What If Your Job Is In Jeopardy?

A High Performance Leadership Success Story

The High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project and Vision
The writing on the wall told our office that the company was planning on shutting down our office. It was during this news that I started my Toastmaster High Performance Leadership project. After reading the project, it motivated me to use my HPL project to change the company’s perception of the Proposal Center in Bedford and to keep it open.

The HPL Approach
I recruited two other toastmaster members who were also members of the Proposal Team. We developed our Vision, Objectives, and Core Values. We developed a very nice presentation.

The next challenge was to get an audience to listen. The first chance was a meeting in Houston.  The meeting was led by the Head of Proposals for all of USAC. His intention was to discredit the Bedford Proposal Center and suggest it be shut down. I was not able to give our presentation but I was able to cite the Core Values from the HPL project. Everyone at the meetings bought into the Core Values. Upper management created a non-bias team to investigate the company’s proposal procedures.

The HPL Results
The assessment team ended up being someone in Chicago. Sadly, the Chicago-based assessment team leader did not take me up on my invitation to visit the Bedford Proposal Center and let us present our processes. People in the Bedford office were cleaning up resumes and looking for work else-where.

Upper management sent someone up to the Proposal Office in Bedford. Their intention was to let everyone know they were shutting down the department. However, they did let us give our prepared presentation. It was three Toastmasters presenting a two-hour by-the-book presentation that combined guidance from the Toastmaster HPL, Persuasive, and Informative manuals.

HPL Success Story
The presentation was a huge success.  The proposal center remained open and they have asked the toastmaster and leader of the Bedford Proposal Center to manage all the USA regional proposal centers. She now has 27 people to manage rather than 3. She is over 5 different proposal centers. This HPL project was a very successful project that occurred over a 7 month period.

Thank You Toastmasters for the Guidance!

Mark White Aegonizers Toastmasters Club