Marriage (Part 3)

I received a flurry of messages as soon as I switched off the airplane mode and before I could read any one of them, I got a call from the newly Elected Division Director TM Ravi Sharma, “Vinay, book your tickets to Hyderabad. You are selected as Area Director” Was this real ? The realisation suddenly hit me that I have to manage the area too along with the President’s responsibility that I have taken.

Let me take you back from where it all started.

After exploring my creative side for one year as Secretary of the club, I took the  role of VP - PR. This year was just an extension of the previous year. As a Secretary, I was preparing agendas and MOMs, though during the same time in office, I had a Team to do this and in the new role I exposed the club to unexplored social media channels. Agnel Toastmaster club now had a presence at Instagram and Twitter apart from Facebook and regular updates were posted. One set of renewal posters series grabbed the attention of CGD TM Leo. He published them at D98’s page with a word of encouragement. The response to the posters was overwhelming as many Toastmasters shared it and also sought permission to use it in their clubs. I kept on exploring my creativity and dished out new posters every week. I think I was living my dream of joining an advertising agency after completing MBA. I did not succeed at that point of time to get a job in an advertising agency but now at least I was doing what I had missed. It was difficult to think that the person who was doing commercial negotiation of contracts worth crores during the day sat in front of the laptop to create PR material. I searched each and every by-lane of my brain to try out ideas that had taken a backseat and were hiding. I was exploring that side of my personality which was hidden from myself. 

I started spreading my wings in the area and started taking part in the area contests and division contests as Timer and SAA. TM Sharon and TM Ankit also gave me an opportunity to be a contest chair at the area contest. And even in doing that role which I have to go by the script, I committed mistakes and said that the winner would go to the district level instead of saying division level. In this year, I had many learnings but two experiences made my bond stronger and helped me understand the functioning of the system. 

TM Kannagi invited me to be the Chief Judge of MISB Bocconi TM Club in Powai. Serving a chief judge I had to make sure that the contest is conducted smoothly. The biggest challenge was to arrange judges. I do not think I ever faced so many rejections in life. I had tweeted “If ever you are complacent about being popular and persuasive, then take up a CJ role and call TMs to request them to be judges. All such illusions will disappear”

If I see a bright side of the whole process, I must have spoken to more than 150 TMs across Mumbai and most of them had some issues, some were sympathetic and some more sympathetic. I think I made many good friends during this time people came to know that someone by the name of TM Vinay existed. The whole process of arranging judges was very exhausting and I started having huge respect for all those who had taken up leadership roles. I started to understand the meaning of servant leadership.

One more highlight of Toastmasters is Mentorship. Sometimes, guests ask me when is your next class and I immediately correct them that we hold meetings and not classes. We don’t teach in a classroom setting, it is all experiential learning. They are puzzled that we do not teach anything, then how lose learning happen. How do we ensure the development of members. This is done through the mentors. Now, mentors come in all sizes, age groups, ethnicity, religious practices. We learn from each and every one if we are open to learning. I started mentoring new members as they started the journey in Toastmasters and soon realised that it is a two way process and everyone comes with new ideas, strengths and capabilities and we can learn from each one. I created a Watsapp group names “Learn with Mentees” which helped me create a structured communication and everyone benefitted from the ideas of each other.

My then Area Director TM Ravi Sharma saw some of my posters and asked me if I can help him making posters and publicity material for the area and I readily obliged. He told me later that he used to think that I get these posters made through my daughter as he did not believe that I was making them myself. One day he asked me if I would like to be a club mentor. This question often came to my mind, how do the new clubs grow. How do they take baby steps and strengthen their position. After some thought, I accepted the role of UBS club’s Mentor. Here too, it was an experience of giving back what I have learned. It was so satisfying to see new members grow as they learn. I was supposed to attend every alternate meeting to help them conduct meetings. It was happy moment to see their member taking a runner’s up position in area level table topics contest within 3 months of the formation of the club. 

I was ready now to lead my club. But little did I realise that I was going to get a Triple Crown of Leadership. While performing my duties as a Toastmaster I was always making sure that I am not doing anything at the cost of my official duties. All this while, in my official capacity I was leading Procurement, Real Estate and Administration department with a team spread across the country, I was travelling at least 3 days in a week and had just completed a biggest reach expansion exercise for my company. Though, Toastmasters had made me Vice President - PR almost an year back, it was the turn of my promotion in office as Vice President. Soon after, I was elected as President of my club. And the third was coming soon. District had sought nominations for the position of Area Directors and though I knew that I would be able to do justice to the role but along with my official duties and new responsibilities of leading my club as President, I was sceptical if I should take up the position. On the last day of nomination I called my wife and asked her opinion. She just said one thing, if you feel that you can do justice to office, home and club, then Go for it. 

I quickly filled the Google form and sent it on the nick of the time. Some days later I gave the interview for the same and again became very busy in my office. Some days later, after landing in Mumbai my Division Director informed me that I was selected to be an Area Director. I had made it. It was Triple Crown of Leadership that I had achieved within a month. The challenge had just started. 

On learning of my selection as an Area Director, I received a message from TM Rohan at night, “Hey Vinay, full time now, married to Toastmasters :)”

(To be continued)

#toastmasters #renew #mentors #Servantleadership