September 2024 Leader Letter
Empower Others Through Leadership: A Conversation with International President Radhi Spear
Radhi Spear’s journey to Toastmasters began in graduate school when she tackled the daunting task of teaching an undergraduate course to around 30 students at a time. The experience gave her profound respect for teachers and a sense of comfort speaking in front of others.
However, years later, when asked to give a toast at her father’s milestone birthday event, she found herself trembling and at a loss for words. Somehow, this felt different from teaching undergraduates. Noticing her struggle, her sister, a Toastmaster in India, encouraged her to join. When Spear’s company started a club a few years later, she finally took the leap.
While she initially joined to improve her communication skills, as International President, she now reflects on how Toastmasters has nurtured her leadership and shares advice for seasoned, new, and reluctant leaders alike.
Seek and inspire buy-in. Spear’s background as an engineer trained her to approach challenges as problems to be solved. But as she moved up the leadership ranks in Toastmasters, she realized that leadership is not just about solving problems—it is about inspiring and guiding others.
While serving as District Director in 2007, she visited her sister’s Toastmasters club in India and noticed something different. The club met once a week for three hours, a stark contrast to the twice-a-month, hour-long meetings she was accustomed to in the U.S. Returning home, she declared that clubs in her District would start meeting weekly, but the change was met with resistance. Spear quickly realized that leadership wasn’t just about making decisions; it was about getting buy-in from the team.
“We needed to try it together,” she reflects. “It’s about valuing and respecting everyone’s input. You can’t just dictate—you have to lead by example.” After Spear demonstrated to her club how weekly meetings directly supported the success of members in her sister’s club and invited her fellow members to try weekly meetings with her for six months, they agreed. Her club continues to meet once a week to this day, a testament to the power of buy-in.
Model trustworthiness and show competence. “Integrity is crucial,” Spear says, “but you also need to get the job done. People won’t trust you if you can’t deliver.” Leadership, she emphasizes, is about influence—a multidirectional exchange where everyone respects and learns from each other.
And there is no better place to hone this skill than in Toastmasters. Spear reflects that as volunteer leaders in Toastmasters, creating buy-in and inspiring action is purely based on influence, unlike professional settings where there is a built-in framework for addressing lackluster performance. Learning to lead in this environment means helping others believe in your vision and harnessing their ability to achieve it.
Develop others to develop yourself. Spear first became Area Director to work toward earning her DTM. She learned a lot while serving in the role and was eager to develop her skillset further with each subsequent position she took on. Spear successfully helped her District reach distinguished status for the first time in years as Club Growth Director. Then, when her District’s Program Quality Director stepped down and did not want to continue, she was encouraged to skip ahead and run for District Director. She didn’t want to; she felt she still had more to absorb from the Program Quality Director role. Several mentors inspired Spear to step up by emphasizing that leadership roles are about the best interest of those you serve. In other words, it's not about you.
Spear says it was a lightbulb moment for her and shares a Jack Welch quote that distills what she learned from the experience: “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” She would go on to lead her District to distinguished status during her tenure as District Director.
It’s natural to look for opportunities for your own growth and success. But the beauty of Toastmasters, according to Spear, is when you serve your club, District, or the organization to the best of your ability, your ability grows. Every new challenge you confront sharpens your skillset, especially with the guidance of mentors who have served in the roles before you. And we are all better for it.
Be proud. As Spear looks ahead to her term as International President, she is optimistic about the future. She believes in the power of mentorship and the magic it brings to Toastmasters. “This organization changes lives,” she says. “One idea from Ralph C. Smedley has impacted millions of people around the world. I’m so proud to be here, and I want all of our members to feel that pride, too.”
For Spear, leadership is about more than just guiding others—it’s about inspiring them to step up, to grow, and to take pride in their contributions. As she leads Toastmasters into its next century, she is determined to harness the diversity of ideas and experiences within the organization to ensure a vibrant and successful future.
Author’s note: All District positions referenced in this article use current position titles.
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