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Key Takeaways

Volunteers can walk away at any time, so leading them tests whether people follow you or just your title.

When leading, ask what brought people in and what keeps them there, then connect the work to that answer.

Say thank you by name and specifically, because unnoticed effort drains any team, paid or not.

Business school is very good at teaching frameworks. You learn strategy, finance, negotiation and organizational design, often with real rigor. What it rarely teaches is how to lead people who have no obligation to follow you.

And that’s exactly what volunteering demands. There are no salaries to adjust, no performance reviews to hold over anyone and no promotions to offer. People show up because they care, and they can leave when the work no longer feels worthwhile.…