I spent much time today learning how payments systems integrate with websites, how to set up a Square account, and crafting campaigns to persuade people to renew their membership at the community radio station.
In the midst of it all, I realise that David Epstein’s blog post from a few weeks “…the greatest CEO you’ve never heard of” was front and centre of mind. Not because I have any ambitions of being a CEO (I emphatically don’t!), but because Frances Hesselbein has done what I believe a good leader does – “I did not intend to become a leader. I just learned by doing what was needed at the time.”
I am not an expert on payment systems, or integration, or crafting marketing campaigns, or playing mediator. I probably spend far too much time even trying to understand what a reasonably competent person can do in minutes. But thanks to the opportunity that this volunteering offers me, I am quickly gaining skills in areas I would have never done in my day job. I’m also playing to my strengths – doing in minutes what takes the other Board members hours or even days, and therefore finding plenty of time to learn about these new skills.