Volunteering: One "Do" and One "Don't"

I'd like to cover one "do" and one "don't" about volunteering at a company.

The "do:"
Volunteering for an assignment or opportunity is great and motivational. And, it sets a great tone at the company - if, and only if, the person volunteering is 100 percent sincere and dedicated to it. If it's a negotiation ("I'll do that, but here are a couple other things I can't get to") or, if it's not from the heart ("I'm willing to volunteer"), forget it. It's worthless. If it is sincere and you can feel the passion and dedication in the person's voice, then it's great.

The "don't:"
You can't volunteer someone else. Just like in baseball, if there's a pop-up and two fielders are going for it, one is supposed to yell out, "Mine." Yelling out "Yours" is an obvious mistake in baseball. The same in business. We can't volunteer a co-worker for something we should do ourselves. If you're the right person for the job and you can do it - but you don't feel like it - it's best to look internally and figure out why.

The "do" is a boon for a company. The "don't" is a downer and it is seen clearly by everyone.


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com