Leadership Lessons from Volunteering for Extra Work

Last week, I shared some leadership lessons from our company’s response to the global outage caused by a CrowdStrike update. Upon further reflection, there is an additional lesson to be shared. If you missed last week’s article go back and read it, then continue on here.

After the initial recovery of our critical workloads, we took stock of the enormous job ahead of us to recover a large number of individual end-user computers spread across the globe. By then, we had developed reliable procedures for recovery, but our normal support teams lacked the capacity to do the work in a timely manner.

As a leadership team, we put out a call to action to our IT teams. We invited people to set aside their normal jobs for a short period and join the recovery effort. We didn’t tell them that they had to do it, but we instead gave them permission to defer other work in favor of this high-priority recovery.

Several hundred heeded the call. Together, we worked quickly to get thousands of employees productive in a timely manner.

In the days since I’ve spoken to several volunteers to ask about their experience. A few common themes emerged:

1. This was far outside their comfort zone. Many had never done end-user desktop support. I had, but it’s been 25 years. For me, it was like riding a bike, but for most, this was a brand-new experience. Their day job was radically different. Some were from project management, others from quality assurance, and still others from software development and other areas. They had to overcome the imposter syndrome. They had to be willing to be trained, ask questions, and feel dumb. This required a growth mindset and humility.
2. They loved the direct connection to our end-users. Many who work in IT have very behind-the-scenes roles and rarely get to interact with those who directly benefit from their work.
3. They loved the instant gratification of fixing a computer for an end-user. So many of our efforts take years from idea to fruition. This cycle took minutes, and it was invigorating.
4. They loved interacting with their peers in different ways. They got to rub shoulders with people they otherwise wouldn’t. Those whom they did work with previously, they got to see in a totally different light. This built new relationships and strengthened old ones.
5. People loved how quickly we solved problems. Like many organizations, we have our fair share of red tape and process. Nothing cuts through that faster than an emergency. It’s nice to know that we know how to get things done when we really need to.

While hundreds volunteered for the effort, it’s also true that hundreds did not volunteer for this effort. That’s okay. It was truly voluntary. I don’t look down upon them. I’m sure they had their reasons, but the truth is that some missed out on the intrinsic benefits of this opportunity.

To those who didn’t volunteer, and are reading this article right now, this isn’t a guilt trip, but it is food for thought when considering the next opportunity.

Looking back at my 25-year career, sticking my hand up and volunteering for extra work has made all the difference.

When my boss asked, “Who wants to learn this new technology?” I was the first to say, “Me!” When it came time to fill panels, committees, and internal organizations, I said, “Count me in!” When I’ve been asked to lead additional work, my knee-jerk response is usually, “You can count on me.”

These volunteer assignment help me do my regular job better, and it sends strong signals to senior management about my attitude and versatility. This isn’t a one-time thing, but a habit that I’ve built into my work style that yields results over time.

You might be thinking: “Zach, that sounds nice, but where do you find the time?”

Well, I decline a lot of meetings, and I have a whole methodology for steadily increasing my capacity. Read those links if you need some help.

That’s my leadership lesson. I think it’s incredibly valuable to volunteer for odd jobs at work. If you’ve done it, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, what’s holding you back? Perhaps you are overwhelmed at the moment and can’t fathom taking on anything extra. I get it and I’ve been there. But don’t stay there. Don’t underestimate the benefits of volunteering. They are immense.

Read this article on my blog site or listen to it on my podcast???