When I reflect upon my time spent as a businessman on the one hand and a non-profit volunteer on the other, I am often struck by the vast differences between the two. Most of my volunteer time is enjoyable, rewarding and worthwhile, while much of my business career feels tense, competitive, political, and at times trivial. In retrospect, I also feel some of my most rewarding work came as a volunteer, and more significantly, that I have usually felt that I wanted to be there, as opposed to feeling that I had to be there, which is often the case in business. In sharing my thoughts, I hope to prompt reflection on ways to make our work environment a better place.

The Role of Mission

To begin with, most non-profits have a mission that really means something. The non-profit mission is typically clearly unique and in fact qualifies as a mission, like providing food, shelter or education for the poor; providing reconstructive surgery for children who are born with birth defects; or caring for the sick or elderly, and so on. From my professional work and observations, many executives claim their real mission is "making a profit and providing above average returns to stockholders" - the basis for executive compensation. These mission statements are supplemented with slogans like, "customer service is number one, we are the leader, our employees are our greatest asset, etc.". These phrases are vague, to the point of being meaningless. While the importance of profitability is self-evident, I quite frankly do not find these goals motivating or having any inherent importance or compelling uniqueness. Personally, it is hard to get motivated about making someone else more money and trying to find meaning in it through empty slogans.

Furthermore, the true spirit of a mission statement is only felt through the daily interactions between the members of the organization and those they serve. In contrast to what happens in most companies, in non-profits you somehow feel "connected" to the mission and "catch its spirit". Whether it is through front-line involvement, working behind the scenes and hearing the stories and meeting those you serve, or organizing people and experiencing accomplishment through their work, you live the mission and see it manifested through the work. Within business, connecting employees with customers is less common for various reasons. Sometimes the benefits of these efforts cannot be justified quantifiably, so why do it? Sometimes companies claim they can not afford the employee downtime, or are possibly afraid of risks of direct dialogue between employees and customers - who knows what someone will say? Periodically, programs focusing on customer interaction are created to motivate employees, but such programs do not alter the company's "way of life". The mission must become alive in the culture of the organization, and that happens best when you are "connected" to the mission - and non-profits do that because it is part of what keeps people coming back - the glory and importance of the work.

Developing a simple, clear mission and making it "real and compelling" is not an easy chore. It takes an incredible amount of work to clarify something into simple terms that is not simpleminded. The process of creating a true mission can be a powerful factor in motivating, involving and empowering people.

Learning and Professional Development

A second aspect of volunteering is learning while you participate. A recent Gallup study revealed that one of the major reasons people volunteer is to learn. When volunteering you not only learn more about the community you serve, but also how to apply your skills in ways that you may not have imagined. For example, volunteer organizations may let you stretch by taking on an assignment that you might think goes beyond your capabilities, and they are there to support you because they want you to succeed. There is a support net. In business, people are typically hired for what they know and left to prove themselves. Very few corporations see these same people for what they can be, by helping them discover their skills and interests. Non-profit volunteer management not only looks at the person for what they can offer, but also tries to develop projects and activities that allow individuals to use their skills to contribute, learn, grow and discover.

When I was first introduced to my work as a volunteer in Tijuana, Mexico many of the other volunteers encouraged me to try different things to "find my place". I must say, I have learned about caring for orphaned, abandoned or troubled young girls, the poor and poverty, about a different country, about construction, about healthcare, among many other things that subtly crept into my awareness. The same is true with Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, in the treatment and care of children with birth defects, burns, abuse, etc. This organization opened a whole new world for me. As president of the Drucker Management Center Alumni Association I learned about higher education and its marketing. In each of these situations, I have been able to not only contribute management and marketing expertise, but also to learn an incredible amount in the process, helping me grow as a person.

As a Social Community

From my experience, the way people interact in business environments and non-profits is extremely different. Quite commonly in business there is a sense of tension. Many times the tension is intentional to "get the most out of people". I believe this environment is the result of incredible over emphasis on short-term results. The consequences of this pressure are manifested by employees constantly positioning themselves for leverage, continually passing judgment on others, and seeing "the game" as a competition among themselves, rather than creating and keeping customers. In general, I believe competition is beneficial, but the trend in "over-competition" is destructive. If not mitigated, competition can destroy the creative, risk taking, and collaborative spirit that corporate executives claim is what makes a company great.

Contrast this with most volunteer work where there is camaraderie in the accomplishment of a task, and co-workers become friends, not the competition. I have developed deep and lasting friendships from my volunteer work; where peers genuinely are pulling for you and want the best for you as you do for them. Your co-workers do not stand in judgment of your skills or lack of them, but try to teach, help and support patiently, knowing we all have unique strengths and weaknesses. In the end your success is theirs and interaction is pleasant, sincere, and helpful. Like business, results are expected, but they are also appreciated because non-profits can not exist without volunteers.

Receiving recognition is great for our self-esteem, but is often elusive in fast-paced business situations. In the non-profit community, I find a willingness for people to stand up and take on an extra task, share leadership and grunt work, and take joy in accomplishing a task. Businesses often complain that employees need to take ownership and responsibility - which for many employees is a euphemism for placing blame. Responsibility in any organization is fundamental, it's a matter of how it is delegated and managed.

Concluding Thoughts

Like so many things, these generalities are susceptible to contrary experiences. These thoughts are not meant to be criticisms or prescriptions, but ideas that businessmen can use to instill a volunteering spirit in their organizations. We all want a work environment where employees are excited, enthused and convinced of the importance and value of their work; where collaboration is as important as competition and the balance is evident in practice; and where employees learn and grow through contributions and management creates an environment where this happens. As professionals continue to be more mobile and have more choices about who, how, and where they work, they will act more like volunteers.

Changing company cultures is not simple or easy. It is complex and difficult. It requires compassionate thought, consistency and action. In my opinion, it will be well worth starting a discussion with the goal of making it unnecessary to state that "our employees are our greatest asset" - it will be evident in the intangible spirit of the organization.