Leadership Amid the Pandemic
How teamwork allowed our Area to shift a crisis into a legacy.
By Hanaa Mounzer
Hanaa Mounzer
Like many Toastmasters around the world, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, our Area was forced to adapt quickly to figure out what would come next for our four clubs in and near Beirut, Lebanon. As an Area Director, I knew it was vital that we not only stay safe but also continue to help clubs maintain their educational progress and membership renewals, charter a new club, and somehow still conduct the Area Speech Contest.
We had to cancel our Area contest in March, merely 12 hours before the event. While we were disappointed, our biggest challenge was helping members and contestants accept and adapt to the circumstances.
Ultimately, we learned that the secret ingredient to survival during any crisis is teamwork. My team and I agreed that we wanted to move forward with the contest and encourage clubs to pursue their plans. We had to work together to come to terms with the severity of the situation, adjust our approach, and prepare to adapt.
All team members in the Area played a crucial role in finalizing the plan. Listening to different perspectives aided in highlighting any gap and enhancing the process; persistence and follow-up would ensure continuity of the plan; recognition of every single team member would keep morale and motivation high.
Our first step was to create an advisory committee of Lebanon Toastmasters, including a past Area Director, a medical doctor, and a Club President. We needed this diversity of expertise to figure out the most suitable approach for the Area.
We first determined how to best conduct an online Area Contest and then discussed other exciting ideas, such as online joint activities between Toastmasters’ clubs across the globe, panel discussions, and online sessions with international role models and trainers. We created opportunities from the crisis, which energized the group.
Before sharing the advisory committee opinions with the Area Council, I listened to and addressed their concerns. This collaboration allowed us to collect valuable insights to reach the optimal decision. It also allowed us to combat the initial resistance we encountered when introducing the online option.
Through open communication and collaboration, we explained the vision and benefits of hosting a virtual Area Contest and club meetings. It was our responsibility as leaders to preserve clubs’ continuity rather than breaking momentum while waiting for the crisis to end. Once all team members were aligned under the same vision of maintaining our club meetings, we structured the timeline for our plan.
We then reached out to members of the Toastmasters International Facebook group to ask for advice and began connecting with them about online meetings. Everyone was supportive in answering questions, offering advice on how to conduct trainings, and advising on best practices. On March 16, 2020, just 10 days after canceling our in-person contest, we successfully conducted our first online demonstration meeting. After that, we trained every club officer on how to plan and run online meetings. In just one week, we successfully shifted all our Area’s clubs to online meetings.
Getting all clubs to transition to online triggered the momentum. In April, we conducted a successful online Area Speech Contest. After the contest, clubs became more innovative and began hosting joint meetings, panel discussions, and trainings with clubs around the world. Toastmasters from other countries became members of our clubs. We even moved forward with chartering a new club.
Our Area has grown stronger since the pandemic gripped the world. Thanks to my team and our members’ willingness to collaborate and adapt, I believe our Area will continue to be innovative when we transition back to in-person meetings. Leaders have learned to stay connected; they’ve seen the value in inviting speakers from outside our club, and they’ve begun live-streaming special events to Toastmasters around the world.
Leaders are already thinking creatively about hybrid meetings that involve a mixture of online and offline components. I recommend basing decisions on each club’s comfort levels and having regular check-ins. Listening to members and your team is vital to keeping membership and involvement high. Be ready to adapt at any moment in these times of uncertainty.
During any crisis, every leader has the choice to seize new opportunities through challenges. With one vision, exceptional teamwork, a proper support system, and continual persistence, the team can create a legacy.
大流行中的领导力
团队合作如何让我们的地区将危机转化为遗产。
作者： Hanaa Mounzer
与世界各地的许多 Toastmasters 一样，当 COVID-19 大流行来袭时，我们地区被迫迅速适应，以弄清楚我们在黎巴嫩贝鲁特及其附近的四个俱乐部接下来会发生什么。作为区域总监，我知道至关重要的是，我们不仅要保持安全，还要继续帮助俱乐部保持教育进步和会员更新，组建新俱乐部，并以某种方式继续进行区域演讲比赛。
我们仅在活动开始前12个小时就取消了三月份的区域竞赛。虽然我们很失望，但我们最大的挑战是帮助会员和参赛者接受并适应环境。
最终，我们了解到在任何危机中生存的秘诀就是团队合作。我和我的团队都同意我们希望继续比赛，并鼓励俱乐部遵循自己的计划。我们必须共同努力以适应情况的严重性，调整我们的方法并准备适应。
该地区的所有团队成员在最终确定计划方面都发挥了关键作用。倾听不同的观点有助于突出任何差距并改进过程；坚持不懈和后续行动将确保计划的连续性；对每个团队成员的认可会保持高昂的士气和动力。
我们的第一步是创建一个黎巴嫩 Toastmasters 咨询委员会，其中包括一位前区域总监、一位医生和一位俱乐部主席。我们需要这种多样性的专业知识来找出最适合该地区的方法。
我们首先确定了如何最好地开展在线区域竞赛，然后讨论了其他令人兴奋的想法，例如全球 Toastmasters 俱乐部之间的在线联合活动、小组讨论以及与国际榜样和培训师的在线会议。我们从危机中创造了机会，为集团注入了活力。
在与地区议会分享咨询委员会的意见之前，我听取并解决了他们的担忧。这种合作使我们能够收集宝贵的见解以做出最佳决策。它还使我们能够克服在引入在线选项时遇到的最初阻力。
通过开放的交流与协作，我们解释了举办虚拟区域竞赛和俱乐部会议的愿景和好处。作为领导者，我们有责任保持俱乐部的连续性，而不是在等待危机结束时打破势头。一旦所有团队成员在维持俱乐部会议的相同愿景下保持一致，我们就为我们的计划制定了时间表。
然后，我们与Toastmasters International Facebook小组的成员联系，征求意见，并开始与他们联系进行在线会议。每个人都支持回答问题，提供有关如何进行培训的建议以及最佳实践建议。 2020 年 3 月 16 日，在取消我们的面对面竞赛仅 10 天后，我们成功举办了第一次在线演示会议。在那之后，我们就如何计划和举办在线会议对每一位俱乐部干部进行了培训。在短短一周内，我们成功地将我们地区的所有俱乐部转移到了在线会议。
让所有俱乐部都过渡到在线引发了这一势头。 4 月，我们成功举办了在线区域演讲比赛。比赛结束后，俱乐部变得更加创新，开始与世界各地的俱乐部举办联席会议、小组讨论和培训。来自其他国家的 Toastmasters 成为我们俱乐部的成员。我们甚至还着手建立一个新的俱乐部。
自从大流行席卷全球以来，我们的地区变得更加强大。由于我的团队和我们的成员愿意合作和适应，我相信当我们过渡到面对面会议时，我们的区域将继续保持创新。领导者学会了保持联系。他们已经看到了邀请俱乐部外的演讲者的价值，并且他们已经开始向世界各地的Toastmasters现场直播特别活动。
领导者已经在创造性地考虑涉及在线和离线组件混合的混合会议。我建议根据每个俱乐部的舒适度做出决定并定期登记。倾听成员和您的团队的意见对于保持高成员和参与度至关重要。在这些不确定的时刻随时准备适应。
在任何危机中，每个领导人都可以选择通过挑战来抓住新的机遇。凭借一个愿景、卓越的团队合作、适当的支持系统和持续的坚持，团队可以创造遗产。
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