Ivan H. Scheir’s Windows of Work: A Tool for Volunteer Placement and Engagement
Written by Karyn Nishimura Sneath, Npower
This month I was invited to speak at an amazing association focused on women’s empowerment and leadership. The program was a motivational and content-rich experience for the attendees. I was charged with closing out the program and inspiring the women to take the information they gained and put it to good use.
How many times have you gone to a conference, seminar, online program or hands-on workshop? You probably got great information and perhaps some good materials to supplement the speakers’ messages. But, how many of us actually did something with that great information?
I believe too many people are sitting on great “stuff.” They have the speakers’ slide decks. They have worksheets, case studies and handouts. They have a sudden inspiration to act during the conference. But then they go home, and get busy with family, work and other tasks in our daily lives. So, those terrific materials sit on a shelf or an online folder. And, they forget the speakers and the messages.
So, it was a daunting ask to help those attendees plan the actions they wanted to take after the event.
I introduced them to a favorite engagement/involvement model developed by Ivan H. Scheier. It’s a framework that’s simple, makes sense and helps people identify what to do with their skills, knowledge and experiences. Scheier’s model defines four “windows of work.”
The first pane of this window id "Wise Whys." I asked the participants to write down on a worksheet why they decided to become a volunteer for this organization. Why are they interested? Why are they passionate about the mission, programs and people? Why did they choose this option above all others?
The second window is "Glad Gifts." This pane helped them to think about what they do really well and enjoy doing. It might be as simple as meeting new people and helping them feel connected. A glad gift might be website design. It might be organizational governance – whatever they gladly want to share and contribute to the organization. The participants wrote down the talents, skills, interests, hobbies, and so on that they do well and enjoy doing.
“Yearn to Learn” is the third pane. This window gets people to think about what they yearn to learn more about. They might be specific skills they would like to develop. Or, if might be some learning experiences they want to explore to gain new information.
Finally, the remaining pane is what they don't like or never want to be asked to do. Scheier calls these "No-no's." Pay attention to the volunteer requests that you keep turning down. These might be opportunities that aren’t in your skillset. You might have the skills but you really don’t enjoy doing the work. Pay attention to these and kindly give your regrets or “nos” to be sure you’re aligned better for volunteer work.
In the end, it’s up to each individual to take the next steps. They filled out the worksheet and reflected on the Windows of Work. If they carefully considered these four focus areas and then share them with the people volunteers who place individuals in volunteer roles, I truly believe they fit best in that role and organization. They could be in a volunteer position that best matches their skills, gets them excited about the activities, connected with their “why” or purpose and help them avoid being misplaced in a role that doesn’t keep them involved and engaged.
Karyn Nishimura Sneath currently works as the Director of Education for the Society of Professional Journalists. The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s oldest and most broad-based membership association for journalists. SPJ is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.
Karyn also owns Npower, a nonprofit-focused leadership and organizational development consulting practice. She has led Npower since 2001 serving over 250 organizations over the years.
Contact:
karyn@npoweryourself.com
317-513-4502
www.npoweryourself.com