By Cyndra Melville, DTM, Lt. Governor Education & Training

Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) is the crowning achievement; the highest educational award given by Toastmaster International.  It is a huge personal accomplishment and also represents dedicated service to the District.  Earning a Distinguished Toastmaster Award is similar to graduating from college with a degree in Communication and Leadership.  It also represents stretching beyond your comfort zone in many areas.  And, like a college degree, it helps you to become a better rounded person.

One of the jewels in achieving Advanced Leadership Silver is the High Performance Leadership Project (HPL).  Upon looking this program over, I was amazed at how thorough and concise it is.  In my career as a Computer Systems Analyst, I had taken literally dozens of courses on project management and leadership in a team environment.  The HPL is by far the best of them all.  It is simple (not easy) and leads you step by step.  I just completed my third one because I think it is such a valuable tool.  I used it in my year as Vice President of Education with a large committee; my year as Division Governor; and my year as Lt. Governor of Marketing.  In all three cases, I think that I did a better job because I used this tool.

The High Performance Leadership Project is not an actual project within itself.  It is a process to manage a project.  You should chose a project to work with that is challenging enough and takes enough time to use it effectively. 

It involves two teams.  One team is the one you lead to complete your project.  The other is your guidance committee.  You should choose people for your guidance committee that have done a similar activity as your chosen leadership project or people that you think would have creative ideas.  They are like a consultant group to help you set goals and work your plan.

You evaluate your leadership skills at the beginning and again at the end to see how you've grown as a leader as a result of your experiences.  You also give two speeches to your club.  One at the beginning to share your vision and values and at the end to report on your successes and lessons learned.

In the middle you set and work your action plan and strategy, setting roles, goals and a timetable. It sounds complicated but the manual guides you through it.

You don't have to wait to use this great tool.  You can use it for any situation where you have a leadership role.  It doesn't even have to be a Toastmasters project.  It can be for work or any outside activity.