As the Public Relations Manager of District 108 of that recent year I have taken a series of short interviews with each member of our D108 Core Team 2019-2020. I was asking each leader about his/her personal and Toastmasters related successes and failures this year, about lessons they have learnt and the achievements they are proud of.
Gabriela Roivainen, District 108 Director 2019-2020
Q1. Gabriela, have your TM goals you had set last June been achieved by now?
The goal to have a great learning atmosphere with core team, division and area directors has been achieved. We had only one change in the leadership team and that one was based on personal reasons. I am very grateful for this very good term, on this aspect.
The goal to reach Distinguished status has not been achieved – we can find many reasons for that – but for me this was a great opportunity to learn, because we learn more from failures than from successes.
Q2. What were your best personal results as the D108 officer this year?
I don’t have any good personal result – only a strong team to support each other.
Q3. What were the lessons you’ve learnt? Any challenges to overcome?
One of the most important and new lessons for me was preparing and running the District Council Meeting with all the ramifications into Toastmasters policies, budgets, Robert’s rules, etc. It was an overwhelming and eye opening. The second lesson was the power of a direct meeting or call, in managing a conflict. I will try to avoid in the future, emails, text messages or any short messages for important topics, but use instead real or virtual video meetings.
Q4. What are you plans for the upcoming TM year?
My next year will be relatively easier, I will support the incoming team and lead the Leadership committee. I am looking forward to allocate some of the time dedicated to Toastmasters to my family, I feel that I had neglected them in the last 5 years, while holding different roles from Area Director to District Director.
Q5. If you could name someone in particular who made a great impact on this very part of you TM journey – who would it be?
I have many names in my mind. Tuire Vuolasvirta for believing in me when I was an area director, Andrei Popescu – for his great training skills and knowledge, Piotr Chimko for his flexibility and easiness to adapt, Morag Mathieson for having always time to send a short encouragement, Elizabeth Nostedt and Jaap Russchenberg for guiding me when I had challenges, Deepak Menon for his easiness and down-to earth way of leading. Last but the most important, my leadership team, from which I have received energy, joy and wisdom during this term.
Q6. Is there anything else you wish to share with our D108 members and with the rest of the TM world?
In 2019 I had a challenging year on personal level and I had struggled deciding if is a wise decision to take the role of district director this term, but now, at the end of it, I am very glad that I took it. With all the challenges, it was very rewarding.
Piotr Chimko, Immediate Past District 108 Director
Elena Paweta, District 108 Program Quality Director 2019-2020
Adriana Vasilache, District 108 Club Growth Director 2019-2020
Leena Rantala, District 108 Finance Manager 2019-2020
Heikki Siltanen, District 108 Administration Manager 2019-2020
Jakub Bronowicki, District 108 Parliamentarian 2019-2020
Q2. What were your best personal results as the D108 officer this year?
I am really happy that on top of my officer role I was also able to progress on Pathways. It is great to start a learning journey with new members of my Citi Toastmasters Olsztyn Club.
Q3. What were the lessons you’ve learnt? Any challenges to overcome?
Main lesson for me is that we are all different with different opinions. Toastmasters gives us opportunity to learn how to listen to others and work out the best solution to any challenge. That can be achieved when we collaborate.
Q4. What are you plans for the upcoming TM year?
This year I want to focus on strengthening my home club, serving as the Club Treasurer, moving forward with Pathways and supporting with advice those who need it ))
Q5. If you could name someone in particular who made a great impact on this very part of you TM journey – who would that be?
Alicja Palińska. She has motivated me to continue Toastmasters Path with her positive attitude, challenging questions and ideas how to find ‘My Why’ in Toastmasters.
Q6. Jakub, is there anything else you wish to share with our D108 members?
Toastmasters is all about people. It’s a life changing program if you take a deep dive.
Grow with the organization and people who are here to become your friends.
Rafal Staszek Vel Staszewski, Division A Director, District 108 2019-2020
Q1. Staszek, have your TM goals you had set last June been achieved by now?
1. My individual goals are achieved. I wanted to reach DTM and have my final speech on my club birthday party. Both things happened on June 15th. My friends from TM organized me a wonderful surprise for the DTM celebration. I was speechless and it turned out to be one of the best moments in my life ))
2. Division goals – not every goal was reached. I thought that we will be able to open new clubs and have a demo meeting in a new city. But Coronavirus interfered. For the last moment, it will be unknown if the division is distinguished, which if ‘yes’ would be marvelous.
Q2. What were your best personal results as the D108 officer this year?
Quick start with my team. We organized a meeting for Division A at the beginning of TM year, which helped to create bonds between people and organize work for the year. I think that team building is crucial for any district officer.
Q3. What were the lessons you’ve learnt? Any challenges to overcome?
I think that I learned two main things, where I see myself, as a better person now:
– asking questions instead of giving advice – so I’m a better coach now;
– asking what’s going on the project I delegate.
Q4. What are you plans for the upcoming TM year?
I won’t attend a lot of meetings. As a lecturer, I perform 15-20 hours onstage each week, I want something different than a stage. But I will be a speaker at the conference, I want to create a few workshops and be in the next leadership committee.
Q5. If you could name someone in particular who made a great impact on this very part of you TM journey – who would that be?
For the year as a Division Director, a great impact on me had other Division directors – Alicja Palińska Monika Szlachta Dovilė Kurpytė. Why? Cause they always inspired me with their energy, passion, and ideas. I hope I also gave them something, outside ducks ))
Q6. Is there anything else you wish to share with the rest of the TM world?
Remember, the more you give in Toastmasters, the more Toastmasters will bring you back.
As Ralph Smedley said: we learn best in the moments of joy.
Dovile Kurpyte, Division B Director, District 108 2019-2020
Alicja Palinska, Division C Director, District 108 2019-2020
Monika Szlachta, Division D Director, District 108 2019-2020
I always set ambitious goals, I always want to do my best and be the best. My personal goal for this year was to finish legacy program with DTM award, I got it 6 months before I expected.
My goals as the Division Director was to improve my communication, delegating, team building skills, managing distributed teams and creating bonds in Toastmasters community. And an icing on a cake – to get the President`s Distinguished Status as a first Division. All done! ))
Many things! I wanted to be Division Director of the Year. This title means for me that you can manage your division very well, create the best team and reach organization goals. And I wanted to have it in my CV.
Q4. What are you plans for the upcoming TM year?
I couldn’t even imagine that my Toastmasters journey will ever stop. There is so many opportunities to learn how to be a better communicator, a leader, an employer, an employee, a mother… a person. Toastmasters is truly a place where the magic of transformation happens: personally, I got a job, because my soon-to-be boss met me at a Toastmasters meeting, I fell in love in Toastmasters with a Toastmaster.
Q5. If you could name someone in particular who made a great impact on this very part of you TM journey – who would that be?
I have learnt something for each person which I met on my way. Most from my mentors: past District Director Piotr Chimko from D108 and DD Florian Bay from D91. But the greatest impact on me played the words from an unknown person from our Core Team. This person gave me a very interesting anonymous feedback during our assessments and made me think about my way of communication when I am tired or upset.
Q6. Monika, is there anything else you wish to share with the rest of the TM world?
I don’t know any other place where you can learn so much. Let`s spread the word of Toastmastering to your friends and to all people in the world!
Valeria Kholodkova, Public Relations Manager, District 108 2019-2020
