Would You Be Willing To...

Everybody is busy doing something, and it isn't just my imagination.  People working for a living have the vast majority of their time allocated to their profession.  Time away from their professional pursuits is precious to them and they jealously guard against intrusion.  Those that aren’t are equally jealous of their time if they are engaged in any sort of endeavor.

There are plenty of people out there whose time is not structured and the commitment level they have is self imposed or they have nothing to do all day.  They may sleep late, watch TV, and piddle with little chores and errands all day long until it is time to go out for a game or meeting of some kind or another.  I’d venture to guess that a lot of people who aren’t working are like this, and either they do or don’t want to be imposed upon; to be asked for a commitment of any kind.  They can be so set in the pattern of spending their time that they don’t want to break it for any reason especially to commit to do s.t. that will require psychic and physical energy.  I can even see that tendency developing in me. 

I make up a plan for the week on Sunday that is based on my dreams and desires for the present and I don’t necessarily want someone calling me to get me involved in s.t. that is not on that list.  The problem is I don’t necessarily stay on track to finish that list of things and this leads to all sorts of angst but that is the subject of another essay.

The way to get me involved in anything is to (1) make it something profitable for me in terms of money or experience and (2) to allow me enough time, more than a few days, to put it on my schedule so that I can work it in.  The first part of the equation, making it profitable, requires that the other knows what I want, in what I’m interested, what piques my interest.  If someone I knew called and said they needed me to work for a short stint at the track or around the horses, for example, I’d probably say ok but if it was to work at the raceway around the cars I’d probably say no.

This brings me to proposition number 1: when asking someone to participate in an activity it would make sense to find out if the activity is s.t. that they would find profitable.  How to do this?  Well, asking them would be the common sense answer and put the onus on them to say that it doesn't fit their portfolio of activities.  Another may be to use the innerview process that is in the class for leadership training.

For example, a female member of our club told me that she demurs from projects that require physical labor, such as house construction or repair, because it just isn’t s.t. with which she feels comfortable and when she has participated in the past she found herself standing around not able to do s.t. to help.  There is a downside to s.o. saying yes to a query and not really wanting to do that sort of thing.  When left on their own to bring it about, it falls flat because in their heart they aren't suited  for it.

Then too it has to be perceived to be a task and not a commitment to large blocks of time and energy.  That could come later, after the person is convinced that this is s.t. for which he/she wants to take responsibility.

Then there’s the question of schedule.  How much advance notice is enough?  It is a matter of judgment and one may never get it right.  I started notifying the club in July of the October 28 Halloween party and the president of the club, bless his heart, went ahead and scheduled something else in the interim for that night without giving it a second thought.  

I think there is a sliding scale of notice for requested service dates.    If it is s.t. that would take place at a meeting, the notice could be made during the week of that meeting; or if it is s.t. that would occur after the meeting and require less than an hour and a half extra time, then calling to schedule it for a meeting two weeks out should do it.

It if is to occur on an evening, say after dinner, then scheduling for three weeks to a month out would probably get it on the calendar. 

 If it involves the person to schedule s.t. for a weekend, or with his/her spouse, then at least three weeks would be optimal, with six weeks being preferred.  This amount of time usually gets on the planning horizon of most people and if what they have is already there, six weeks out, it is a significant event that they won’t be able to change.

This schedule of notice seems logical to me and should work in most cases.  It has to be remembered that we may be dealing with volunteers who have rather full lives, either professionally or personally, and there is a limit to the amount of inconvenience they will abide.  If it is something for which we are paying, then the other should be more amenable and flexible in their schedule.
 

Simply putting out a call for volunteers seems to work well for the routine projects/events with which people are familiar.  The more formal approach for help is required when they aren’t familiar with what’s going to happen and they don’t want to get wrung into s.t. that is going to be an excess burden to them.

While these considerations are germane to volunteer efforts in, say a club, they are likewise to almost any pursuit that needs extra effort, efforts above and beyond what the individual can be paid to provide.  The value and payback question has to be answered in the heart of the one being asked.  If it is consistent with the desired results that the individual is seeking, the response will be positive; if they say no, it is better than a false “yes.”