“Success is about us. Significance is about others.”

John C. Maxwell.

Our lives take on significance when we begin to focus on the needs of others. If success is about climbing the ladder, significance is about holding the ladder for someone. When boiled down to the bare essentials, equipping, coaching and mentoring is about people of value adding value to other people. If you want to find an environment where people at all levels can experience both success and significance, look for an organization led by servant leaders. Toastmasters International is one such organisation. 

To most people success is represented by wealth, recognition, power and status. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting all those things, as long as you don’t think that’s who you are. With the altruistic and transformational leader, Sandile Salaule, Division S Director, the focus is on the opposite of each of those things as he and his team strive to move from success to significance.  What’s the opposite of accumulating wealth and knowledge? It’s generosity-of time, talent, treasure and touch, reaching out to support others.  What’s the opposite of recognition? It’s service.  And what’s the opposite of power and status?  It’s meaningful relationships. Sandile believes that if you focus on being significant, naturally, your emphasis will be on serving others and success and results will follow. He reiterated, “My aim is to make sure that every member in Division S is successful. This will filter down to Club, Area then Division and we will end up significant and strong as a team.”

Leadership is all about the choices we make as we interact with others. We can choose to be serving or self-serving. Division S leaders have chosen to serve others with significance. Sandile works with six Area Directors, namely, Yanga Nkumenge, S1 Area Director, Lesego Nhlapo in charge of Area S2, Tinashe Katsande who leads Area S3, Zakkiya Ismail, the Area S4 head, Sandile Selaule who is currently the acting Area Director for Area S5 and Thato Majela, responsible for Area S6.  Division S covers the south of Johannesburg, Vaal, West Rand and the Johannesburg CBD.

An auditor by profession, Sandile has been a Toastmaster for the past five years and has held club officer roles, started a club, planned a couple of events and has been an Area Director before his current role. “I enjoy the experience I keep getting with every leadership role. Working with people from diverse backgrounds means you can’t speak to them the same.  I must customise my message depending on who I am speaking to,” he explained.

Sandile looks forward to seeing every Division S member achieve success.  Success for him includes the satisfaction that people get from participating in the various Toastmasters programmes. Admittedly people join for different reasons but when Toastmasters impacts them, with the help of others, to achieve what they joined for, including communication, leadership, networking, learning and more, then success and significance will have happened.

When speaking to his team, Sandile likes to remind them to, “take care of the people and the numbers will take care of themselves. If they are happy, they will go the extra mile to make sure they attain significance.” Sandile has chosen well. Making an impact on people’s lives versus external approval. Which one are you aiming for?

Division S can be contacted on +27 790367535

Or on Facebook page; Division S District 74 Toastmasters