Candidate's Name: Dora Guo

 

Candidate's Office: District Director

 

Toastmasters member since:2012

 

Education:

Diploma - Xi’an International Studies University

MBA - Xi’an JiaoTong University

 

Toastmasters offices held and terms of service:

2017-2018 Division H Director

2018-2019 Club Growth Director

2019-2020 Program Quality Director

 

Toastmasters honors and recognition:

2016-2017 Area Director of the Year

2018-2019 Excellent Club Growth

 

 

 

 

Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a District leader: 

I have been working as a China Sales Manager in a French company for 4 years. I own the overall business performances of China market. In addition, I'm account for China business development, key accounts growth and hitting sales target. These accountabilities required me to have intensive practices of strategic planning, team leading, project management and customer communication. As the future District Director, I'm putting District Mission to the my highest priority, taking advantage of the lesson-learnt of my relevant work experience and leading my 4,000+ fellow Toastmasters "Growth Together".

 

What experience do you have in strategic planning?

In my Toastmaster leading experience, strategic planning always plays the critical role of a club, area, division and district success. The strategic planning always involves understanding the internal and external environment where we are living, what is our strength and weakness, what are opportunities and threats we are facing. The yearly strategic objectives is a reasonable choice under the current environment. For example, when my distract facing a booming needs of English public speeches, me and my team choose to put fast growth as the No.1 objective. Another example is related current COVID19 pandemic, strategic plan shall adapt to the changes of internal or external environment, that is why we had pro-actively move all our regular meetings to on-line, and we use China spring festival to practice who to hold an on-line meeting so that we minimize the harmfulness of renewal rate and education progression.

 

What experience do you have in the area of finance?

I have worked as club treasure. In addition, I was the finance coordinator in my previous work. As the budget plan and reimbursement approver, I have been working with Finance managers in the past 3 years.

 

What experience do you have in developing procedures?

When I start my strategic account management work, since I have limited resources. I need a standardized way to manage the account product and service offerings and account discount policy and yearly account plan so that to improve the management effectiveness. So I developed a procedure that include a collection of actions that shall take when a new key account is added. This procedure improves the effectiveness of coordinating with different departments when dealing new key accounts.

 

What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?

Picture the future, give people hope, empower and manage talents can help unleash the potential of Toastmasters members and help them find more possibilities.

 

Why do you want to serve as a District leader?

1. Leading the team to achieve the leadership and eduction goals 2. Empower members and help them become a better version of themselves, become an effective leader of myself. Chinese saying: 度人自度

 

In your opinion, what are the District mission’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?

Usually, I will see District Mission in two parts, build new clubs, support all the clubs in achieving excellence, I will focus on 8.5% increase on the membership and payments, in the same time, together with my team, we will find the way to minimize the COVID19 impacts. Like, launching special programs to support club growth their membership and improve eduction quality.

 

Additional information about yourself:

In 2020-2021 Toastmasters year, Everyone Must Grow. Means, in the 1st Pathways year, we will involve every member to the growth programs, no member shall been lifted behind. Must show the strong willingness and ambitions. Growth fits current opportunities of District 88, and Growth is the leading strategic objective, means we will put more strategic focus on new member growth and member's personal growth.