Self-Esteem is our self concept

 - TSK. Raman

There is a story about a farmer who was growing pumpkins on his land. Just for now reason he put a small pumpkin hanging by the vine into a glass jar. At harvest time, he saw that the pumpkin had grown, equivalent only to the size and took the shape of the jar. Just as the pumpkin could not grow beyond the boundaries restricting it, you cannot perform beyond your imaginary mental boundaries of your self-concept, whatever those boundaries may be.

There is a direct relationship between people’s feelings and their productivity. High self-esteem is evident in respect for one’s self, others, property, law, parents and in several other aspects. The reverse is also true. Low self-esteem could lead to extremes of behavior.

What a man thinks of himself: that is what determines, or rather indicates, his fate. – Henry David Thoreau

A beggar was sitting at a train station with a bowl full of pencils. A young executive passed by and dropped a dollar into the bowl, but didn't take any pencils. He then boarded the train. Just before the doors of the train was to be closed the executive rushed out of the train and ran to the beggar. He grabbed a bunch of pencils and said, “I will take some. I've picked the right quantity for the dollar I gave and I know it is priced right. After all you are a businessman now and so am I,” saying this he dashed off once again to the train.

Several months later, this executive was attending a party. The beggar was there too, dressed in a suit and tie. The beggar recognized went up to him and said, You probably do not recognize me, but I remember you.” 

He then narrated the incident that had happened six months ago at the railway station.

The executive said, “ Now that you remind me, I do recall the incident vividly, and that you were begging. What are you doing here now, in a suit and tie?”

The beggar replied, “You probably do not know what you did with my dignity with your act that day six months ago. Instead of giving me charity, you treated me like a businessman and gave me a price for what you took. You parted by saying the price was right for what you picked and gave a parting shot – after all you are a businessman and so am I. 

 After you left, I thought to myself – what am I and what was I doing here? 

Why am I begging? 

Quickly I decided to do something constructive with my life. I packed my bag, started working here and there, made some money, saved some money, started a business and today I own a number of mobile stationery shops, and so here I am today proud of my accomplishments, sharing the floor with several other businessmen. I just want to thank you for giving me the dignity, that incident changed my life. That was a magic moment, and from then on nothing is the same.”

What is it that changed the beggar’s life?

The answer is pretty simple it was his self-esteem. This is the magic of self-esteem in our lives. This is the most crucial component in determining whether we are a success or a failure.   

Did it ever strike you, that you reflect what you are, 

if you can’t believe it this is a story from a - Japanese Folktale

The House of 1000 Mirrors

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. 

A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. 

When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. 

He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. 

To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. 

He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. 

As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.”

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”

All the faces in the world are mirrors. 

What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet? 

Stop Whining Start Winning

I am reminded of a Donkey story which you too would have read donkey number of times, yet, that deserves re-telling.

So here goes.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally he decided the animal was very old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. And since it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey, he invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.

They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over he edge of the well and trotted off!

Hmmm !!!!!!.

Let me ask you a question...

Today are you likely to get some dirt thrown on you?

How about tomorrow?

And the next day?

Well, that realization will either get you depressed, or you'll feel like you just got the everlasting key to happiness.

Gosh, I hope you choose the second reaction.

Because I'll let you in on a little secret...

There is a solution to every problem. And as each one is on the way to getting fixed, it may be painful.

As soon as that donkey stopped bellyaching, he realized what his answer was.

There is no way, when we are upset, that we can think clearly enough to come up with the answers to the challenges we are faced with.

And why do people get upset when they have oh-so-predictable challenges?

Because most folks refuse to believe the basic tenet of life, which is...

EVERYBODY HAS PROBLEMS, EVERYDAY!!!

The Meaning of Peace
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace.  
Many artists tried. 

The King looked at all the  pictures, but there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. 

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. 

The second picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest.... a picture of a perfect peace.

Which of the pictures won the prize? 

The King chose the second picture. 
Do you know why?

"Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

You are taught something by someone is one side of the story

You learn something, if not all of what is taught, is the other side of the story.

When you sit and review what was taught and what you learned, you will get to know about the gap that exists between what was taught and what you picked.

This gap will reveal whether it was your poor listening or poor understanding, apart for the teaching methods adopted, which were simple or complex.

There are very few teachers who would try to simplify teaching, but research and several studies will reveal our inability to listen properly and of course our understanding.

The simple thing therefore would be to increase our listening skills, and as far as the teachers are concerned they need to  make their teaching simple, which means they should break complex subject material and to simplify it  augment it by interesting stories or anecdotes that will enhance not only the learning but retention of what is taught. Recalling what is learned is the ultimate result of the whole process. The formula to firm up this learning would be to transmit the learning to more people who would want to learn something as well. So, from being a learner you too become a teacher. The more you learn, the more you teach the better you become.

Learn to make this a habit, if possible learn something new every day and teach that learning to somebody every day, to become a ‘Master.’

When your ignorance is lifted with learning, you reach another level of ignorance, so your curiosity to learn something more again will keep you razor sharp. This way learning ability increases on a daily basis and over a period of time the amount of learning and the amount of teaching you do will make you a wise person, an interesting person too.

20 Tips to Stay Organized
Spend 15 minutes twice a day clearing out your in-box.
By Odette Pollar

No matter how large your organizing project may seem, it is manageable and it will move along more quickly than you think. Start slowly. Do not plan to complete it at one sitting or on the same day. To keep your energy up and your enthusiasm in place, stop when you get tired. Return to the task when you are refreshed.

This is better than forcing yourself into a marathon sorting job. The task will be less overwhelming if you break the project into small chunks of time. Maintenance is the key to success. Getting items back to their home quickly will ensure that you don't face another overwhelming organizing project next year.

1.. Commit yourself to making decisions now about what to do with each piece of paper. Handle paper only once. Ask yourself, "Do I really need it?" If so, file the document at once in the broadcast category to which it refers.

2.. Keep close to you only the things you use frequently.

3.. Store little-used items farther away. Even on a shelf, keep the least-used items in the back. Keep those items you use frequently in the front, for easy retrieval.

4.. When clearing the top of surfaces, start with one stack of papers and sort from the top down. When finished with each stack, you will see a clear workspace, and your progress will be easy to monitor. This forces you to decide on each piece of paper and when finished, you will see the top of your desk again.

5.. Spend 15 minutes twice a day clearing out your in-box. Don't let it turn into a holding, aging or procrastinating tray. Sort incoming mail into categories by priority or by action.

6.. Break the habit of writing things down on numerous scraps of paper. Write notes in the appropriate place the first time; in the client file, onto the calendar or on your to/do list.

7.. Be realistic about the amount of information you can read and absorb. Limit the number of subscriptions you take, and copy articles as soon as you read them. Pass the periodical along to someone else, throw it away or recycle it.

8.. Make lists regularly. Daily To-Do lists, as well as larger project lists help you get and stay organized. Use checklists to help do routine things more easily and quickly.

9.. Say "No" more often. The best way to get off-track is to say "Yes" to every request. Every time you agree to a new demand, you say no to a previous commitment.

10.. Don't buy anything unless you have a place to put it. To keep excess at bay, if you add an item, you must remove an item.

11.. Label everything that contains things: binders, folders, suitcases, etc.

12.. Organize bookcases by placing similar materials together.

13.. Schedule multiple appointments for the same day instead of spreading them throughout the week. This reduces your travel time and parking hassles. 

14.. Buy enough greeting cards for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, get-well and thank-you at one time so that you need not make special trips to the store.

15.. Keep two files, one for instruction manuals and one for guarantees. Staple the receipt to the guarantee or warranty page. Then when you need to return an item, all the information is handy. Purge periodically for appliances that have worn out, broken, or been sent to charity.

16.. Label photos with the date and people's names as soon as they are developed.

17.. Keep a pair of scissors near where you read newspapers and magazines. You can easily clip those articles you wish to save.

18.. Keep only one project or file open on your desk at any time. This reduces the likelihood of stray papers becoming attached to the incorrect document and misfiled.

19.. When unsure about a what to do with a document, ask yourself, "What would I do if it were one week before vacation?" Act accordingly.

20.. Clear the top of your desk at the end of each day. It completes the day's work, makes a clean space for you to see the next morning and stops paper buildup.

Civility At Work: 

20 Ways to Build a Kinder Workplace 

- by Tom Terez

It's not always easy being nice. There are deadlines to meet, conflicts to settle, resources to share, promotions to snag - all of which can pit people against each other. What to do? Here are 20 practical ideas. If you believe that workplaces work better when people get along, scan this list and start living it. 

1.Say what you mean, and mean what you say. There's no substitute for authentic communication.

2.Be less inclined to give advice - and more inclined to seek it.

3.Resist the urge to jump to conclusions about people and their motives. Go to the source, get the facts, and then decide.

4.Identify the biggest redeeming quality of that person who's always driving you crazy. Keep it in mind the next time the two of you interact. 

5.When greeting a colleague, skip the mindless how-ya-doin'. Ask a question that shows genuine interest.

6.Go out of your way to say thank you. Sincere appreciation is powerful stuff - it's feedback, recognition, and respect all wrapped in one. 

7.If you're overdue in showing gratitude, make up for lost time. Contact everyone who's owed thanks from you, and let them know how much you appreciate their help.

8.When credit and compliments come your way, spread them around to all who helped. And if you think you're solely responsible for that honored achievement, think again.

9.Promise only what you can deliver. If what you deliver falls short, explain why.

10.When things go wrong, resist the urge to assign blame. It's the system that usually fails, so fix the system, not the people.

11.Widen your social circle. If you always go to lunch with the same group, invite someone new.

12.Give a gift for no reason. If you work with nature lovers, order some plants or flowers. If the group has a chronic sweet tooth, get a few candy dishes and keep them full.

13.When a rumor reaches your ear, let it go out the other.

14.Step down from the treadmill of daily tasks and have an inefficient chat with a colleague. If it's someone you rarely engage in conversation, all the better. 

15.Show interest in someone else's interests. Okay, maybe you're not dying to hear about Pat's passion for stamp collecting, but Pat will be thrilled you asked.

16.When you take a stand and later realize it's the wrong stand, be honest enough to say so.

17.Involve more people in weighing options and making decisions. There's incredible brainpower all around you, so why not put it to work? 

18.If you tend to send e-mails to colleagues who are an easy walk away, give the computer a rest. Get up, walk over, and have a no-tech conversation.

19.Try going a whole day without making judgments about people. Good luck - it's tough! 

20.Don't wait for kindness to come your way. Gandhi had it right: We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

The Prime Minister of India Narender Modi has made an appeal to the nation SWACH BHARATH. The largest volunteering effort ever attempted in a country, as large, as diverse and as determined as India is  and the following essays are for enabling that to happen

Ways to Vounteering

By Karl E. Burgher | June 1, 2014

Volunteering

This is a guest post by Bookboon author Karl E. Burgher

We volunteer to serve, we volunteer to have purpose, but we seldom study how to do this well. Volunteering helps us to help ourselves and others.

Service is at our core, as part of our humanity. Without volunteers and volunteering, where would we be today? Surely a lot worse off. Whether we spend time helping children read, or working to balance resources for the Apalachicola Bay, in Florida, USA, volunteers make a difference in other people’s lives and bring satisfaction to their own.

To volunteer we must manage and “donate” our time. Time is our most precious commodity in our add-on, hyped up, over-connected lifestyles. Attend a gathering and you will surely hear, “I am so busy. I have so little time.” In the movie In Time (2011), those who share time are literally giving away their lives. Watch this movie if you have not, think a bit, and start to make better choices about the use of your time.

Whether you are a seasoned volunteer or someone considering volunteering for the first time, a volunteer manager or a volunteer team member, someone who spends a few hours a week or forty hours a week helping others, Volunteering has something for you.

Volunteering…

1. Encourages you to find your volunteering purpose. We all can have many volunteer drivers and purposes. Some are simple and some are complex. This book helps you sort this out, and thus, leads to a better experience, more fun, and better service for others.

2. Teaches you how to find your place within an organization, and shows you the way to make meaningful and sustainable contributions.

3. Improves your management and cooperation skills. Management is hard. Managing volunteers is harder. Cooperation equals politics. Pick up a few tips and action items to ensure you recruit and retain great volunteer labor.

4. Helps you to organize and close projects. Learn how to write, follow, change, and close work plans. Volunteering teaches that prioritization and execution are primary, as opposed to thinking and planning.

5. Shows you how to build great teams. The book teaches that winning is to be learned by teams and that teams need special guidance. You learn how to be on a team, be a coach and leader, whether you are the manager or not. Everyone can lead; everyone can manage all the time.

6. Explains the fleeting aspects of motivation. Keeping folks fired up to do work for free is not an easy task. Motivation is a must to keep organizations healthy. Learn what motivates in the short run and the long run to attain sustainability. Both are needed.

7. Provides organizational “How-Tos.” Organization and prioritization are key. Volunteering teaches that getting organized is a choice. So choose—download the book—learn—prioritize and execute.

8. Discusses the “Money.” We cannot provide any service or good or much of anything without the money. Volunteering speaks to asking for money (philanthropy), earning money (for goods and services), and applying for money (grants). We have to have the currency even with our volunteer (free) labor.

9. Addresses “Encore” volunteering and teach a new 50+ encore volunteer how to make a great transition to service. Included is a transition “work plan.” Now that we live so much longer and get displaced so much faster we must study the question of what to do next, what to do with our lives. Volunteering provides you a primer for this process.

10. Inspires Celebration. Folks need acknowledgement, teams need to enjoy their wins, organizations need to be proud of what they do, and to humbly learn how to show off to the world and others. Learn how to celebrate the micro-deliverable and the once-in-a lifetime win. Celebration is closure. And we must close so that we may begin again.

The quote from Marcus Quintilian (yes, you Matrix fans, nothing is new) “Everything that has a beginning has an end” needs to be changed to “Everything that has a beginning must have an end.” We must know when we are done so we know it is time to celebrate. And, so we know it is time to go back to work and do it again.

Michael E. Collette Ed.D. | Professor of Management | Anderson University |

Past President of the Madison County United Way

Ways Volunteering Helps Volunteers

By Karl E. Burgher | June 16, 2014

Volunteering

This is a guest post by Karl E. Burgher.

Typically when we think of volunteering we think of doing for others. This altruism usually dominates the discussion: giving back, serving, making a contribution outside of ourselves. We tell volunteers, “That is nice” and “Way to go” as we give back to those in need.

What we might not know and what we all need to know is that volunteering provides the volunteer with many benefits that help us to help ourselves. This happens in many direct, and sometimes not so direct, ways. Volunteering discusses the following 8 ways volunteering can help you help yourself.

Volunteering…

1. Helps you understand yourself and others. Volunteering provides you with opportunities to discover what really motivates you and how to work with different personalities. And, often it exposes you to new cultures and other ways of thinking.

2. Provides for learning. It can enhance careers, giving experience to those who may not be able to get it elsewhere. Volunteering allows you to hone talents and new skills, develop organizational abilities, and acquire management experience.  It also grants you insight into how to create great teams, seek external funding, and celebrate accomplishments.

3. Staves off loneliness. It provides a place for the recently retired to find a new group of friends and acquaintances (see chapter 8, “Encore Volunteering”). Volunteering provides us with a purpose and a release for our innate need to help others. Additionally, encore volunteers bring much-needed experience and wisdom to organizations.

4. Reduces anxiety. We live in an “age of anxiety.” We often think—excessively. We worry about the future, fret over the past, and miss the present. Volunteering, being altruistic, helps us help ourselves and others in the present. If we choose our volunteering activities carefully, if we examine ourselves pointedly, perhaps we can provide ourselves with some deserved relief.

5. Improves physical health. Being in groups, being accepted by others, and having purpose helps us think more clearly and even saves us money on doctor’s visits and medications. Service to others has medicinal value—purpose and acceptance are just plain good for one’s health.

6. Gives us a means to produce what we want rather than what we have to.  Given that so many of us do not get to choose how we put food on the table or shelter over our heads, a good cause can give us relief. The paid economy can be vicious. The unpaid economy can provide us with many positive choices and experiences, and a world of opportunity. We can feel empowered as we determine how we will volunteer and give of ourselves and our time.

7. Fosters interaction among generations. Volunteer organizations are made up of millennials, baby boomers, and everyone in between. Although expectations, goals, interests, and habits vary widely across these generations, working together for a common cause brings them together and develops mutual appreciation and understanding.

8. Sharpens our knowledge of organizations and business.  Large and small, volunteer organizations have all of the same challenges that profit-oriented and government organizations have. As volunteers, we often get to see things in our volunteer organizations that would not be shared with us in the paid work world.

In short, volunteering is good for everyone, not just those who are served. Volunteering helps the individual and as individuals are helped in one area it translates into all areas that person engages with. It’s all connected. So do yourself a favor, learn, grow, and improve your health—get out and volunteer!

Key Action Steps to Help You Enjoy Volunteering

By Karl E. Burgher | July 14, 2014

Volunteering

This is a guest article by Karl E. Burgher.

Volunteering can be a whole lot like work sometimes, but who says it can’t be enjoyable most of the time? In fact, volunteering is a wonderful way of making valuable contributions to society while also contributing to your own enjoyment and well-being. As we mention in an earlier blog (“8 Ways Volunteering Helps Volunteers”) and discuss in our book Volunteering, we believe that volunteering is as much about the volunteer as it is about those being helped by the volunteer individual or group. So, how do we make sure we enjoy ourselves the majority of the time? 

We do that by keeping these 5 actions in mind:

Decide to have fun!

Make a brief plan.

Follow your plan, change your plan.

Learn everything you can all the time!

Celebrate the big and small.

This may seem a bit Pollyanna-like, but in practice, each of these needs to be up front and present in our minds, all the time. Let us take a closer look at each of these steps.

First, choose to have fun and enjoy yourself. Find an organization that is a good fit for you. If what you do does not bring you joy, why do it? Volunteering can sometimes be hard work, but it can also be very enjoyable. You meet new people, learn new skills, and, best of all, help others! If you consciously decide to have a positive attitude, your volunteering experience will be much more rewarding. The choice is up to you!

Second, make a plan. This could be as simple as a few notes scrawled on scratch paper or a full-blown essay. Keep it as clear as possible. You should be able to concisely describe your plan to others and convey why your project/role is important. Request feedback from other people and incorporate this information into your notes. Having a plan will help keep you on track and allow you to assess your accomplishments. Seeing that you are making progress is always a good source of encouragement.

Third, implement your plan. It sounds obvious, but often it is not. Even if your details are not fully defined or if you are unsure where some aspects of your project are headed, implement the plan anyway—begin. Do not worry if things do not work out exactly as you had imagined they would. You may need to modify your objectives, your timeline, or other features of your plan. It is normal, and necessary, to adjust along the way. This will keep you moving forward toward success. New work, a new job, a new volunteering experience—these can be just like learning how to hit a ball. So how do you learn to hit that ball? You take a swing. It is just that simple. First, know and believe that you are going to hit it well, and if you miss, know that missing is learning, not failure. We find so often that folks just do not begin, for fear of missing. Remember that missing a bit is just okay at the start of anything new.

Fourth, learn all you can about the organization you have chosen to be a part of, and never stop learning. Become the historian, perhaps. Talk to others within the organization, read press articles about it, consult its website and annual reports, Google it. Find out what people do within the organization and what they like about it. Talk with the groups that your organization serves. The wider educational net you cast for yourself, the more you will know and the better equipped you will be to volunteer and to answer questions people ask you about the organization. Your knowledge and interest may also lead to leadership opportunities for you.

And fifth, celebrate! Celebrate small and large accomplishments. Celebrate your own goals achieved as well as those of your fellow volunteers. But more importantly, celebrate each other—your passions, your diversity, your cultures, and your humanity. Celebration is a crucial component of a full and positive volunteer experience. Celebration will keep you moving forward toward a successful finish. It will give you the motivation to overcome the next hurdles and to push past the next goal. In short, celebration will contribute to sustaining your organization so that it can thrive for years to come.

Remember, the work you do is important and your organizations need you! If you are happy where you are volunteering, you will be more likely to stay, which means that you will be able to help more people. Do your part to maintain a positive environment for yourself and others. 

Steps for Creating Great Volunteer Teams

By Karl E. Burgher | July 31, 2014

Volunteering

This is a guest article by Karl E. Burgher.

Great organizations have great teams. They may still struggle with challenges, but they face them together and work to find effective solutions. Every individual on your volunteer team is important. Each task someone completes contributes to your team’s overall success and your ability to provide service to others. If you do not have much experience working with teams, do not worry. As we discuss in our free ebook, Volunteering, each team member can be a manager and a leader. You can learn the skills you need to build a strong team that will lead you to the finish line. In a previous post, “Top 10 Ways to Become a Better Volunteer,” we focused on you as an individual. In this post, we take you to the team.

Make the choice to build a great volunteer team. 

Here are 12 steps to do it:

1.   Have a work plan. All team members need to know what they are supposed to do, as well as what everyone else is supposed to be doing. The team’s purpose should be clear. You must take responsibility for your team and protect it. Over-organize the start and celebrate the finish.

2.   Communicate effectively. This could involve phone calls, email, meetings, and documentation. You need to develop meeting skills and always over-prepare for team meetings. Encourage your teammates to communicate effectively and thoroughly with one another. The last time we checked, human beings cannot yet read minds.

3.   Establish clear team objectives and expectations and make sure your teammates know them. Write them down and make sure everyone has access to them. Divide large objectives into smaller, more manageable ones. Define the outcome well.

4.   Learn how to motivate yourself and others, but do not rely exclusively on motivation to complete your team’s tasks. Having a healthy organization and a strong team beats working alone.

5.   Make decisions and set priorities. Get input and feedback from your teammates.

6.   Assess your team’s skill set. Know your teammates and know yourself and then delegate appropriate tasks to those teammates best able to complete them. You should also acknowledge that these are volunteers, and that some of them will be seeking more guidance in their tasks than others. Pay attention to one another, volunteers. Pay attention to the needs of all, managers.

7.   Create a vision of success. Believe in your team and its objectives. Eliminate barriers. Feel the end point and see the win.

8.   Lead by example. Be positive, clear, and consistent. Coach your teammates.

9.   Move forward with constructive criticism, not backwards with insult and envy.

10.   Care about your team. Learn about your teammates—chat with them on a regular basis. Praise them. Listen and empathize. Deal with bad apples—turn them into cider ASAP! Resolve conflicts quickly, as they arise. Address any anxieties.

11.   Facilitate others’ successes. Praise them in public, and criticize (when necessary) in private. Share the credit of your successes and you will exceed your own objectives.

12.   Have fun together! Share meals, create a fantasy football league, do a ropes course. These are great ways of getting to know your teammates and build stronger relationships with them.

In short, spend some time planning and organizing up front, and assessing throughout your organization’s projects. Make sure that you communicate effectively with your fellow volunteers and maintain a positive environment. Think about the team. Lead by example and don’t forget to celebrate together!

Why Do We Want to Create These Great Teams?

We believe that creating a good team is primary and the actual volunteer work is secondary. Educating yourself and others about teamwork will result in multiple rewards, such as:

Higher success rates with your tasks,

Less stressful tasks,

More personal enjoyment from working with your team,

Greater retention,

A stronger sense of accomplishment, and

More funding opportunities for your organization.