EPISODE 1: THE HPL PROJECT

In our lives, we have opportunities to make a difference in the world.  It may be as small as planning a family reunion.  It may be a multi-million dollar work project.

Sometimes we don’t think we’ve got what it takes to make an impact – whether it’s the choice of bbq sauce or selecting the vendor of a major component at work.  It’s easy to be intimidated by these opportunities because there’s risk.  (And if you don’t think the choice of bbq sauce isn’t risky, you might not want to come to my family reunion.)

Leadership is recognizing risk – and stepping up to face it.

Today’s topic on the table is the HPL – High Performance Leadership Project.

Fear and risk.

How many of us have joined Toastmasters because we’re afraid?  Public speaking anxiety may be the number one driver to bring people into our clubs.  I spoke with a gentleman recently at a kick-off meeting about his fear of public speaking.  He recognizes it’s the fear of being judged and risk of being thought foolish that makes him so anxious.

That same set of fears might stop us from taking on leadership opportunities as well.

In your life, you know what you’ve turned down doing because you didn’t think you could do it.  The task seemed too big, too important… too risky.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go."

Said T.S. Eliot.

Since Toastmasters is the place where leaders are made, what does Toastmasters have to help you to find out how far it is possible for you to go?  It has the High Performance Leadership project. 

The HPL might be considered the master’s thesis - it’s listed as our final project in the Leadership track.  Like the Competent Communicator manual, each project builds on the skills of the previous speeches.  This leadership task is to pull all those skills we learned in club roles and in district leadership and find out what we can do.

Many people seem to be intimidated by the HPL. By its very nature, the HPL pushes us out of the comfort zone.  It should push us out – it’s called High Performance because it’s supposed to be a tool to help us step up to a new, tougher, bigger challenge.

Let’s emphasize that the HPL is a tool.  It’s a handbook to help you examine your personal philosophy of leadership and how you want to apply it.

According to the HPL handbook, we "are to select a worthwhile project which you intend to complete by working with other people in a leadership capacity, either formal or informal."

When I talk to Toastmasters, there’s a mindset that the HPL must be a Toastmasters project, but how many opportunities in Toastmasters are there that fits the HPL requirements?

More than you think.  A completely unscientific survey of District 10 Facebook page members showed most of the HPL projects were related to Toastmasters – often chairing a conference.  People have used their time as officers as their projects, or the Youth Leadership Program, or creating new programs in our district to serve our members.

My friend Dan picked a project to organize a membership meeting for the full 10 clubs in the county.  He selected the team to do the promotions, provide the food, put the meeting together… It was a neat little package for the HPL.

However, it’s very appropriate to take the HPL outside of Toastmasters.  One person used the HPL for a project for work – a hotel renovation over one million dollars.  Church projects, charity campaigns – the HPL travels outside the Toastmaster world very well.  I speak from experience here – my first HPL was not a Toastmaster project.

I’ll admit, the first time I used the HPL manual, I thought it was… cheesy.