Tag Archives: leadership

The Power of Mentoring: A Journey of Growth and Learning

Speeches,

Speech completed at Toastmasters 10 Feb 2025

What is mentorship? I’ve asked myself this question,  Good evening fellow toastmasters and guests. I’d like to go through my thoughts on mentorship and the impact it has had on me. 

Mentoring is a way to shape the future. It fosters growth, development, and confidence, not just for the protégé but for the mentor as well. Today, I want to share my experience with mentorship—not from the perspective of a traditional protégé, but as someone who has been guided by mentors and is still learning how to embrace mentorship fully.

Reflecting on my journey, I realize that I have had several mentors, even if I never officially saw myself as a protégé. Starting out in my career, I had a manager who encouraged me to take up an accounting technician course. Their support gave me the confidence to advance my skills and pursue professional growth. This has led to being confident at work and to sign up for other courses, leadership management and Credit control management.  

When I started out as a Guide leader I teamed up with a friend who showed me the ropes especially when it came to camping and managing a unit. Their guidance helped me develop leadership skills and learn how to navigate challenges. Their mentorship was practical and hands-on, teaching me lessons that I still carry with me today. For example in the recent power cut after storm Eowyn I dug out the trangia and torches, I remembered the lessons on cooking, using torches and how to stay warm. 

While I have had great mentors, I have also struggled with fully embracing the role of a mentee. I often hesitate to reach out because I feel nervous or worry about being a burden. With busy schedules, I don’t reach out to my mentor. I’m very much ‘I can do it myself’ type of person.’ I need to look at this as my mentor is very approachable and very helpful/

This is a challenge many people face—understanding how to engage with a mentor, ask for help, and build that connection. It’s easy to assume that mentoring should be structured, but sometimes, mentorship comes in small moments of advice and encouragement.

Even though I haven’t always actively sought mentorship, I can see the positive effects of having people who support and guide me. Mentorship has helped me gain new skills, build confidence, and see possibilities that I might not have considered on my own.

What I’ve learned is that mentorship doesn’t have to be a rigid, formal relationship. It can be as simple as receiving advice from someone who believes in you, watching a role model in action, or knowing that you have someone to turn to when you need guidance.

Through my experiences, I’ve realized that mentorship is not just about being guided; it’s also about giving back. Whether in my professional life, as a Guide leader, or in Toastmasters, I have found myself supporting others in ways that echo the mentorship I’ve received. 

Sharing knowledge, encouraging someone to take the next step, or simply being there to listen can make a huge difference.

In Conclusion, Mentorship is a journey, and we are often both mentees and mentors at different points in our lives. If you have a mentor, take a moment to reflect on how they have impacted you and how you can better engage with them. If you haven’t had a mentor, consider reaching out to someone who inspires you. If you have the opportunity to mentor others, know that even small moments of encouragement can be life-changing.

Mentoring isn’t just about structured guidance—it’s about supporting, learning, and growing together. And in the end, the best mentoring relationships are those that evolve naturally over time.

Thank you.

Toastmaster Leadership – what type of leader am I?

Speeches, , , ,

I’ve often wondered, ‘What type of leader am I?’ It’s a question that seems straightforward, but it’s anything but simple. Leadership can feel daunting, especially with the common belief that leaders are somehow born, not made. Personally, I disagree. I believe anyone can learn to lead, though the real challenge lies in overcoming our own self-doubt and the assumptions we think others have of us.

Like many, I didn’t start out thinking of myself as a leader. It’s been a journey, with plenty of learning along the way. My own leadership journey didn’t start with any big title or vision. It began in a more modest place: as a volunteer with a group of young girls, the Brownies.

At the age of 27 I was influenced to become a brownie leader as I needed something to do other than hang out in the pub at the weekends . I joined the local brownie unit in Cobh as a leader. It was easy enough as kids aged between 7 and 12 generally look up to you, once you are entertaining them or teaching them something that is fun they tend to listen to  you. 

A few years later, I moved into the girl guide section as a leader so that i could go to Disneyland Paris. The age group was 14 to 16, teenagers are different they question everything, My approach as a leader was to talk to them like anyone and not someone in charge , i loved doing the fun bits , being silly and just having a laugh. 

Moving to Galway I was influenced to open my own Guide unit, i had always been a leader that just turned up but had no real responsibility, Opening a guide unit is something different altogether, I didn’t think I would be able to do it. I have no idea how I did it but I managed to run that unit with the help of 2 other leaders. It was very stressful alot of the time i had no idea what I was doing. I was very nervous talking to Parents, organising Camping and paying for things. Filling out forms and managing the money was the hardest part of being a leader in charge. I was grand with the kids that came and i was always able to come up with a programme that entertained for the hour and a half every friday. 

As a leader in charge I tried to practice what I preached, be fair to all and not lose the head with the kids or the other leaders. Thinking about it now I have no idea how I got through the stressful parts of being a leader and I was delighted to retire after 16 years of being a Leader.  

Until doing this pathway I’ve never really thought about my leadership style. Looking online there are lots of leadership styles. Here are some examples I have found 

Authoritative leadership – a leader is often described as those with ultimate authority and power over others. These leaders tend to make choices based on their own ideas and don’t seek input from others,  for example Darth Vader

Democratic Leadership – this type of leader makes room for multiple people to participate in the decision making process. This can involve a lot of meetings and a lot of time to make a decision, An example could be Danerys Targayen who would take in info from her advisors. When it took too long for a decision she made a bad one near the end. 

Laissez Faire Leadership – this is where the leader is a hands off leader and gives the team the freedom to make decisions without any authority.  For example Captain jack Sparrow, he left it to others but was still in charge most of the time.

There are so many other types of Leadership styles its hard to pinpoint where I would fit. There are online tests, I have done about 3 since i started thinking about this speech, the first time i got Coaching style Leadership, the second time I got Democratic style Leadership and the last time i took the test i got Coach leadership style.

Coach-style leadership is to mentor someone who is interested in your role or area of the business. You assess what they know and advise on training if there are gaps in the knowledge , for example mr miyagi

After looking into different leadership styles, like Coaching and Democratic, I realize I don’t fit neatly into any single category. Leadership styles are useful as guides, but real leadership is more about what you bring to each situation.

For me, good leadership means making sure my team feels supported, offering clear direction, and being willing to step in when needed. I don’t have all the answers, and sometimes I doubt myself. But I’m committed to learning and adapting, because that’s how I keep growing as a leader.

So, am I a good leader? I’d like to think so. I work hard at it every day, and maybe that’s what makes the difference—not a particular style, but the willingness to keep getting better