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To Serve Or Not To Serve...
I just returned from an industry trade association board meeting. On the flight home I found myself wondering about the value in serving on voluntary boards, both within your industry and for charity. Many successful CEO’s spend some to much of there time in voluntary service roles, and I was examining the value of that activity. It was never something that I actively examined so it made for some interesting thought time. I truly feel that all of my board involvement has furthered my career and my company, but not in the ways you would traditionally think. It has not really been about networking and connections, although have certainly helped. I think the real value for me has been in the underlying exercise of solving strategic challenges for other organizations. We become so focused on the day to day interactions and challenges in our own companies that we can lose sight of the bigger picture. The ability to step into another role, and work on different problems, is very energizing. There is a fine line with volunteer time, and board negativity can really suck the energy out of you, but overall I think it is a valuable and worthwhile endeavor!
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September 2nd, 2008 2:20 pm | VADEN LANDERS
John, the dilemma posed in your blog is one that I think most successful business people find themselves faced with on a routine basis. Aside from serving on the board of my own company, I am involved in two other boards on a voluntary basis; Nashville Youth For Christ, and the board of my local church. In the last several months, I did resign from a third voluntary board because the combination of the four, on top of trying to manage my life at home and at work, had become overwhelming. I had considered dropping one other board activity of the two mentioned above but after much thought and prayer, I was reminded that we are all called to serve others, whether personally or through our professional affiliations. God has blessed me with the ability to use my time, talent and treasure to further His work here on Earth, and I feel obligated to be obedient to that calling. Time is definitely a commodity, and one that must be managed wisely. Where we choose to invest our time seems to be the bigger issue than whether or not we do it, be it on a voluntary board or working with charitable organizations. I agree with you, although it can seem overwhelming at times, using what God has blessed us with to help others is never a bad thing. Besides, as you pointed out, it does help to foster personal growth and establish connections that you otherwise would not have made had you chosen not to engage in the outside activity. Take care!