Getting Competent With The Competent Leadership Manual

I like the Competent Leadership (CL) manual. When the CL manual was introduced in 2005, I particularly liked how it took an approach similar to the Competent Communication (CC) manual in that it broke down particular skills associated with good leaders into 10 individual projects and allowed members to focus on and get feedback directly on those specific skills.

Unfortunately, the CL manual did not fit the model Toastmasters members were familiar with: one project with specific goals finished in one meeting and a simple order to the projects. The CL manual instead had multiple steps required to finish a project. Completing the manual requires jumping around from project to project depending on which role you happened to be performing. It takes at least 21 steps to complete the CL manual.

Educating members about the CL manual was difficult. Only a few members actually got it, particularly the very active members. Three years later, I was a club president and the CL manual had become mandatory for the leadership track. In that club, the President conducted club business at the beginning of the meeting. I made copies of questions from the CL manual for all those steps associated with meeting role. At the beginning of each meeting, I asked each person on the agenda if they had their CL manual. If they did I made sure they had passed it another member for an evaluation. If they did not have it, I pulled out a set of questions for that role and asked who would evaluate it. At the end of each meeting, everyone had a CL evaluation unless they had specifically declined. That did help participation a lot.

When the second version of the CL manual was published, a new tracking sheet had been designed which immensely improved the understanding of the average member. Today most members still do not think to bring along their CL manual or to pull it out and pass it around. I've heard of some clubs that keep everyone's CL manual with the clubs materials so they cannot be forgotten, but none of my clubs have done this yet.

I do hope that we can find a way to better educate new and old members alike in the usage and benefits of the Competent Leadership manual. It's so easy to do since you are not doing anything more than you already do as a club member. The only difference is you are getting feedback, and that's why you joined Toastmasters in the first place, right?

I know! We need to add one more project at the beginning of the Toastmasters curriculum and required every 6-12 months: Taking The Initiative!