Professional Associations and
Volunteers:
Today's Movers and Shakers
Dr. Lewis R. Ireland © 2002, All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
Change to a profession comes about through competitive pressures for individuals
and organizations, and frequently through professional associations and their
volunteers. Professional associations provide the environment for thinking about
ways to improve practices, products, and processes. Volunteers work together
to collectively to do what may be impossible for a single person to do. No one
can stand still in a profession - a person is either moving ahead or falling
behind because of change.
Professional associations provide a focal point for volunteers. These associations
bring together talent through a variety of programs that stimulate interest
and enthusiasm for new ideas and advancement of components of the profession.
A recent example is that several professional associations have concentrated
on identification and codification of "best practices." Typically, advancing
the profession leads to different views of the discipline and determining methods
for improving its efficiency and effectiveness. These volunteers, who freely
contribute time and energy, become part of a dynamic movement that shapes the
future of the profession.
Volunteers become have a part of the knowledge and are willing to share this
with others for the common good. The different perspectives of professional
challenges leads to exchanges of ideas Each volunteer gives of himself or herself
to the extent possible. Volunteers are "paid" for the efforts through professional
growth and recognition among their peers as being thought leaders, leaders in
the profession, and knowledge experts. All volunteers play a critical part in
advancing their chosen profession.
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Working with Volunteers
Individuals freely contributing their time, energy, knowledge, and personal
resources are selective as to which "project" they work on. It must be challenging,
but achievable. It must be something of interest and in sufficient depth to
hold that interest. It must produce a result that is greater than what existed
before. Individuals "feed" upon these items and want to be a part of a significant
undertaking. Whatever the reason, volunteers are the life blood of any professional
association and the rungs on the ladder to advancing the discipline.
Volunteer efforts are accomplished through teamwork and dedication to the project
being undertaken. The team is comprised of those showing interest and having
the time to commit to being a part of the team's mission. Unlike a well-managed
project, planning may be soft. Goals are sometime undefined and the end result
may not be fully envisioned when the project starts. Flaws in the process or
random efforts may frustrate willing volunteers and result in less than full
contribution to the effort.
Improving the process by which volunteers become involved and are able to participate
in the project can materially affect the outcome. Ways to improve volunteer
team performance are:
Wherever possible, set goals and keep them visible before the group. Remember,
the team will be working part time and sporadically on the project. Some volunteers
will have more time to devote to the project than others, but everyone needs
to be given the opportunity to contribute.
Volunteers will have varying degrees of knowledge and skills. Everyone should
be encouraged to contribute to the effort either through direct inputs or by
serving as critics - ones who test the validity of a statement or proposal.
Volunteers should be given the opportunity to remove themselves from the team
if external circumstances do not allow their full participation. Seldom will
they remove themselves unless this is agreed to at the start of the project.
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The team should have informal rules for individual behavior and conduct. These
rules may include:
. Regularly schedule meetings.
. Agree to time for comments and critiques.
. Agree to self-removal if one is unable to continue the commitment.
. Agree to let all team members participate in activities.
. Agree to update the rules at each meeting.
. Set an overall guiding theme and mission statement for the team.
. If the work effort is long and complicated, it may be best to divide it into
phases. Each phase should deliver a product to give a sense of accomplishment.
. Avoid arbitrary setting of time goals. Many times the goals will be set with
much more time duration than needed. Long-term goals can have the effect of
losing focus on what is to be done.
The unique mixture of talents among the volunteers has benefits that will seldom
be achieved in an organization that has one business line or group think going.
These unique talents can reveal different ways of accomplishing work and new
processes that are more efficient and effective. The key, of course, is to provide
the environment for volunteers to achieve goals.
Some rules that were developed for an organizational effectiveness workshop
apply to volunteer efforts. These rules are helpful in achieving goals with
the least amount of difficulty.
. Keep an open mind, respect the opinion of others, and watch "doing things
because that is the way they have always been done."
. Make only agreements that you can and intend to keep.
. Work with others for a better relationship tomorrow than you have today -
nurture and encourage others to do the same.
. Be supportive of other's efforts and accept support from others.
. Acknowledge the achievement of others.
. Support decisions that you may not fully agree with.
. Be committed to and consistent with the goals of the team or organization.
. Work for "completion" of tasks rather than for an "end" to tasks.
. Emphasize teamwork and cooperation among everyone.
. Listen to others and learn what they are saying - exercise powers of judgment,
conception, and inference.
. Complain only about those things that can be changed and complain to the person
who can change it.
. Be committed to excellence in everything you do.
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Working as a Volunteer
The excitement and enthusiasm to be a part of something new and different is
often overwhelming and causes individuals to volunteer on the spur of the moment.
Instant volunteering permits a person to become involved and there is some commitment.
The real benefit, however, is when a person actually meets the commitments through
active participation.
Volunteers should frequently reassess their commitment and adjust to the situation.
It is well to remember that a volunteer position has benefits, but it cannot
replace a job and should not detract from family life. Commitments to job and
family are more important and need to be managed first. Volunteer work is second
to these commitments.
Volunteers must always conduct themselves professionally and with courtesy
toward others. They should use the knowledge and skills of their respective
profession to advance the volunteer team. Some examples for project managers
might be:
. Conduct meetings as you would on a project and as you would encourage others
to conduct meetings. Your performance is a reflection of your professional competence.
. Start the meeting on time with an agenda
. Stick to the subject and keep minutes
. Finish on time and assign actions to individuals
. Show respect for others and give them equal opportunity to speak on subjects.
. Listen when others speak and do not try to compete with them for the floor.
. Share information with others and encourage others to share.
. Develop a plan and goals for the team.
. Make only commitments that you can and intend to meet.
. Park egos at the door to permit open discussions and all around learning.
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Listening as part of communicating
Communication in volunteer efforts is essential to maintain good relations and
to ensure commonality of purpose. Perhaps the most important part of communications
is listening. Listening to understand is critical to ensure coordinated efforts
and discussions on points being made by the speaker. Some "rules for listening"
that have been developed by various groups over the past 20 years are summarized
here.
Stop talking when another person is speaking. No sidebar conversations and
no comments until the speaker is finished. No doodling, tapping, or shuffling
papers while the other person is speaking.
While listening, write pertinent points for subsequent discussion. Capture the
idea rather than the verbatim words.
. Look at the speaker and watch his/her body language.
. Seek the full meaning of what is being said. Empathize with the speaker -
place yourself in his/her position.
. Ask for clarification of items that are not understood.
. Do not become angry or hostile toward the speaker if you disagree with what
is being said. Wait your turn to address the issue.
Discussion of Points
Our knowledge of situations often drive use to "the usual" solution. Being open
and considering the viewpoint of others can broaden our horizon and let us grow
in another direction.
Challenge the issue - not the individual. Focus on the statement or issue without
attacking the speaker.
Never become angry over a statement made by another or allow your emotions to
control your response to issues. Remember that different ideas result in new,
better solutions.
Seek clarity without demonstrating any animosity toward others.
Because volunteers are each unique, we must be cautious of fault finding and
overlooking the strengths. One person said: "forget about his faults because
they will do nothing for the team - play to his strengths." Be gentle in how
we speak of and to others. Individuals have strengths that we want to tap for
the volunteer effort.
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Summary
Volunteers get "paid" through professional growth and recognition for being
pace setters. Volunteer work is secondary to family and job and should not place
a burden on an individual to compromise either family time or job time. Volunteers
bring the best out when they are given the challenge, the environment, and opportunity
to contribute.
Establish rules for team and individual behavior facilitates working together.
Use those knowledge and skills that we have gained from our profession — refine
and exercise them to the maximum. We all like to know what to expect from others
and what is expected of us. Meet those commitments that we make and follow through
by keeping others informed. Follow the rules of the volunteer team or ask that
the rules be changed.
Practice improving ourselves in a volunteer capacity the same as we would on
a job or when trying to impress our boss.
When we are dealing with others, "tap their strengths" and avoid fault-finding.
Their strengths will help us get to the goal. Speak with respect and kindly
to others so that our team works like a well-oiled machine. Listen hard, listen
well to others for they are the source of new knowledge.
Author: Lew Ireland is an executive project management consultant, who
resides in Tennessee. He is a Fellow of the Project Management Institute
and served as that organization's President and Chair in 1998. Currently,
he serves as the President of asapm.
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