SMI Leadership Institute

Leadership skills are of the utmost importance to sales professionals and to organizations including SMI. Your development as a leader gives your career an edge and is personally enriching. As a member, you have many paths and opportunities to grow as a leader. You can lead CSP® communities and volunteer projects. You can be mentored by other experienced and successful leaders. You may network and collaborate with peers who share your desire to lead and grow.

Participate actively and you can become eligible for the Leadership Institute— a multi-faceted program of intensive development to prepare the future leaders of the profession and the Institute. Many of our own leaders have completed this program.

Volunteer Levels of Learning

Formal levels of learning guide your progress as a volunteer and help us match your skills and experience to the leadership roles that become available.

• Prospective volunteers are new members who would like to contribute in a non-leadership role.
• Learning volunteers are engaged in their first organized activity within SMI, working on a deliverable.
• New volunteer leaders may chair a committee, or serve as newly elected or appointed leaders of a community, or lead a CSP® project team.
• Experienced volunteer leaders are experienced leaders of chapters, communities, big projects, or new products that are in development. These leaders may be part of a member advisory group, or serve as president or officer of a large community. They aspire to lead a large, self-motivated group through strategic direction-setting.
• Strategic volunteer leaders are elected or appointed. They may serve on the SMI Board of Directors, lead a mature community or lead the development of a product or program.They have mastered the competencies of strategic leadership and play a large role in setting SMI direction.