The Positive Impact of Volunteering on Leadership Skills, Essay Example

Volunteering is becoming one of the most effective ways of teaching people work skills before they start a job. Several authors (Ockenden & Hutin, 2008; Hudoba, 2014) confirm that volunteering experience helps young people gain experience communicating with diverse populations, and positively impacts their leadership development. A recent NCVO (2012) report also states that volunteering is one of the most successful pathways for people who have been off from work for a long time. It increases their employability, as well as helps improve their leadership skills, confidence, and communication. The below essay paper will look at the various benefits of volunteering, and argues that having an experience as a volunteer would positively impact their career development and chances. Indeed, volunteering provides personal growth opportunities and experience for many young people and those who are looking to return to work.

There are several benefits of volunteering, and these have been confirmed by various authors. Employability improvement is one of the main benefits of volunteering. Ockenden & Stuart (2014, p. 4) created a comprehensive study focusing on the relationship between volunteering experience and employability/leadership development, and found that “young people feel that they develop confidence and self-esteem and learn new skills through volunteering and social action, including organisational skills, communication and group skills”. Further, the author states that young volunteers can benefit from several positive impacts of volunteering, such as developing systems thinking, extended social horizon, a caring attitude, and skills needed for self-development.  Volunteering further provides people with a new perspective of social issues: they get to meet people through their participation in projects from every walk of life.

Volunteers can build essential skills through taking part in volunteering projects. Hudoba (2014) mentions that volunteering opens opportunities for  building leadership skills. This means that influencing and following others are all a part of volunteering experience. Those without any work experience, for example, will be able to learn how to play by the rules and follow directions, and later become those who can come up with their own initiatives and get recognition for them. It is also important to note that volunteer groups –  as Hudoba (2014) confirms – are extremely democratic, therefore, leadership roles are often randomly assigned to individuals who exhibit specific skills. This means that young people who volunteer are more likely to realize their own potential and leadership strengths before they enter the world of employment. They become more aware of their weaknesses and development areas, as well, learn to work as a part of a team. At the same time, they will learn how to create consensus, clearly communicate messages, and engage others in their personal mission. Apart from realizing one’s own potential, volunteering can help individuals find their career direction and their strengths.

Leadership development through volunteer group leadership is also a proven benefit. Ockenden and Hutin (2008) examined the role of leaders in groups. The authors found that volunteer-led groups are extremely democratic and provide everyone a chance to take part in the decision-making process. The authors (Ockenden &  Hutin, 2008) state that leaders learn humility and team building skills in their role. This means that leaders understand the importance of clear communication, learn the methods of effective collaboration and engaging people to follow them. All the above skills are needed for further leadership roles.

Finally, according to the NCVO’s policy report (2012), colunteering helps improve communication skills and confidence. Nonetheless, those who are looking for management position will be able to get the basic skills for searching for the right job, managing time and others, taking part in discussion, and evaluating their own performance. While the report does not directly state that volunteering has a positive impact on people’s leadership skills, it confirms that it increases one’s employability.

Patel’s (2010) study also confirms that volunteering improves business and management skills, and increases the individual’s chance for achieving professional success. Through learning new people skills, building confidence, obtaining important organization and planning skills, developing mentoring abilities, communication, and networking, individuals who volunteer can boost their career options. According to the study (Patel, 2010) 94% of all participating employers believed that volunteering added to applicants’  skills. This means that people who take part in volunteering programs will become more skilled in every area, including leadership and management.

Volunteering can improve individuals’ work related skills and employability. At the same time, several studies have noted that important leadership skills can be gained through volunteering, such as communication, collaboration, management, idea creation, and vision development. Therefore, people who volunteer are not only becoming more skilled and more employable than those who do not, but they can learn more about their skills, abilities, and development areas. Through understanding their own abilities, they can become better leaders. Young people without work experience will certainly benefit from volunteering for organizations that have a democratic approach to leadership and often assign responsibilities and leadership roles to individuals in the group. That way, people will become more responsible leaders, better collaborators, and more organized managers than those who simply apply for a position straight after finishing their training.

References

Hudoba, S. (2014) Volunteering: A key to leadership success. Retrieved from https://chapters.theiia.org/los-angeles/Documents/Volunteering%20The%20Key%20To           %20Leadership%20Success%20v4.pdf

NCVO (2012) Volunteering: a valuable pathway to employability. Retrieved from https://www.ncvo.org.uk/images/documents/practical_support/volunteering/vsc-policy- final.pdf

Ockenden, N. & Stuart (2014) Review of evidence on the outcomes of youth volunteering, social action and leadership. Institute for Volunteering Research. Retrieved from       http://thirdsectorimpact.eu/site/assets/uploads/page/documents-for-researchers/TSI_impact-report_sports-leaders-literature-review-dec-2014.pdf

Ockenden, N., & Hutin, M. (2008). Volunteering to lead: a study of leadership in small, volunteer-led groups. Institute for Volunteering Research.

Patel, N. (2010) Develop leadership skills through volunteering. Retrieved from http://ieee-nh.org/Docs/2010-08-NP1.pdf