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SHEDDING LIGHT ON LEADING VOLUNTEERS
10 THINGS TO KEEP HANDY AND REMEMBER AS LEADERS OF VOLUNTEERS
By Del Albright
By the nature of the title "volunteer leader," there is never enough time to do all the things you want to do or thought you should do. Being a volunteer is a part-time job at best. Thus, we must learn to prioritize and get those things done that accomplish the most bang for our buck and get the most action out of others we influence. In all cases, to lead volunteers, we must learn to inspire, motivate, and facilitate action if we want to be successful (and keep trails open).
Here are 10 tips to remember and keep handy as a volunteer leader, always strapped for time, always on some sort of time-crunch, and never fully supported for what you need to do. (smile).
1. Deliver what you promise, and don't promise what you can't deliver.
2. For speeches, remember to tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.
3. When dealing with bureaucracy, never take the first three "no's." Be persistent in what you want.
4. A leader doing one thing gets one thing done; a leader motivating (supervising) 7 people to action gets 7 things done.
5. The Leadership Triangle reminds us to Inspire, motivate, and facilitate volunteers.
6. A complaint is never legitimate until it is voiced to someone who can fix it.
7. Aerobic listening is more than active listening -- give and receive feedback with volunteers.
8. Draw a picture -- most volunteers are visual. Give them something to "see" what is in your mind you want done.
9. A leader makes things happen; as they say, lead, follow, or get out of the way.
10. Never forget that a volunteer is giving you their most precious commodity -- their time. Treat it with respect and never waste it.
Leading volunteers to victory can be learned; you are not necessarily "born" with that ability. With a volunteer, you are asking them to do something- not bossing them around. Use your nice voice and be patient. And most importantly, in any volunteer effort, always say THANK YOU when the job is done.
Get my book on Amazon with every tip and trick I know for leading volunteers and being a good volunteer while saving trails. HERE.
##Del
