Wanted

VOLUNTEER

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Volunteering is the essential practice of

giving more than you are contracted for

Volunteering demonstrates that you have a positive,

proactive attitude towards you work. It will not go

unnoticed. Be a mindful volunteer.

Always be the one to raise your hand when your boss asks for a

volunteer. Too often there will be an uneasy silence and people

will mumble to themselves, ‘I’m too busy’ or ‘I’ve got too much

on my plate already’.

It doesn’t matter. No matter what is on

your plate volunteer for more. In

theory there is a limit to what you can

do during sensible hours of hard work

but in practice there is always scope

for more.

It is the volunteers who get noticed, who get extra points during

those crucial moments of summing up when top executives

decide who should get the job. Volunteering is also fun. It brings

new experiences and challenges together with a break from the

daily grind. Volunteering refreshes the mind and provides a

stimulus to explore new territory.

Furthermore do not just volunteer for the ‘juicy jobs’ (the two-

week project in Cape Town) but also for those jobs nobody else

wants to touch (addressing the congestion problem in the

company car park). I recall attending my first senior executive

meeting when the chief executive commented, ‘We really do

need someone to sort out the car parking problem – it’s been

festering for such a long time.’ Everyone looked at me – the new

boy. I volunteered. Another colleague later informed me I had

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wa nte d

It is the volunteers

who get noticed. It is

the volunteers who

are wanted in any

organisation

taken on a poisoned chalice – nobody had been able to sort out

the car parking problem in five years. It was sorted.

Volunteering can relate to any type of job and to any activity,

whether it is volunteering to work over the weekend to clear up a

major backlog of work or to take a six-month secondment ‘up

North’ to resuscitate an ailing branch operation.

In terms of motivation seeking volunteers is far more effective

than imposing additional tasks on unwilling employees. The use

of volunteers becomes a helpful selection tool as it identifies

those who are more motivated than others, more hard working,

more imaginative and more prepared to stretch themselves.

The corollary is that if you volunteer you must do it. There are

people who volunteer and then neglect the very task they have

taken on board. This happens in organisations where people are

rarely called to account and lame excuses are accepted at face

value. To be an effective volunteer you must be serious about the

new project in addition to any ongoing work you are still

responsible for.

PRA C T I CA L TI P

G

Do not hesitate when your boss seeks a volunteer for an

important project. Be the first to raise your hand –

irrespective of your current workload. You will manage and

everyone will benefit.

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Volunteer