Are You That Somebody?

Norm Frickey offered us a poem in this issue that reminds us that things don’t happen unless Somebody takes responsibility to see that they do. Part of that is the individual. It’s easy to fall into the trap of expecting another person to do the job. I know I’m guilty of it myself. And part of it is leadership. Your job — and my job — as a leader includes making sure that Somebody knows they are responsible.

In most Executive Committee (EC) meetings we discuss a multitude of ideas, and we agree that some of them are solid enough that Somebody needs to follow up. Yet all too often we leave without anyone signing up to handle them. Much of the time when the next EC meeting rolls around, nothing has been done about these good ideas. Obviously, Somebody should have stepped up to take responsibility to follow up on the idea, or Somebody should have exercised their leadership skills to assign the task to a willing volunteer. But aren’t we all Somebody?

The Club Success Plan has a column labeled Assignment. It lists who normally has responsibility for the Distinguished Club Program requirements. All we have to do is get together and make sure that Somebody takes responsibility for the requirements, sets target dates, and monitors progress. A piece of cake, and participating in the planning is one of the requirements for Advanced Leader Bronze.

So why don’t we do it? Simple, Somebody, typically the president, has to take responsibility for getting everyone together to work out the plan, but for a number of reasons that doesn’t always happen. Now what? How about Somebody reminding them. Are you that Somebody? Am I?

In and out of Toastmasters we are continually faced with that question: am I that Somebody? If we ignore it, perhaps another Somebody will step up. Maybe, but don’t count on it. The only way we make progress is to take action. Somebody has to take that action. Are you that Somebody?

A man goes into a bar with his dog. He goes up to the bar and asks for a drink.

The bartender says "You can't bring that dog in here!" The guy, without missing a beat, says "This is my seeing-eye dog."

"Oh man," the bartender says, "I'm sorry, here, the first one's on me." The man takes his drink and goes to a table near the door.

Another guy walks into the bar with a Chihuahua. The first guys sees him, stops him and says "You can't bring that dog in here unless you tell him it's a seeing-eye dog."

The second man graciously thanks the first man and continues to the bar. He asks for a drink. The bartender says "Hey, you can't bring that dog in here!"

The second man replies "This is my seeing-eye dog." The bartender says, "No, I don't think so. They do not have Chihuahuas as seeing-eye dogs."

The man pauses for a half-second and replies "What??! They gave me a Chihuahua??!"

http://www.cleanjoke.com/humor/No-Dogs-Allowed.html

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300° C.

The Russians use a pencil.

http://www.cleanjoke.com/humor/No-Dogs-Allowed.html