“The most significant contributions leaders make are not to today’s bottom line but to the long-term development of individuals and institutions that adapt, prosper and grow. People should never take on the job of leadership if they’re unwilling to see beyond their own needs. If they do, they will ultimately fail.” – James Kouzes & Barry Posner in “A Leader’s Legacy”.
It is commonly understood that leadership is strongly linked to service. Although many leaders fail to recognise the maxim, to be called to lead is to be called to serve. There a body of research and ideas on servant leadership pioneered by Robert Greenleaf in the book titled, “Servant Leadership”. Servant leadership continues to evolve in the mainstream of leadership studies. One of the notable expressions of servant leadership is in volunteering to serve without pecuniary benefits. Consequently, volunteering to lead is an activity that many people would rather avoid. Yet, numerous high impact activities across the world occur through volunteering. While it may be argued that every leader volunteers, the premise of volunteering for the purpose of this article is the absence of financial reward. The article outlines four perspectives about volunteering to lead.
Get Involved
We can spend all our time complaining about the problems the world is facing while doing nothing personally to solve the problems. Whatever we desire that is not taking place partly arises from the fact that there arenot enough people working on it. Opportunities abound to join in solving problems in residential communities, parent-teacher forums, social clubs, alumni bodies and so on.
To be a problem-solver instead of a problem-identifier, you have get involved. It is much easier to gripe about what is wrong than to get involved in making it right. Our communities are longing for volunteers to carry burdens. Hundreds of disenfranchised groups could do with support from problem-solvers. If you do not get involved in any way, then your justification for complaining is severely diminished. Get involved and be a problem-solver!
Make a contribution
No individual, no matter how wealthy or powerful is capable of solving all the world’s problems. Consequently, to get involved requires a mind set of contribution. This mind set implies not seeking to do everything but actively doing something – making a contribution – no matter how small. To contribute is to give something to help a person, group, cause or organisation. It also means to help to cause something to happen.
In volunteering, you cause things to happen without expecting any financial reward. The contribution in itself is a reward. The legacy that you leave is also a reward.
Personally, I have had the privilege of serving in residential and school communities and volunteering for causes. It is not that I expect to positively change everything but I know I have made a contribution towards changing something. Are you making contributions that add something or bringing lamentations that add nothing?
Use the learning ground
Many of the practical lessons I have learnt about leadership came from volunteer settings. Volunteering can be a prelude to greater responsibility in leadership while providing a learning ground which is not necessarily soft. Indeed, leading volunteers frequently requires a greater display of leadership skills than corporate settings where hierarchies may be supportive of leadership. In contrast, you cannot compel people in volunteer settings to do things on the basis of your position. Rather, you have to learn persuasion. You have to develop emotional intelligence. You actively and rapidly develop skills to lead – managing relationships, listening, team building, diversity, and taking comments as critical but not personal. When I served as PTA Chairman at Greensprings School, I learnt how to relate with all sorts of parents, to hold balanced views and keep meetings on course without strife. If you want to learn leadership, a volunteer role is a highly recommended school.
Accept the challenge
Sometimes leadership is thrust on people. At other times, they seek positions of leadership. Whatever be the case, there is a need to accept the challenge of leadership. In volunteering, accepting the challenge entails the recognition that there will be no financial benefit. It also has to be acknowledged that your position is not as hierarchically defined as might be found in profit-making organisations.
It is easier to swallow criticism when you earn a decent reward for your position. It is harder to do when you feel, “why all these bullets when nobody is paying me.” In volunteer leadership, you accept the challenge of managing divergent opinions without being able to claim organisational seniority. Leaders also have to be more collaborative in dealing with their constituents. In fact, conflict in volunteer organisations is mostly the result of leaders wanting to superimpose their ideas on a group of people. One rebelling voice is enough to invite trouble. Still, to lead volunteers is to accept the unique challenges that come with the territory.
Four perspectives…
Get involved, make a contribution, use the learning ground, and accept the challenge.
Wenyimi Jemide
