LEADING WITHOUT AUTHORITY WHY YOU SHOULD TREAT EVERYONE LIKE VOLUNTEERS Presented by: Lauren Duplessis
LAUREN DUPLESSIS MANAGER OF VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT, BAKERRIPLEY ▸ 10+ years experience in volunteer management ▸ Oversee management of over 7,000 volunteers annually ▸ Board President of the Houston Association of Volunteer Administrators ▸ MA, Human Dimensions of Organizations from University of Texas at Austin, focused on leadership.
STAFF VS. VOLUNTEER MOTIVATION: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? ▸ J.L. Pearce: “Job Attitude and Motivation Differences between Volunteers and Employees” ▸ Study of volunteers and employees doing the same jobs in comparable organizations ▸ Volunteers, doing the same work as employees, reported: ▸ They work for the rewards of social interaction and service to others. ▸ They work for a cause they believe in. ▸ They are more satisfied and less likely to leave their organizations. ▸ Paid or Unpaid, everyone has the option to leave.
IF YOU CAN MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO WORK FOR FREE AND ENJOY IT… WHAT CAN’T YOU DO?
VOLUNTEER MANAGERS = AMAZING PEOPLE MANAGERS ▸ Volunteers are often some of the most engaged individuals at non-profit organizations. ▸ Volunteer management as a profession encompasses some of the most skilled and experienced leaders in our industry. ▸ The unique skills and talents of volunteer managers have not yet been analyzed and applied to paid employees. ▸ Best practices in volunteer management applied to employee management = LEADERSHIP, without authority.
GREAT LEADERS DON’T FORCE PEOPLE TO FOLLOW, THEY INVITE THEM ON A JOURNEY. Charles S. Lauer
IMAGINE THE WORST BOSS YOU EVER HAD.
IMAGINE THE WORST BOSS YOU EVER HAD. ▸ Micromanaging ▸ Lack of guidance ▸ Divisive ▸ Doesn’t listen ▸ Two-faced
IMAGINE THE BEST BOSS YOU EVER HAD.
IMAGINE THE BEST BOSS YOU EVER HAD. ▸ Defines Purpose ▸ Leads with Authenticity ▸ Encourages Input and Grants Autonomy ▸ Prioritizes Appreciation ▸ Builds Community
CHANGE PERSPECTIVE IF THIS PERSON DIDN’T HAVE TO BE HERE, WOULD I TREAT THEM DIFFERENTLY?
PURPOSE ▸ Why does it matter? ▸ Underlying motivation for everything we do. ▸ Tie everything back to the overall mission of the organization. ▸ If you don’t know why you’re asking someone to do something, maybe you shouldn’t be asking them to do it. ▸ In order to do something well, you need to know why you are doing it and why it matters.
JOAN OF ARC ▸ Poor peasant girl in the 1400’s ▸ Passion and charisma to lead the French army into many victories ▸ Expert in communicating what she believed ▸ Fighting for God’s glory, not for the king’s political agenda ▸ Positively influenced turn in the war because she tied men’s everyday tasks to the greater overall mission
TIPS FROM A VOLUNTEER MANAGER ▸ Clearly (and often) communicate the vision. ▸ Provide clearly written job descriptions. ▸ Ensure that volunteers know exactly what’s expected of them. ▸ Communicate progress being made on a regular basis. Volunteers need to see that their efforts are having impact. ▸ Make sure everyone in the organization understands and can clearly articulate the mission.
AUTHENTICITY ▸ “People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe” - Simon Sinek ▸ We are drawn to leaders and organizations that are good at communicating what they believe. ▸ Transparency - Be honest about the cost and benefits. ▸ What is this really going to cost them? ▸ How much is this really going to benefit you? ▸ Build trust and respect by showing you believe in the mission and act in a manner that is according to that mission.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ▸ When leaders feel free to be their authentic selves, they tend to recruit people like them with similar values and beliefs. ▸ Southwest employees are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work. ▸ “A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.” ▸ “People should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title.” ▸ When employees are happy, customers are happy. Herb Kelleher, Founder
TIPS FROM A VOLUNTEER MANAGER ▸ Take the time to authentically welcome volunteers and orient them to their new role. ▸ When there are setbacks or breakdowns, learn from them — and share your learnings with others. ▸ Honor your commitments (and if, for any reason, you cannot — renegotiate them with volunteers). ▸ Be kind and respectful in all your interactions. ▸ Do your best to make sure everyone is enjoying the process of participating. ▸ Follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
AUTONOMY AND INPUT ▸ Leadership - Embedding the capacity for greatness in the people and practices of an organization and decoupling it from the personality of the leader. ▸ Respect - “Being the leader means holding the highest rank…Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you – not because they have to, but because they want to” —Simon Sinek ▸ Trust - “The role of the leader is not to come up with the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen” —Simon Sinek ▸ Be there when they’re having problems, and stay out of their way when things are going well. — Herb Kelleher
CAPTAIN DAVID MARQUET ▸ Commander of the nuclear submarine Santa Fe, realized during a simple drill, having one point of command was not only limiting to the efficiency of operations of the sub, it was downright dangerous. ▸ Psychological ownership: Vowed to never give an order again. ▸ If you want your people to think, stop giving instructions, give intent. Allow them to think for themselves. Give control. ▸ You achieve greatness when your team achieves greatness on every level.
TIPS FROM A VOLUNTEER MANAGER ▸ Create a trusting environment that ensures open communication, teamwork, and respect for diversity. ▸ Keep everyone on your team informed of the inevitable changes (i.e. direction, policy, timelines, goals, personnel etc.) ▸ Give and receive feedback (both formally and informally). ▸ Fill out Project Briefs on all projects you are inviting volunteer participation — and share them with volunteers. ▸ Conduct exit interviews whenever a volunteer ends their participation or is asked to step aside. ▸ Share your learnings from the exit interviews with other managers. ▸ Provide opportunities for volunteers to learn and grow. ▸ Teach volunteers in leadership positions how to delegate.
APPRECIATION ▸ Be authentic! ▸ Be grateful, often. ▸ Incorporate appreciation in every meeting and interaction you have. ▸ When individuals feel appreciated and important, they are more likely to feel connected to the program and continue their involvement.
TIPS FROM A VOLUNTEER MANAGER ▸ Enthusiastically acknowledge successes, especially “small wins”. ▸ Respond to input, questions, and feedback as soon as possible. Don’t leave people hanging. ▸ Build some interpersonal chat time into your meetings and conference calls. ▸ Even when you are stressed or behind deadline, take the time to make sure your emails have a feeling of warmth to them.
BUILD COMMUNITY ▸ Transform your group into a highly-functioning community of individuals who want to be their best, who feel exceptionally valued, and who celebrate one another’s successes. ▸ “Our need to belong…is a constant that exists across all people and all cultures. When we feel like we belong, we feel connected and safe. As humans, we crave that feeling and seek it out” - Simon Sinek ▸ A place where people feel safe to share their opinion, try new things, make mistakes, work for a cause they believe in, and can be their authentic selves is a place I would like to work.
TIPS FROM A VOLUNTEER MANAGER ▸ Use “we” and “us” statements in correspondence. ▸ We are all in this together and you are part of our team. ▸ Work alongside us to serve Houston’s working families. ▸ Create opportunities for volunteers to get to know each other: socials, appreciation events, shared facebook, etc. ▸ Always tie communication back to the overall mission. At the end of every project, tell the volunteer what impact they made and why they are an important part of the whole agency.
BE THE BEST BOSS LEADER YOU CAN BE Lauren Duplessis 713.669.5246 LDuplessis@BakerRipley.org
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