HQ JK IVC SESSION February 20, 2010 Zahir Janmohamed

1. THE 10 Cs OF EFFECTIVEVOLUNTEER SERVICE HQ JK IVC SESSION February 20, 2010 Zahir Janmohamed

2. Volunteerism in our Jamat • Tradition of volunteerism in our Tariqah as old as our faith and principal way in which we express and nurture our faith • Level of obedience, dedication, devotion and service rendered to the Imam and Jamat so freely and happily – a legacy of strength and generosity of spirit passed on from generation to generation

3. Why volunteer ? • Primary motivation: service to Imam, Jamat and humanity at large • To contribute our skills, learn new skills, be fulfilled, make an impact, be challenged • To make new friends, explore a career, help someone, do something different from your job, earn academic credit, be part of a team, build resume, be an agent of change, have fun!

4. Benefits of volunteering • Studies show that it boosts self-esteem, increases energy, reduces symptoms of depression, creates well-being, may increase life span • Build professional and personal connections and friendships, sometimes even leading to marriage! • Dr. Martin Seligman, author of “Authentic Happiness” 3 causes of happiness: pleasure (vacation, movie, chocolate), engagement (involvement with family, work, romance, friendships, hobbies) and meaning (serving a larger cause or greater purpose). Engagement and meaning much more significant

5. The 10 C’s of effective volunteer service • Based on Imam’s guidance • Based on my own experiences as a volunteer and lessons I have learnt • Based on what the experts say • Based on my observation and study of, and interaction with, many volunteer and corporate leaders over the years

6. Commitment • To Imam, his vision, his guidance; to Jamat; to people we work with; to ourselves (e.g. mirror test) • Enthusiasm a word from ancient Greek, meaning “having the God within”; e.g. building mosque • Instill vision, purpose, meaning and trust among team members; passion can be highly contagious • Service a blessing, not burden; serve with faith, not fear • “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire” – Ferdinand Foch

7. Clarity of Vision and Goals • Vision a shared image of what you want your organization, community or yourself to become • “The AKDN is a contemporary endeavour of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the social conscience of Islam through institutional action” • Aiming point for a desired future state, it should capture both hearts and minds e.g. Nelson Mandela: “I was preparing, not suffering” • 3 questions: Where do we want to go? Where are we now? What do we need to do, to get from here to there? • “Goals are dreams with deadlines” • If you fail to plan, you plan to fail • Covey: “Begin with the end in mind” and “Be Proactive”

8. Character (or Credibility) • Character that consistently demonstrates integrity, honesty, respect and trust • Courage: willingness to stand up for one’s own beliefs, challenge others, admit mistakes, change own behaviour • “If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message” • “The 7 social sins are politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice” - Gandhi

9. Character (or Credibility) • Many things contribute to credibility: - track record of person delivering message - content of the message - consistency between words and deeds i.e. walking the talk, practicing what you preach • “Nearly all men can stand adversity but, if you want to test a man’s character, give him power” – Lincoln • “He who knows others has wisdom; he who knows himself is enlightened” LAO-TSZE

10. Competence (or Capability) • Performing tasks efficiently (doing things right) e.g. time management • Fulfilling responsibilities effectively (doing the right things) e.g. executing programs • Commitment to excellence and focus on measurable results • Mawlana Hazar Imam’s emphasis on professionalism in volunteer service

11. Communication • Not just what we say, but also how we say it • Non-verbal communication: gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, personal space, tone, cultural differences • “The most important thing in communication is to hear what is not being said” – Peter Drucker • Effective communication: verbal, non-verbal, written, listening, electronic, public speaking & presentation skills • Listening a critical communication skill: “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions” – Naguib Mahfouz, Noble Prize Egyptian author

12. Collaboration (or Cooperation) • Mutual respect, relationship management and teamwork • Emotional Intelligence (EI) - ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively - 4 fundamental capabilities: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, social skills • Covey: “Think Win-Win” and “Synergize” • Situational leadership: varying leadership styles based on people and situations

13. Collaboration (or Cooperation): Social Intelligence

14. Compassion (or Caring) • Covey principle: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” • Empathy, sympathy, caring and sensitivity essential qualities in voluntary service • “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these” – George Washington Carver

15. Compassion (or Composure) • Volunteers have to deal with stress, pressure, anger and conflict. How we respond to, and cope with, these situations is critical to success • Being cool, calm, collected and composed • “Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach it” – Rene Descartes • Covey : between “stimulus” and “response” is our greatest power to choose

16. Creativity • “Creativity: breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way” – Edward de Bono • Barriers? Caught in the past, cautious, perfectionist, comfort zone, too practical • How? Define problem, brainstorm, generate ideas, find solution – end result: better & newer ways to do things • Fostering creativity? Involvement, trust, openness, idea support, humour, debate • “There are 2 ways of being creative. One can sing & dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers & dancers flourish” – Warren Bennis

17. Continuous Learning • “Servant leaders listen and learn from those they lead. They work at making themselves available. Their door is always open. They are out and about talking and listening to people at all levels of the organization. They must be willing to walk a mile in the person’s shoes. As they listen, they learn. They become frantic learners and avoid the trap that so many so-called successful leaders experience – the arrogance of ignorance” – William Pollard, Chairman, ServiceMaster • Mawlana Hazar Imam’s constant emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning • Covey: “Sharpen the Saw”

18. Continuous Learning – coaching others • Inspirational leaders empower others, they lead by enabling others to lead, they grow new leaders to ensure smooth succession planning • “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” – William Ward • “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it” – Winston Churchill • Andrew Carnegie’s epitaph: “Here lies a man who attracted better people into his service than he was himself”

19. Community • Suppress the ego; think in terms of “you, us, we”, not “I and me” • WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) wrong channel – language of the ego; E-G-O: edging God out • WIIFC (What’s in it for community?) winning channel – language of the soul; how can I make a difference? • Leaders move people from selfish concerns to serving the common good; inspiration changes the world

20. Community • Ismaili Tariqah has survived remarkably through centuries of oppression & hardship; scholars of Ismailism attribute this resilience & success to the strength of our institutions & exemplary spirit of volunteerism, under the benevolent guidance, outstanding vision & wise leadership of succeeding Imams • We are involved in a wonderful opportunity that is a continuation of this 1400 year old glorious tradition

21. Community • “The Aga Khan … has established himself not only as spiritual leader, but also as enlightened guardian of the far-flung Ismaili community’s welfare and progress. But he has done much more than that. He has become a major activist for civilized humanity and universal values. Not in words, but in deeds. Not in one location but around the world. For he believes in the long tradition of Ismaili community values – that education, self-reliance, solidarity and character are the elements which keep a community vibrant and healthy and lead to enlightenment and dignity …. Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Class of 1996, I present to you this inspiring leader, great humanitarian, statesman and man of learning and culture, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.” - Dr. Vartan Gregorian, President of Brown University

22. Ten C’s of effective volunteer service: Summary • 1. Commitment • 2. Clarity of Vision and Goals • 3. Character (or Credibility) • 4. Competence (or Capability) • 5. Communication • 6. Collaboration (or Cooperation) • 7. Compassion (or Caring/Composure) • 8. Creativity • 9. Continuous Learning • 10.Community, Community, Community

23. Volunteerism: “A noble calling” • “Life is a great and noble calling, not a mean and grovelling thing to be shuffled through as best as we can, but a lofty and exalted destiny” - Mawlana Sultan Mohamed Shah • You, as volunteers, are responding to this noble calling by contributing your talents, dedication, commitment, time and efforts • You are continuing to strengthen this “fundamental pillar in our Jamat” through your selfless service

24. THE FINAL ANALYSIS People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight; Build anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.The good you today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway. - Mother Teresa of Calcutta