Lisa is a paid volunteer at Noah’s Ark Animal Foundation. She’s paid. And she volunteers. Noah's Ark is lucky. And your organization would be lucky to have a paid volunteer like Lisa.
Let me back up. I’ve known Lisa for 20+ years. In Fairfield years that’s equal to at least 2 if not 3 lifetimes.
Lisa is a huge Cubbie’s fan. And Lisa ( you know I love you ) is loud, boisterous and opinionated. She’s also kind, generous, giving, has a great big heart. Combine all that and you could say fairly and accurately...she cares. She puts it all on the line, everywhere she goes.
Every weekend she’s hosting a party or soiree somewhere, either at her home or wherever she is with her huge camper. Go to one of her parties and there’s food and drinks and people from all over town. When she’s not doing that or even when she is she’s helping at the shelter and other places around town.
She’s loud and boisterous and opinionated in doing or trying to do what’s best, what she understands is best, using what she understands are the best tools to do what’s best and right for the business and the customers.
She’s engaged. She’s passionate. She’s motivated. She cares. And she brings that every day with whatever tools and encouragement are given. That's engaged. That's an engaged employee.
She's paid. And she volunteers. Do you have anyone in your organization who's paid AND volunteers?
Can you ask for something more?
Here are ways to recognize an engaged employee, a paid volunteer.
- They care.
- They’re opinionated.
- They’re leaders.
- They stand out. They don’t fit in.
- They press you and push you.
- They’re boisterous.
- They confront you when you want agreement. They worry and they share their worries.
- Sometimes...gasp...they’re wrong. And there’s the great and big learning lessons for you both.
And if you listen, and if you engage, and if you care just a bit as much as they care...they’ll help drive your organization to be even better. And you, them.
Passionate engaged employees bring your organization to greater heights. They also push and pull you out of your comfort zone to greater heights.And if you listen to them, you care about them, you can do the same for them.
The challenge for leaders is to listen. The challenge is to recognize what’s behind their passion. The challenge is to find their spot, their strength spot, where time for them flies by because they can exhibit their greatest skills and talents. This is a never-easy task. It’s a leader’s greatest challenge. It’s a leader’s greatest reward. And the challenge only rises with every success.
You see for those who still maintain a passion about their life too often they’ve never found an organization who cares enough to do all that. But listening helps everyone find it. And find it in a way that adds meaning and depth to your relationship.
And, if you do, you have a passionate, committed, engaged paid volunteer who will find even greater resources to drive your organization and themselves to even greater heights.Lisa, you rock. Go Cubs.
Comments