I’m a Democratic Leader?
Is the test right?
Telkom Toastmasters, dear guests, my name is Miranda Rumi, from Magical-Bali TMC, current District 87 Training Chairperson and Immediate Division G Director.
Thank you for having me as one of the speakers tonight.
For this speech I did the compulsory test to find leaderships style.. And to my surprise… Democratic Leadership is what I scored the most.
I’ve been a member for 13 years. Have been leaders. If you’ve been with me since the beginning of my Toastmasters journey, you would absolutely agree with me that I was a bureaucratic, autocratic, technocratic anything but a democratic leader.
I was opinionated, perfectionistic, my way or the high way kind of a leader.
I believed my way was the right and the best way.
If you don’t cooperate or do what I asked you to do, I would just do it myself, even if I had to stay up all night to meet the deadline. I was quick-tempered, reactive and often impulsive, make quick decisions that are sometimes good, but sometimes I regretted as well.
Do you know or recognize anyone like that?
That was me. Not very pleasant, not very popular, but out of necessity. I had always been a leader of some sort in Toastmasters.
Luckily, people change, myself included
Therefore while I was surprised that my highest score is for democratic leadership, followed by affiliative, coaching, altruistic, all the styles of leadership you want your leaders to have, I also feel happy and proud that my growth as a leader is validated and acknowledged. The results speak for itself.
That I, who started as a bureaucratic and autocratic leader, they’re at the opposite end of the spectrum by the way, have grown to become a wiser, kinder and more compassionate leader that is can inspiring and motivating.
As a leader I faced a lot of personality challenges. Biggest challenge. Meaning people that bother me, or people that I find challenging to work with.butting heads, As a leader the higher I went, the less choice who to work with.
As a club president, I had to deal with 6 co-leaders, and together look after 15-25 members.
As an Area Director, I have to work with club presidents and VPEs, leaders who have led. T
hen as a division director, I worked primarily with the area directors, and some presidents and vpes.
As a higher ranking leader I was more in the public eye, more exposed. That means my words and behaviors are more watched, dissected and interpreted. If I got annoyed, frustrated, as a member I could react more openly, but leader as a leader I couldn’t.
With each leadership promotion, I learned to dial up something and dial down another thing.
I have to dial up my listening, and dial down my speaking.
I listened more to what people are saying, and being in a WhatsApp group, you can listen to conversations without being in the conversation. I learned a lot about people that way.
I focus on hearing the needs, wants, dissatisfactions beneath and beyond the words.
Even when I feel annoyed, frustrated and impatient.
I learned to bite my tongue, to wait before responding.
And this works.
Because when I waited a bit before responding, and take some deep breaths, my mind becomes calmer. And when the mind is calmer, I have a chance to look at other possibilities.
I can see that the other person is reacting, and upset because their need is not met and it pains them.
This understanding helps me to be a lot more compassionate about people, about their needs to be heard, to be seen, for acknowledgement, for appreciation, to matter.
So as much as I could, I listen to what their unmet needs are, then provide opportunities where people can shine and have their deep needs met.
As a leader one of the privileges I have is more projects to do, more tasks to be delegated. So in getting helps, I also help people to meet their needs.
In summary, the one constant thing in leadership is the learning.
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
-John F. Kennedy
It’s so true, Because leadership is all about being with people, working with people, understanding, motivating and inspiring people.
And that means the learning is infinite.
If you like learning, be a leader.
We’re in the perfect place, because Toastmasters is where leaders are made.
"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." Ronald Reagan
