November 2010

CareerTips

The Power of Volunteering: Many Rewards of Giving Back
By Pam Wessel

When asked about my volunteer efforts, I tease that I am a “serial volunteer”.   I have been volunteering since I was a kid and love it.   Volunteering energizes me and is one of the most rewarding parts of my life.   I owe my Mom a huge debt of gratitude for setting such a great example and being my role model.   We grew up watching my Mom work full-time and volunteer endless hours … for the Women’s Guild, at church, as Girl Scout leader, and Cub Scout leader.  Most memorable, was her leadership for an inner-city program called Friendly Town, where we volunteered as a family in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Chicago working with at-risk youth and their families.  Many of the youth lived with us each summer.   We were a suburban family with five children, not much money, and never felt we were lacking.  We knew there were others with more challenges, less money, and less fortunate than us so it was our responsibility to help.

My daughter paid me a wonderful compliment the other day when she read a paragraph from her National Honor Society application, stating how proud she is of me and believes in the power of volunteerism since she had watched me give back to the community since she was very young.   As any mother would do, I cried.   I was touched, realizing that I had passed on my passion for helping others and had modeled a volunteer “lifestyle” just as my mother had done for us.  My children have volunteered with me for many years at Greenville Family Partnership, Hands on Greenville, Project Host Soup Kitchen, church, and more.
 
Per Wikipedia, the definition of volunteering “is the practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without payment for their time and services”.    We can contribute to the community and work on behalf of others with our time, talent, and treasures.  Most of us have been forced to be more cautious with our “treasures” due to the economic downturn, job loss, and other challenges, leaving our time and talent as ways to give back to the community, i.e. volunteerism.     On the flip side, there is an increased need in the community for the same reasons.   Most non-profits have struggled for the last few years with fund-raising and have been forced to reduce staff and reduce programs, yet the community needs have increased. Volunteers are needed more than ever.   Many businesses have cut back on their monetary donations and now support more volunteer hours for their employees, which is encouraging.    I know this first hand as Board President of Greenville Family Partnership (www.greenvillefamilypartnership.org).  

Click here to read the rest of the article. 

Ensuring the Success of a New Manager
by Terry Hollon

“Managing” has been described as exciting, rewarding, fulfilling, challenging, and difficult, but rarely “easy.”  Whether you are newly promoted into your first management position or a seasoned manager who is taking on a new role, you might sometimes feel “out of control.”  It is often difficult to make the transition from an individual contributor to a manager of people, or from a peer to a boss, or from an “outsider” to an “insider,” in the cases of those who are external hires or moved in from another department or division.  You might be dealing with more “people” issues than you did before, you might be charged with implementing a change, you might be trying to navigate the “political waters,” you might be striving to build sound working relationships with your direct reports, peers, and boss.  In short, you are trying to establish yourself, build credibility, and demonstrate the value you bring to the organization, and this takes personal focus, time, and energy. 

In addition to the above personal demands that accompany the move into a new job, there are two organizational dynamics that are increasingly putting pressure on new managers:

The implications of these for the new manager are either “quick stardom” or “quick problems” in the job!

To ensure “quick stardom,” new managers need to be proactive in how they approach their roles:

1. Clarify with your boss the 3 - 5 objectives that are absolutely critical for you to deliver, and focus on achieving them.  Make sure you have a clear definition of “success” in your new role.
2. Identify your key stakeholders (anyone who has “skin in the game” with you), make sure your goals are aligned, and build collaborative working relationships with them to accomplish the goals.
3. Create a winning team by engaging and empowering your direct reports, learning their key strengths and areas for development, clarifying roles, responsibilities, and ground rules, listening to them, and asking for their help as needed.
4. Study the culture, particularly if you are from the outside, so you learn “the way things are done around here” and avoid violating unwritten rules.
5. Identify managerial and leadership skills and competencies you need in your new role to be successful.  You might not possess them, and you should work hard to acquire them.
6. Get off to a good start --- select a “quick win” that you can accomplish early on to show that you are a person of action and that you can have an impact.

If you take this proactive approach, you can smooth the transition to your new management job and enhance both your personal impact and the organization’s success.

Either Golden's New Leader Workshop (for groups) or Executive Coaching (for individuals) can assist you in making sure your new managers’ transitions are smooth.  For more information, please contact Golden Career Strategies.

Amid recession, U.S. companies boost non-cash giving
by Michelle Nichols (published October 27, 2010)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Most U.S. companies gave less money to charity in 2009, but total corporate philanthropy rose seven percent to $9.9 billion, boosted by product, service, land and space donations, a study released on Wednesday found.

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy's "Giving in Numbers" report said cash giving fell to $3.8 billion last year from $4 billion in 2008, while noncash philanthropy rose to $6.1 billion from $5.3 billion.

The fourth annual study by the committee -- a forum of business leaders that aims to improve corporate philanthropy -- used data from 95 companies, including 42 businesses listed in the Fortune 100 ranking of the largest U.S. corporations.

"In terms of the companies that decreased giving one of the most prominent reasons was that there were mandated spending decreases within the company, their budgets were reduced, and they were looking for other ways to continue to support their nonprofit partners," said the report's author Alison Rose.

Click here to read the full article on msnbc.com.

Volunteer Opportunities

United Way agencies

Habitat for Humanity

Mauldin Miracle League

Greenville Literacy

Meals on Wheels

Greenville County Library System

American Cancer Society

Greenville Area Opportunities - searchable by category

Golden Career Strategies Speaks:
Recent & Upcoming Speaking Engagements & Sponsorships

Myles Golden will be speaking to the Clemson University Chapter of SHRM on November 17 at 5:30pm.

Pam Wessel spoke to the St. Mary Magdalene Employment Support Group about “The Top Ten Tips for Networking in Transition“ on September 23rd.

Pam Wessel was quoted by Anastasia Howard in her article "Time to gear up for life planning"

GCS ~ Silver Sponsor for GSATC (Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Technology Council)