When we seek volunteers for specific, time-limited tasks, a common approach is just to ask the entire team at a meeting or teleconference. It's simple, but it carries risks. There are alternatives.
hen leaders or managers ask teams or groups for volunteers for a specific task of limited duration, things usually work out fine. But sometimes we get too many volunteers, too few volunteers, or a basket of trouble. Here's Part II of a collection of tactics to help you through the sticky situations that sometimes arise when you ask for volunteers. See "Tactics for Asking for Volunteers: Part I," Point Lookout for December 19, 2007, for more.
Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., bids farewell to Gen. Bernard Montgomery at the Palermo airport in Sicily on July 28, 1943. By then their rivalry, which was to become one of Gen. Eisenhower's most serious leadership challenges, was nearing its zenith. Rivalry between team members can provide motivation for volunteering, but it comes at a high price paid in terms of team cohesion. It's tempting for team leaders to exploit or even stimulate rivalries, but the effect of such tactics is usually expensive and might even threaten the team's mission. Gen. Eisenhower dealt with the rivalry between the two generals by separating them as best he could, but political constraints on Eisenhower's authority probably prevented him from choosing more effective tactics. Photo from "Images from World War II: The Early Years," compiled by Capt. John F. Curley, courtesy U.S. Army Center of Military History.
When the wrong people volunteer
Some volunteers are already overloaded, but they volunteer because they want the assignment, or they believe that the task is politically valuable. Some care little about the task itself, and some lack necessary technical or interpersonal skills.
If some people aren't ready or right for the task, in some cases, you can convert the situation into a developmental opportunity. Explain privately that you'd like to offer them a future assignment, if they address the issues you've noticed. Ask for their views, and together work towards a development plan that leads to a workable outcome for all concerned.
If you take a developmental approach, don't promise the "next" opportunity — it commits you to making the offer, independent of the volunteer's progress. Keep future assignments contingent on progress against the development plan.
If you believe that some people will never be right for the task in question, and if tasks of that kind are a significant fraction of your team's work, consider whether these people are better placed elsewhere. You might want to keep them on for their ability to contribute in other ways, but recognize that if you do, and if they continue to harbor other ambitions, you're at risk of accepting a chronic irritant that could escalate.
When designating one leader might offend the others
Designating a lead after you've selected the volunteers can be trouble, especially if more than one of them wants the position
For a multi-person task group, it's usually best to designate a lead. This can be difficult or awkward, but failing to do so just shifts the burden of that difficulty to the task group. It leaves them with an ongoing problem whenever they must decide anything.
Designating a lead after you've selected the volunteers can be trouble, especially if more than one of them wants the position, or if those not selected might feel slighted. In effect, you've created a mini-mess — and some of these messes aren't so mini.
To avoid these problems, ask for volunteers for the lead before you ask for volunteers for the task — or select a lead in advance, privately. Once the task lead is named, everyone who volunteers knows the structure of the task group, and that clarity removes much of the risk of interpersonal difficulty.
Although we ask for volunteers to find people who actually want the assignments, the process often uncovers problems within the team. Addressing those problems might seem difficult, but it's preferable to avoiding asking for volunteers. TopNext Issue
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The Hawthorne Effect appears when we measure employee attitudes or behavior — when people know they're being measured, they modify their behavior. How can we measure attitudes with a minimum of distortion from the Hawthorne Effect?
We spend a lot of time and emotional energy in meetings, much of it engaged in any of dozens of ritualized games. Here's Part IV of a little catalog of some of our favorites, and what we could do about them.
Age discrimination runs deep, well beyond the hiring decision. When we value each other on the basis of age, we can deprive ourselves and our companies of the treasures we all have to offer.
Where do the days go? How can it be that we spend eight, ten or twelve hours at work each day and get so little done? To recover time, limit the fragmentation of your day. Here are some tips for structuring your working day in larger chunks.
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Organizational Politics for People Who Hate Politics
Have you ever felt powerless to implement an important new idea? Have you ever been "blind-sided" at a meeting? Have you ever lost two good employees because you could find no way to keep them from attacking each other? These are some of the issues of organizational politics. Many of us have become enmeshed in them from time to time, but we've also known some people who seem to be able to engage and prosper. How is that done? We'll inventory the challenges of organizational politics, and provide tools for anticipating and addressing them. The focus of this program is practical — attendees learn concrete techniques for dealing with the problems that arise in workplace politics, while keeping their integrity intact. Read more about this program. Here are some upcoming dates for this program:
The Politics of Meetings for People Who Hate Politics
There's a lot more to running an effective meeting than having the right room, the right equipment, and the right people. With meetings, the whole really is more than the sum of its parts. How the parts interact with each other and with external elements is as important as the parts themselves. And those interactions are the essence of politics for meetings. This program explores techniques for leading meetings that are based on understanding political interactions, and using that knowledge effectively to meet organizational goals. Read more about this program. Here's an upcoming date for this program:
Ever wonder if there isn't a better way to travel? Travel is essential, but the hassles of travel aren't. Read 202 Tips for Business Travel to learn how to convert business travel from a time-wasting hassle to a breeze. Revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
Projects never go quite as planned. We expect that, but we don't expect disaster. How can we get better at spotting disaster when there's still time to prevent it? How to Spot a Troubled Project Before the Trouble Starts is filled with tips for executives, senior managers, managers of project managers, and sponsors of projects in project-oriented organizations. Check it out!
Are you doing work you love? Are you less in love with the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run to learn what we can do when we love the work but not the job. It helps you get moving again!
The key to managing virtual or global teams is creating a sense of team despite the obstacles of separation. Read my tips booklet, 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams, to learn how to make your virtual global team sing. Newly revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
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Do you ever wonder if all these meetings are really necessary? (They aren't) Or whether there isn't some better way to get this work done? (There is) Read 101 Tips for Effective Meetings to learn how to make meetings more productive — and more rare. Check it out!
Exchange your "personal trade secrets" — the tips, tricks and techniques that make you an ace — with other aces, anonymously. Visit the Library of Personal Trade Secrets.
hen leaders or managers ask teams or groups for volunteers for a specific task of limited duration, things usually work out fine. But sometimes we get too many volunteers, too few volunteers, or a basket of trouble. Here's Part II of a collection of tactics to help you through the sticky situations that sometimes arise when you ask for volunteers. See "Tactics for Asking for Volunteers: Part I," Point Lookout for December 19, 2007, for more.
Top 
Next IssueAre your projects always (or almost always) late and over budget? Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations, filled with tips and techniques for organizational leaders. Order Now!
Keep a Not-To-Do List
Getting Around Hawthorne
Games for Meetings: Part IV
Enjoy Every Part of the Clam
Recovering Time: Part I
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Ever wonder if there isn't a better way to travel? Travel is essential, but the hassles of travel aren't. Read 202 Tips for Business Travel to learn how to convert business travel from a time-wasting hassle to a breeze. Revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
Projects never go quite as planned. We expect that, but we don't expect disaster. How can we get better at spotting disaster when there's still time to prevent it? How to Spot a Troubled Project Before the Trouble Starts is filled with tips for executives, senior managers, managers of project managers, and sponsors of projects in project-oriented organizations. Check it out!
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Are you doing work you love? Are you less in love with the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run to learn what we can do when we love the work but not the job. It helps you get moving again!
The key to managing virtual or global teams is creating a sense of team despite the obstacles of separation. Read my tips booklet, 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams, to learn how to make your virtual global team sing. Newly revised and updated for 2008 with 101 new tips! Check it out!
Are you managing a change effort that faces rampant cynicism, passive non-cooperation, or maybe even outright revolt? Read 101 Tips for Managing Change to learn how to plan and execute your change efforts to inspire real, passionate support. Check it out!
A Tip a Day arrives by email each business day. It's 20 to 30 words at most, and gives you a new perspective on the hassles and rewards of work life. Most tips also contain links to related articles. Free!
Do you ever wonder if all these meetings are really necessary? (They aren't) Or whether there isn't some better way to get this work done? (There is) Read 101 Tips for Effective Meetings to learn how to make meetings more productive — and more rare. Check it out!
