Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to engage in discussions with the heads of various volunteer organisations. The structures ranged from paid membership to unpaid membership, from professionals to non-professionals. One of the similarities of these discussions was the challenge of performance management of volunteers.
How do we as leaders consistently mobilise membership to deliver on organisational goals?
The reality is people join organisations for varied reasons – for fun, for professional development, for self fulfillment, because at that juncture they have “some time”, because it looks good on their resumes. So that the extent of their active involvement is really dependent on the extent to which the organisation meets their priority need at the given point in time.
I think that our role as leaders of these volunteer organisations is to “hold that space” for the membership, while keeping the organisation itself on its strategic course. There will be times when the boat is full and all are paddling in the same direction and at other times the crew will be limited. I believe that the head of volunteer organisations really needs to be egoless, other than that the sheer dynamics of attempting to meet the expectations of volunteers could prove overwhelming ….
When last seen, Judy as President of the Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT) was taking a Time Out, to ensure that she did not become overwhelmed by the preparations for the AFETT-RBC International Women’s Day Luncheon, but simply holds the space for the event to unfold.
Time Out …….. the intentional cessation of an incomplete task
Judy Joseph Mc Sween is the Business Intuitive/CEO of Meredith Mc Sween International – using Untapped Knowledge to facilitate internal transformation in individuals, teams and organisations. Contact Judy for information on her “Time Out Corporate Interventions” Email judy@meredithmcsween.com or call 684 9827
are you ready for a time out? 