Page 10 - 2019 April

COVER STORY
members. He kept receiving “District Dollars”
in the mail for doing so. (The District ran an
incentive program for several years that awarded
District Dollars for achieving goals—one of
which was membership growth). By the time he
figured out what they were, he had accumulated
enough to purchase the entire library of
advanced manuals.
Cleon remembered that at one point, Dave
Hiller, the then District Governor, asked him to
come on stage at one of the District meetings and
share how he was so successful at recruiting new
members. Cleon said when he looked out over
the audience, there were over a hundred pairs of
eyes looking at him. While still not comfortable
in large crowds, he held his ground and talked
to the attendees.
Cleon became more involved in Toastmasters.
10 ONE COMMUNITY
He attended district events, conferences, and
contests though he didn’t compete until the late
1990s. “My first competition, they actually ‘lured’
me in, threw me into it before I realized what
it was. After that, I didn’t compete for a couple
of years.”
In the beginning, Cleon felt guilty because
of how many people he was talking to about
Toastmasters. ‘Proselytizing’ is the word he used.
After much soul searching, he realized he was
offering a beneficial solution, and that people
had free will to follow his suggestions or not. He
continues to follow that philosophy today as he
interacts with people around the world.
As an example, consider Cleon on social
media. When complete strangers ask to connect,
he responds “sure, have you heard about
Toastmasters?” Often they reply that they’ve
considered joining. Cleon then connects them
to a club in their area. He’s been known to go a
step further and ask the hosting club to mention
his name when the guest shows up!
Over the years, he has earned multiple
pins, neckties, and other paraphernalia from
Toastmasters International for the number of
people he’s converted to members. Every couple
of years or so, someone at a District meeting, will
ask everyone who had been recruited by Cleon
to stand. Over half the room will be on its feet.
Gary Schmidt, 2009-2010 Toastmasters
International President, awarded Cleon with
the 2010 President’s Citation “for his dedicated
service to the organization, his amazing
membership recruitment efforts, and his
continuous contributions without expectation
of reward. He has built countless Toastmasters
clubs, and he helped me organize the corporate
visits for Ted Corcoran’s Presidential Visit to
District 7 back in 2003.”
Cleon has a mantra: ‘In everything I
do, I must have fun, meet people, and learn
something.’ I’ve quoted him numerous times
as I’ve spread the message of Toastmasters to
everyone who would listen.
I asked him why he attends so many
networking events and what’s his purpose in
doing so. “I began going to networking events
after I started the Job Finders Support Group
27 years ago. I realized that people looking for
work needed to be out meeting other people. It’s
not the only way to do it, but it is probably the
most efficient way to go about it. Many people
don’t want to do that. They’d rather just mail in
resumes, but they don’t get the results they need.
“So I began going to groups and then telling
people about it in my support group. I told them
I met this person, I met that person, and what
opportunities were out there.”
Cleon often talks about the ‘hidden’ job
market, the one that passes information from
person to person by word of mouth. Cox opined
“80-90% of the job openings out there are
hidden—meaning they haven’t been thought
of, they haven’t been publicized, the company
doesn’t realize they need the person—many
reasons make it hidden. It’s relationship building
not just passing out business cards.”
When asked what could others do to be
effective in meeting people, Cleon shared “be
open, listen in depth. Quiet the questions in your
head and just listen. Find out about the people.
The value is getting to know them.”
From a young man afraid to connect with
people to the Networking Whisperer as he calls
himself today, Cleon continues to inspire me
to follow his lead. As Gary Schmidt said, Cleon
shares himself and his experiences for the love
of doing so without expectation of reward. His
dedication to learning and leading others to
discover their own skills and abilities is a gift
worth cherishing indeed.
VOICES! | APRIL 2019 11