h2g2ers, you're all part of this. What do you think about. . .

Volunteering is like anything else: it can be fun, or it can be a chore. How do we maximise the former while minimising the latter? Try our your responses to the following questions.

1. When taking on a new task, I tend to. . .
   
   • Take on new things until I collapse under the weight.
   • Do one task until I'm comfortable, then look around for more to do in my copious free time.
   
   If you picked the second option, you're more likely to stay the course. Besides, it's so much fun, sitting around in late December and thinking, 'Well the Post is ready, and I have this blank page, what can I write?'
2. When working with others, I tend to. . .
   
   • Take their suggestions on board.
   • Reserve all the decision-making for Numero Uno.
   
   If the first choice was your honest answer, you grasp the notion of collaboration. You'll get synergy that way.
3. When it comes to working methods, it's. . .
   
   • My way or the highway.
   • All for one, one for all.
   
   If you're a Musketeer rather than a bossy-britches, you'll not only get more done in the long run – you'll be able to take a day off in the sure and certain knowledge that you aren't the only person who knows where the buttons are.
4. When a group has done something the same way twice, it's. . .
   
   • A sacred tradition.
   • The way we've done it so far.
   
   That's a tricky question. If you picked the first choice, chances are you're British. It has something to do with queueing, we suspect. Remember: it doesn't have to be that way, just because somebody did it in 1999.
5. Speaking of queues, you notice that the list of guide entries in PR has dwindled down to two pages. What is your response?
   
   • 'Oh, those lazy people have lost interest again. They're such losers.'
   • 'Maybe it's time for me to do some online research.'
   
   Doh. You KNOW the answer to that one. Don't wait for Henry to do it. Step up to the plate – or whatever the equivalent is in non-baseball terminology.

Okay, the lecture is over. The next time somebody asks you if you've had management training, tell them, 'Oh, yes. I took a distance-learning course.'

See? We've got your back.

General Features Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

07.01.13 Front Page

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