, and the ability to communicate. Yet, there is a distinct shortage of good leadership in the world. The average "leader" is usually lacking one of the three skills, whether it is the nervous middle manager who is too scared of losing his job to make a decision, or a cruel boss who blames everything on his team.

I can't make an exhaustive guide for the club officer role, simply because leadership cannot be cleanly flattened into a list of activities. Leadership requires you to deal with unexpected situations and sometimes take hits to the chin. However, in this essay, I will outline some simple guidelines so that you're better prepared to discover your own leadership skills.

Let's dive in.

General Advice for Officers

Advice for Self

  1. Balance - notoriously burning out. First foray into leadership. Exhausting. See what you can do for yourself.

  2. Goals - not trying to do everything

  3. Teamwork - assist each other.

Advice for Planning

  1. Calendar

  2. Backup Plans

  3. Engagement and Self-Sufficiency

  4. Associates - I like the 3 month - 3 month approach.

Sergeant-at-Arms

In 1 word: Logistics

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Treasurer

In 1 word: Money

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Secretary

In 1 word: Records

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Vice President - Public Relations

In 1 word: Marketing

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Vice President - Membership

In 1 word: Happiness

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Vice President - Education

In 1 word: Progression

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

President

In 1 word: Team

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

body

Immediate Past President

In 1 word: Guidance

body

Normal Responsibilities

body

Above and Beyond

Don't

Image Credits

The graphics used on this page were used with the consent of Vanitha Rangarajan, DTM, the District 121 Program Quality Director 2020-21. Thank you to her and her team for creating these helpful resources.

Contributors:

  • Karthik Nellutla, DTM - Training coordinator, Bangalore & Mysore

  • Veera Katpitia, DTM - Training coordinator, Mangalore

  • Mini Mohan, DTM - Training coordinator, Kerala

  • Beena Vas, DTM - Pathways Coordinator

  • Girish Nagpal, DTM - District Chief Judge

  • Arjun Sundar Raj, DTM - Contest Coordinator

  • Rohan Ravindra, DTM - Educational Institution Coordinator

  • Azharnaveed Khairdi - Webinar Coordinator

  • Naina Jairaj, DTM - Youth Leadership Program Counselor

  • TM Tirth Savla - Awards Coordinator

  • TM Sindhuja Nanduri

  • C S Ninan, DTM

Last updated