In business, especially the service industries in which I work, we tend to exchange our knowledge, talent, skills and experience for our most wanted popular resource; money.
The tradition of exchange began long before the invention of money, when historically people traded their excess produce with others. That developed further into markets where different tribes would come together in a meeting place to barter their goods; animal skins, crops, pottery, ironwork and such. They exchanged what they had lots of, for what they needed to survive and live better.
The energy of the marketplace makes me think of the hunters going out for the kill, to bring home meat to feed their tribe. No money was exchanged for the food as tribes existed with a hierarchy and tasks were assigned to every individual to ensure the collective survived.
Trading goods was later replaced with exchanging wares for money, giving the buyer freedom to purchase what they wanted and when, without having to carry their produce with them all the time. It gave them the flexibility to sell all of their product to one buyer and buy goods from elsewhere without any restrictions except whether or not they had the coin to afford it.
Today, money is the most common form of exchange, but we can trade other resources of value and not want money in return. Think about the other highly limited popular resource; our time. What happens when we give our time without expecting money for it? What possibilities does that open up for us?
I recently gave a talk to a group of directors about to deal with a significant change program within their organisation. At the end one of them approached me and asked if I would be willing to share my presentation to the boy scout leaders group she was involved with.
My initial excitement of being asked to share my passion was quickly squashed somewhat with her follow up statement, ‘Unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to pay you.’
I’m sure at some point in your journey, you too have faced this dilemma. My intention for the talk given to the directors was to attract some new business; I had inadvertently missed the financial exchange I was hoping to attract.
And I knew the person asking me to share my talk, I knew her quite well and didn’t want to let her down. So I took a breath and agreed to deliver my presentation, without fee as long as there was no financial cost to me.
Why? Because I love what I do, I enjoy sharing my ideas and I was once a voluntary cub leader way back when and I know that all the leaders and helpers give their heart and soul, energy and time to encourage the growth of the kids in their care.
I spent many hours in that world, first as a brownie, then a guide and then as a cub leader. I spent many hours playing in the rain, climbing hills in the sunshine and rounding off a day by baking potatoes and toasting marshmallows on a stick while singing ‘KumbaYa’ round a campfire.
I have sat terrified in the dark listening to ghost stories before climbing into a sleeping bag, eating sweets at midnight and then lying awake all night, still scared, in a tent on the ground in a freezing field!
I wanted to give something back to that world that helped form me.
Our session focused on motivating volunteers, all of whom could walk away at any time. We looked at how to attract them, how to keep them and how to make them feel truly valued when there was lot of work to be done, very few willing to give their time to get it done, and no financial reward to speak of.
Once we were done, they thanked me for my time and told me how valuable they had found my insights, which was lovely. And then I simply packed up my stuff and went home.
And whilst I didn’t have any extra money in the bank, I did have a whole new insight into the world of the volunteering sector, the different challenges they face and a real respect for the volunteers who give endless hours so they can help others often in a way that’s never really seen or appreciated even by the scouts themselves.
Maybe the next time you are asked to give your time, your energy or your talent without the usual exchange of money, think twice before turning down a different kind of opportunity, one which just might give you new insight into yourself, new learning about a subject you thought you knew all about or an experience that kindles a complete change in your world.
Give Back Time
In business, especially the service industries in which I work, we tend to exchange our knowledge, talent, skills and experience for our most wanted popular resource; money.
The tradition of exchange began long before the invention of money, when historically people traded their excess produce with others. That developed further into markets where different tribes would come together in a meeting place to barter their goods; animal skins, crops, pottery, ironwork and such. They exchanged what they had lots of, for what they needed to survive and live better.
The energy of the marketplace makes me think of the hunters going out for the kill, to bring home meat to feed their tribe. No money was exchanged for the food as tribes existed with a hierarchy and tasks were assigned to every individual to ensure the collective survived.
Trading goods was later replaced with exchanging wares for money, giving the buyer freedom to purchase what they wanted and when, without having to carry their produce with them all the time. It gave them the flexibility to sell all of their product to one buyer and buy goods from elsewhere without any restrictions except whether or not they had the coin to afford it.
Today, money is the most common form of exchange, but we can trade other resources of value and not want money in return. Think about the other highly limited popular resource; our time. What happens when we give our time without expecting money for it? What possibilities does that open up for us?
I recently gave a talk to a group of directors about to deal with a significant change program within their organisation. At the end one of them approached me and asked if I would be willing to share my presentation to the boy scout leaders group she was involved with.
My initial excitement of being asked to share my passion was quickly squashed somewhat with her follow up statement, ‘Unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to pay you.’
I’m sure at some point in your journey, you too have faced this dilemma. My intention for the talk given to the directors was to attract some new business; I had inadvertently missed the financial exchange I was hoping to attract.
And I knew the person asking me to share my talk, I knew her quite well and didn’t want to let her down. So I took a breath and agreed to deliver my presentation, without fee as long as there was no financial cost to me.
Why? Because I love what I do, I enjoy sharing my ideas and I was once a voluntary cub leader way back when and I know that all the leaders and helpers give their heart and soul, energy and time to encourage the growth of the kids in their care.
I spent many hours in that world, first as a brownie, then a guide and then as a cub leader. I spent many hours playing in the rain, climbing hills in the sunshine and rounding off a day by baking potatoes and toasting marshmallows on a stick while singing ‘KumbaYa’ round a campfire.
I have sat terrified in the dark listening to ghost stories before climbing into a sleeping bag, eating sweets at midnight and then lying awake all night, still scared, in a tent on the ground in a freezing field!
I wanted to give something back to that world that helped form me.
Our session focused on motivating volunteers, all of whom could walk away at any time. We looked at how to attract them, how to keep them and how to make them feel truly valued when there was lot of work to be done, very few willing to give their time to get it done, and no financial reward to speak of.
Once we were done, they thanked me for my time and told me how valuable they had found my insights, which was lovely. And then I simply packed up my stuff and went home.
And whilst I didn’t have any extra money in the bank, I did have a whole new insight into the world of the volunteering sector, the different challenges they face and a real respect for the volunteers who give endless hours so they can help others often in a way that’s never really seen or appreciated even by the scouts themselves.
Maybe the next time you are asked to give your time, your energy or your talent without the usual exchange of money, think twice before turning down a different kind of opportunity, one which just might give you new insight into yourself, new learning about a subject you thought you knew all about or an experience that kindles a complete change in your world.
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