District Leader Training & International Convention

What an incredible few days!

Norma, Richard, and I began our experience with two intense days of District Leader Training. While there was a lot of information packed into those two days, one of the strongest themes was actually very simple: get back to the basics.

Club excellence and club quality are at the heart of everything we do. When our clubs provide a quality experience, our members benefit, our clubs become stronger, and ultimately, our District becomes stronger.

Another message that resonated with me was, “You don’t have to do it alone.” Leadership is not about one person having all the answers or doing all the work. It is about building a team, asking for help, supporting one another, and remembering that we are all working toward the same goal—helping our members succeed.

The International Convention brought another very special moment for me. I had the honor of walking across the stage to receive the Program Quality Award for our accomplishments last year. While I was the person who walked across that stage, the award truly belonged to our clubs. I am incredibly grateful to the Distinguished, Select Distinguished, President’s Distinguished and Smedley Distinguished clubs whose hard work and commitment to their members made that moment possible. You earned the recognition; I simply had the privilege of accepting it.

Of course, the experience wasn’t all training and awards!

I had the opportunity to participate in the opening ceremonies by carrying the banner for Saint Lucia. I even wore a scarf representing the country, which made the experience even more fun.

I also played Toastmasters Bingo—and won the very first round! Apparently, leadership training wasn’t the only place where I was paying attention.

And then there was the food. We ate very well, enjoyed plenty of good food, and I may have consumed more gelato than necessary. But then again, when you are at an International Convention, calories consumed while networking with Toastmasters from around the world probably shouldn’t count.

I returned home with wonderful memories, new ideas, renewed energy, and an important reminder: strong clubs are built by focusing on the basics, quality matters, and none of us has to do it alone.

That may have been the most important lesson of the entire experience.