By Mark Latta, Immediate Past District Governor
Looking Back…
I am not a big fan of looking backwards. Often times, I feel looking backwards to me can be an excuse to admit defeat, to rest on past successes, or to blame others for why things are not different.
I don’t like looking back. I only want to look forward.
But, now that I have two months of Immediate Past District Governor under my belt, I think it is probably time to look back. After all, I am just starting my fourth year of a four-year run in Toastmasters leadership. And, there is still a ton of work to do. Your IPDG/IPDD year is not a year of just armchair quarterbacking, but a year where you have to pull things together and help your successor be, well, successful.
When I reflect on the past three years as the Lieutenant Governor of Marketing, Lieutenant Governor of Educational and Training and District Governor; I am gobsmacked at the sheer enormity of what that means. For three years, I have spent an insane number of hours thinking about where our next club is coming from. I have worried again and again about whether a particular conference will be successful. I have thought about (and fought about) whether our members are getting their $6 each month from the program. To take on a Trio position is a huge task and a tremendous responsibility…and one I never took lightly.
As I think about the past three years, I have to recognize that we had some great wins as a District. We built a lot of great clubs over the past three years – Wells Fargo HMHQ, TrueSolutions, and Athene are some recent examples. In 2013-2014, we met our Distinguished Club goal. Every District and Division conference I went to during my tenure as a District leader was amazing. At every event, I saw people getting value out of the program. That is not a tribute to me as a leader. That is a tribute to everyone else who volunteered to make it happen – to pick up the pieces when I couldn’t – to give of themselves in a very real and personal way. It is because of those folks we were able to keep everything moving forward.
I also have to recognize that we had some terrible losses. We worked to keep some struggling clubs going. We asked our most motivated members to help us again and again until they were exhausted, and then we asked them to just do “one more thing” so we could be successful. I watched clubs like the Des Moines VA and QC Bank and Trust charter only to fail a year or so later. I only wish I could have prevented those losses and built stronger divisions. I wish I could have built better bench strength so all 1500 members of District 19 were more engaged. I wish I could have saved a few clubs that I don’t think ever had to fold. Those are the things which made me sad about my terms in District leadership. I always wish I could have given more. I always think about the clubs or the members we lost in the process and how much I wish we could have kept them.
But, overall, I have to say that I have never regretted my time in District leadership. I learned more about leadership in this past three years than I ever thought I would. I had great mentors – Kelly Nielsen, LeAnn Blankenburg, and Doug Nelson – who were not shy about kicking me back into play when I went out of bounds. I had Leah Cox who kept me organized. I always had a great group of people around me who coached me, who befriended me, and who helped me be a better person. I learned from Rose Nwatchurocha, Michelle Holmes, Claude Hartman, and Shannon Williams about helping others become great. I had people like Tom Stockebrand who stepped up and filled in whenever I called on him. I had Ben Trachsel who came to my rescue when I needed him most – multiple times. I had Brenda Peshak who is one of the best people you will ever meet. I had the constant love and support of Crossroads Storytellers and the Leadership Academy, who are never short of unsolicited (but often great) advice. I had the fellowship of a bunch of up-and-coming leaders: Paul Wood, Keith Nielsen, and Jeanne Heil. Most importantly, I had the love and support of one of the most amazing woman anyone will ever meet – Martha Hedberg – who could always make the darkest of days just a little brighter.
I hate looking back. I cried a lot when I wrote this.
I have to say after all of it –the days when nothing went well, the every-Sunday phone calls, the 16 -hour flights, all 1,095 days of Toastmasters leadership – taking on a District leadership position was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done. I learned more than I can ever put in words. When we failed in a particular task, it was completely my fault. When we succeeded, it was because we have an amazing collection of members in our District who jumped in and helped. If you are reading this, you are the uncommon and incredible person I am talking about. To you I say, never stop being amazing. Never stop striving to be better. And, in all things; never, ever, ever give up.
And, if you are really, really brave, take on a District leadership role. If you dare to put yourself out there, you cannot help be better for the experience.
I know I am.
-Mark