Pradeep Shetty
Toastmasters member since : 1st April 2022
Education: EC5; Bachelor of Engineering; Master Diploma in Training & Development
Toastmasters offices held and terms of service:
- Treasurer – 1 April 2022 – 31 Dec 2022
- Club President – 31 May 2023 – 31 Dec 2023
- VP PR – 14 Aug 2024 – 31st Dec 2024
- Treasurer 1st Jan 2025 – till date
Toastmasters honors and recognition:
- EC5
Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a District leader:
As a Student Coach – training School students for personality development and public speaking
Work with Victorias Secret US based retail chain as a Sr. Infrastructure Engineer – develop network with or own department and other department too.
What experience do you have in strategic planning?
I have achieved few of my life Goals with good strategic planning , one being being in a role of Vice President of my Apartment Association taking care of 500+ Flat challenges especially with security of the Family and Apartment. During this tenure of 2 years in this VP role, i was able to achieve many short & long term goals for the Apartment.
I know how much money is coming in and going out. I have close eye on everything my family and myself spend. As i run my academy business, i am learning more on finance, how to get in more students for my academy, thereby getting better financially.
It was in 2014, when i almost went bankrupt, I learnt great lessens from my mistake, hence have become litter wiser when compared to my past.
What experience do you have in developing procedures?
I am not a theory person, I believe in experimentation – fail – do it again – gain success – repeat what works well – try it – take help from the experts / mentors who has walked the path and keep moving forward. I believe in speak less and deliver more, going extra mile. I am not a procedure person.
You may laugh at how much i have failed in life, did partnership business – failed, own business – failed, lost several lacs in business, few might have committed suicide (on a lighter note), I stood still and kept moving ahead in my 2 decades of experience.
I believe in try and try until you succeed, nothing is impossible – its only my narrow thinking and old beliefs which keeps me away from achieving big,
In a nutshell – taking responsibility, building a team around you, walking the talk, when praised – put others forward and in failure showing it has failed due to me and working towards it. Believe & Achieve. Keep marching forward, be focused internally and just see the Goal you want to achieve.
Why do you want to serve as a District leader?
For my self-development first, In Hindi there is a saying – Swa Ka Bhala tho Serve Ka Bhala . When I get better, I can lead others and uplift others to where they want to go. My development means to unlearn Learn and Relearn the skills required to get better every single day.
To help my District121 achieve Smedley Distinguished Status
Connect with people across the states, community, students, corporates, etc..
Pull people out of their comfort one and show them their inner potential as to what they can achieve etc..
Learn New Skills, best practices with practical examples, people management.
Many District officers (AD) want to achieve their best, they really need support, I want to help them irrespective of which division they belong, provide an helping hand to those individual leaders to get them to the next level
In your opinion, what are the District mission’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?
Increase Club Growth – I am certain , i will contribute a lot in this area and certain about it, its only about identifying right mindset people to work , if they don’t have it – create it.
Identify next gen leaders – My personal experiece says as a thumbrule, every club have 5 members who can avieve great heights, only thing right direction & continuous motivation is missing, which i want to help the district in.
Inculcate in our district – best practices being practiced by top 20 ranking toastmasters club in the world – I would like to have best practices to be started by our District
Few District Officers take up the role of District officers – not ready to dedicate even 1 hour per month to their subordinate leaders (Kindly note i am not pointing out to any past or existing leaders – kindly do note quote me anywhere ) to develop their Area / Club etc..
My vision is to see D121 within 3 ranks in the world ranking.
Additional information about yourself:
I am here to to be a better version of myself, therby helping everyone in and around me , leading by examples.
After i joined this AD journey , my thought pattern has changed a lot in terms of what i can do , achieve., motivate, bow down to certain circumstances, to see what i could not see something in previous similar circumstances, understanding the Psychology of human beings, emotions etc.., i am talking about inner change.
I think these changes would have not happened in this short duration of 6 months even going to IIT / NIT or IIM.