Many of the soft skills required to be an effective leader can’t be taught in a classroom or absorbed by reading the latest self-help best seller. Leadership is gained from experience in the field - we learn to lead by leading.
While the expectations we face as managers in the workplace may regularly stretch our skills and push us to become better leaders, there is often a limit to what we can learn on the job. We need to be able to test and sharpen our skills in different environments with different people and different challenges.
One of the best ways to accelerate the development of high-potential employees is to allow them the opportunity to become engaged in pro bono work. According to a study by Deloitte and the Points or Light Foundation, 63% of business professionals think volunteering has had a positive effect on their career.
Donating skills to a charity can be an incredibly rich learning experience. This is one reason why the best law firms require pro bono work of all their attorneys and make it a prerequisite for making partner. However, pro bono work is not, nor should be, confined to the legal profession. Nonprofit organizations are in need of a wide range of pro bono support - from human resources to technology to marketing.
Leadership Development
Leadership has always been recognized as critical to the success of any team or organization. By investing in the leadership development of employees, companies are able to expand the capacity of teams to effectively set direction, create alignment and maintain commitment. The challenge is creating development opportunities for all up-and-coming leaders in the company on a continual basis.
Team-based pro bono service provides an excellent and challenging way for managers to explore and expand their leadership skills. Whether they are directly managing a pro bono team, helping to manage and meet client expectations, or providing strategic leadership within the team, each employee will leave the project a better leader, manager and facilitator.
Effective Communication & Relationship Development
In a diverse, dispersed and fast-moving business environment, effective communication is vital. By working for an external client, participants also learn how to be effective consultants: professionals who are able to listen to the needs of clients and team members and advance the goals of the collective group. Over the course of a project, team members may be asked to communicate by email, phone and in person with their team members and clients. They can gain experience working one-on-one as well as in groups. They have the opportunity to take full advantage of today's technology and utilze tools to create a seamless, virtual teaming experience. Finally, in the course of a project, they have several opportunities to set agendas, prioritize a multitude of competing activities, run meetings and make presentations to their peers and nonprofit leaders.
Diversity
Effective teams harness the experience, skills and perspectives of all of their members. The performance of a team improves exponentially when it is able to embrace and leverage the differences of its members and engage their full participation.
Pro bono consultants work closely with the executive team of a local nonprofit, exposing them to another set of assumptions, values and communication challenges. It pushes them to re-examine the way they approach their work and the people around them.
The Opportunity
Overall, pro bono work provides a myriad of benefits to a company with very few risks. Employees who participate in pro bono work become more engaged with their communities, learn a variety of practical and innovative skills, and work with a diversity of perspectives and skill sets. The company benefits from its employees' exposure in a wider arena and from the leadership experience employees gain from the projects. Pro bono work is one path to a more harmonized society, and one in which it is fairly easy to make a significant impact.
© 2006 Taproot Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
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