I'm a what?

[collwen]

If I haven't mentioned this before, I've joined a Toastmasters club here at work back in July. The club just turned a year old this month.

So, I've been my usual self. I volunteered to take first a speech, then another role the past couple of meetings as people were unable to make them. I've come up with a couple of suggestions and volunteered to help out with an event we have coming up next week.

So, in an email exchange that I'm having with the new club president about my suggestions, he said "Your experience and enthusiasm are an invaluable asset to our young club, which needs solid club leaders like you to help show us how rewarding, challenging, and fun our club can be."

Solid club leaders like me?

This caught me off guard. In fact, in my response back to him I said, "...part of me is metaphorically looking around the room for the "solid leader" you called me..."

I've run an SCA household for several years. I've held offices in the SCA, Rebekahs, APO, and the Jaycees.

It still amazes me that people listen to me and see me as a leader.

Comments

[featheredfrog.livejournal.com]

Welcome to being a grownup!

[collwen.livejournal.com]

I think there's a difference between being a grownup and being a leader of grownups. This is me being up into the second of those two groups.

[ioldanach.livejournal.com]

People who pipe up and make suggestions or volunteer to do things are looked at as leaders. On a jury, for example, the first person to speak up and say that a foreman needs to be elected tends to be the one elected. The simple act of speaking up first about it causes people to think of that person as a leader.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

But coming up with the ideas and saying them doesn't necessarily make you the right type of leader to carry them out.

Also, I think part of my wtf reaction comes through the fact that there's PhDs and managers and such in this group and I'm the girl who works on their computers. They are much higher on the totem pole around here then I am. So to have one of them (who has a PhD) consider me among the leaders of the group (when I've not even been there half a year), adds to the surprise.

[ioldanach.livejournal.com]

But coming up with the ideas and saying them doesn't necessarily make you the right type of leader to carry them out.

Have you seen who our president is? Clearly being willing to suggest some stuff makes people think you're capable of doing it.

That said, I think you're a better choice than you give yourself credit for.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

ok, you have a point about that (re: the current president).

Wait, giving myself credit. And how long have I had a problem with that? And how much better am I at that now compared to 14 years ago?

It's actually one of the reasons that my boss has taken me on as an improvement project and one of the reasons I joined the TM in the first place.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

And thank you.

[(Anonymous)]

But coming up with the ideas and saying them doesn't necessarily make you the right type of leader to carry them out.

That's why there's good leaders and a por ones. Considering the rank of the person who made the initial comment to you, I'd tend to think you're on track to be (if not already) a good one.

[dwarven-brewer.livejournal.com]

Oops. That was me.

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

It may just be that I have to learn and recognize what the elements of leadership within myself are so that I'm aware of what I'm doing.

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

There are many types of leadership, and you don't want the same types of personalities in the different roles. Some traits will be common to all of the different sorts of leadership opportunities, but there's a difference between being able to lead, say, the organization of a memorial gathering in Washington Park, and leading a rifle fire team, or a hazmat team. (you vs. Nix vs. Alistair)

The leadership qualities in common seem to involve being able to extract useful behaviors from those you're leading. The differences are in the environments in which the leadership needs to be exercised...

Perhaps you're evaluating based on the environments people are in, rather than their ability to (bluntly) manipulate people into doing what they want (which is my reductio ad absurdum description of leadership and management (which aren't necessarily the same thing, as management implies specific goals and planning, as well as manipulation)).

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

dropped word:

There are many types of leadership roles ...

[collwen.livejournal.com]

"the organization of a memorial gathering in Washington Park" -That was 6 years ago today I think.

I'm not sure what I'm evaluating things on. I'm new to this group, relatively low on the end of things here at work, and yet seem to have people listen to me and consider doing the things I suggest. I'm a bit flabbergasted that I have the president of the group seeing me as one of the leaders.

And again- at times having anyone listen to my suggestions seems to bring out a "why would you do that" reaction from me. Just might be part of that self-esteem issue that creeps up from time to time.

[sagefemme11.livejournal.com]

Well, I think it's pretty cool that you are seen as a leader. I think ioldanach is right, the first to speak up is often viewed as a leader.

Leader?

[hopelrailmantic.livejournal.com]

Dear Collwen:

Personally, I would be scared on where you are leading them to! 8-]

In Brotherly Love,
Hopeless Railmantic