Recently,  a 2015 “Forbes” article (Horoszowski,M. 29 March, 2015. Forbes.com) resurfaced on various social media sights, highlighting the benefits of volunteering. Despite its age, the message still rings true. Reading this article got me thinking about how volunteering can also expand our leadership skills, and may provide us with a real-life laboratory to test out new skills and competencies in order to hen transfer them back to the workplace.

We all know that a critical leadership skill is time management; if you cannot manage yourself, then you surely cannot lead others. So if “volunteering makes you feel like you have more time” then I’m in! (and from personal experience, as counterintuitive as it sounds, this is true!) ….so how is it possible to pack in more than 24 hours in a day and still manage to balance all the demands of career / family / self-care and now volunteering? The answer is by appearing to be in control and not allowing stress to take over your life. Also if you are working for a cause that is truly your passion, then it is not “stressful” rather it is truly a joy.

So find your passion. Whatever that may be; volunteer with your kid’s PTA. Volunteer at the local soup kitchen; take the kids and have them serve the homeless on a holiday. Join a Church committee on whatever topic is of interest. Spend time at the local animal shelter. Become active in your professional association and mentor a promising protégée or teach a class. Hold a FUNraiser and walk or run for ___(insert your favorite charity here) ____ . Whatever your area of interest, these groups welcome new volunteers; and if you are already part of a non-profit or charity organization, then get more involved by joining the leadership team. Whatever it is, find your passion. You may say “I don’t have time to volunteer” that’s true, none of us do; however, time management is as simple as managing priorities; we make time for those things that are a priority.

Practice leadership skills that you may not have an opportunity to apply in the workplace. Maybe you are an independent contributor and do not have any direct reports or no longer manage a process. First, you need to reassess your value and realize that you are more important than you may realize. Take on some new responsibilities in a volunteer capacity; but be careful, you may even learn a new skill set along the way. Even if you’ve never been a “supervisor,” you may find yourself in a “leadership” role and have to be the boss for the first time ever. An interesting dynamic with volunteers is that like you, no one is compensated to be there, and your leadership skills may really be put to the test.

Volunteers working together all share the same core “cause” or passion in common, whatever that is; keep the strategic goal in focus. This is similar to the workplace, the primary difference being the paycheck and individual’s motivation. In a volunteer setting, there is a high degree of certainty that everyone is there because they want to help, rather than to earn a wage. Everyone is working together towards the same ultimate goal and leadership can and should use that to “rally the troops” when necessary. Keep in mind that volunteer leadership is driven by communication, influence, and relationships, not power and fear. Try this same approach in the workplace; it works!

Still not convinced? Some other great reasons to volunteer are to use this setting as a “proving ground” even if just to yourself, to practice and perfect your leadership skills; for example, challenge yourself to speak in public, or work on a project that will teach you a new skill set; what have you got to lose?. Then those skills are transferrable to the workplace. And at the same time you are giving back to the community, expanding your network (i.e. influence) meeting net people, our and might just enjoy yourself.

(And by the way, it looks great on a resume)

As chief learning officer for Aegis Learning, Linda Florence is an advocate for continued education and quality professional growth.

Linda is a talented facilitator and coach and passionate about the causes she support locally and nationally.