Embracing the volunteer experience

At a recent meeting of regional leaders I stated the biggest challenge facing the ISACA PNG Chapter was getting our Board members to “embrace the volunteer experience”. I few of my fellow attendees laughed with me and in this post I will point out the tremendous value that can be derived from the volunteer experience.

It will take you places you have never been before

Professionally It’s been a huge privilege meeting fellow auditors and others involved in information security, governance, risk and IT Management. They’re experience and qualifications are far superior to mine but in trying to serve them I can honestly say that it has improved my understanding of the challenges they face at work and in trying to understand how we can help them achieve their career goals my understanding of the profession and careers as a whole has greatly improved. In saying this, I would like to remind you that we are nowhere near where we aspire to be because of the voluntary nature of our organisation. These experiences are local.

When we go regional leadership meetings, the learning curve just gets steeper. The challenges facing chapters in the developed world are similar but given the pervasiveness of ICT and the maturity of their economies their challenges are more complex. However, if we apply Elon Musk’s first principles thinking then what we are doing is similar in that we are all trying to demonstrate the tremendous value that membership in this organisation provides in terms of networking opportunities, on-going training and certifications. (Yes; I’ve been dying to use that Elon Musk reference in one of my posts).

Literally Since we meet every six months, I have had the privilege of travelling to Wellington, New Zealand and Adelaide, Perth and most recently Sydney, Australia. Last year, I had the huge privilege of travelling all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the Global Leadership Conference. The picture below is of the Las Vegas Strip taken from the 50th Floor of a hotel where we had dinner on Day One of the conference. The opportunity to travel and represent our members at such diverse locations has given me a fierce determination to ensure that we are delivering real value to members.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be pulling all-nighters to draft our responses to the amendments to the Auditor General act (the discussion paper can be found here) and to prepare for exam review classes which are free for members. I have to deliver for my members!!

It will demand you learn skills you have never had before

Sales and Marketing I’ve always taken a dim view of salesman. The perception that they are trying to sell you a dodgy product was created because of some negative experiences I’ve had in the past. I won’t go into detail at the moment but in my current role I have to increase membership by presenting at conferences. I’ve taken some sales and marketing courses through Alison courses. I’ve also come to appreciate that these disciplines can be very valuable in growing membership and increasing our brand recognition. Salesmanship and marketing were not part of my repertoire before I took up this role.

Public speaking my cousin got married to Aussie lass from Adelaide last July and as part of the wedding reception I was asked to narrate the presentation of a bilum to our sister in law and the presentation of a spear and basket to my cousin. This is a ceremony that takes place during traditional marriage ceremonies in my area and being my maternal grandfather’s eldest grandchild I was given the honor of narrating whilst my little brother did the presentation. The ceremony and narration went well and afterwards people congratulated me on a polished performance. I was surprised myself but then I realized that being master of ceremony, presenting at conferences and frequently addressing members at our events had given me the confidence to ensure the butterflies came out in a straight line. I swear the twelve coronas I had beforehand had nothing to do with it.

It will give change your outlook on life

A little as two years ago if you had mentioned my name and leader in the same breath I would have laughed at the presumptuousness of your flattery. I never set out to be in this role, I just rocked up to the AGM and found out that nominations were open for Vice President were open. The lady next to me suggested that since I had just moved from IT to Audit I should give it a shot. Three years later and I am quietly confident that I can tackle almost anything, if I focus and allocate sufficient time to it. That's the amount of confidence that embracing the voluntary experience can give you. 

Papua New Guinea has more than its fair share of arm chair experts. Well-meaning citizens, who seem to have the developmental challenges facing Papua New Guinea, solved; without getting their hands dirty. If you’re reading this then you are an elite member of Papua New Guinean society. Put your hand up, take a voluntary role in an existing organisation or start a small charity of your own. Get your hands dirty, I guarantee it will change your life.