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Energize, Inc.
is proud to announce the upcoming release of Marlene Wilson's new book, Visionary Leadership in Volunteer Programs.
Marlene, one of the true pioneers of volunteer management, offers this
collection of her most memorable speeches from the 1970s to the present.
Projected Publishing Date: September 1, 2008
Pre-order the book NOW and save!
Receive 20% off the price if you order before September 1st. |
Featured Book
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Visionary Leadership in Volunteer Programs: Insight and Inspiration from the Speeches of
Marlene Wilson
Building on her greatly-valued book, The Effective
Leadership of Volunteer Programs, in this brand new publication, Marlene Wilson moves from the hows to the whys of leading volunteer programs. She urges all who lead
volunteers to move beyond thinking of themselves as managers to thinking of themselves as leaders - those who develop vision for volunteer programs and impart
that vision throughout an organization.
She has compiled 16 of her most popular
presentations from 1974 to 1999 into one book, including:
- Musings of a Chronologically Gifted Crone
- The Case for Effective Management of Volunteer Programs
- Motivation: Placing Right People in Right Jobs
- Influencing Outcomes You Care About
- Polishing the Potential of Volunteer/Staff Teams
- What Are You Marketing? VISION Is the Job of Leadership
- Leading with Soul and Vision
Projected Release Date: September 1, 2008
Pre-order the book NOW! Save 20% on your choice of editions:
Paperback, $16.95 USD $13.56 USD e-book, $12.00 USD $9.60 USD
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Book Review
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As one who has heard
many of these speeches in person, I reveled in the retelling, in the rereading.
Marlene's body of work challenges us in the profession of volunteer
administration: we are prodded to excellence, to improvement, to soul-deepening,
to servant-leadership. For those who have not connected with Wilson's speeches before, what a wonderful
gift of wisdom she has given you! Your way of looking at your vocation will
never be the same! This book restores
hope, prompts to excellence, invites reflection and rouses energy.
- Suzanne Lawson, Principal of Suzanne Lawson and Associates and former Executive
Director, ALS Canada |
More Resources on Leadership |
An Asset Builder's Guide to Youth Leadership Sensible and inspiring advice for adults who truly want to engage young
people in meaningful leadership volunteer roles, with how-to tips on everything
from recruitment to intergenerational meetings.
Are You a "Manager" or a "Leader" of Volunteers? This e-Volunteerism article
discusses how volunteer managers can see themselves as leaders, not just
managers, and provides tools and suggestions for developing leadership skills.
Where Have All the Leaders Gone? Why
are people reluctant to answer the cry for leadership? The authors of this e-Volunteerism article believe it results not from a lack of
courage or competence but from outdated notions about leadership.
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Book Excerpt
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Keeping Soul in Our Work By Marlene Wilson Excerpt from
Marlene Wilson's book Visionary
Leadership in Volunteer Programs, to be released in September 2008.
Now let's
talk for a moment about the concept of soul. . .and especially what it has to do
with your work as volunteer managers. An amazing phenomenon has been occurring
the past two to three years. The word "soul" is creeping into almost all the
new leadership and management literature - and it is coming from the secular
world. Whole books have been devoted to the topic, and others include chapters
on it; many are ending up on the best-seller lists, including:
Care of the
Soul by Thomas Moore
Leading with
Soul by Lee Balman and Terrance Deal
The Heart
Aroused by Stephen Whyte
The Art of
Leadership by Max DePree
The Servant
as Leader by Robert Greenleaf
I especially
recommend an excellent collection of essays, entitled Leadership in a New Era, edited by John Renesch. It is one of the
most thought-provoking books I have
read in a long time. In one of the essays, there is this excellent illustration of the relationship of
soul to work: "This was observed about Louis
Armstrong. . .He is the greatest figure in the history of American jazz because he brought so much joy,
happiness and love to people. There was no
barrier between his horn and his soul."
What a lovely
tribute to a life! Perhaps one of our challenges is to examine honestly if
there are barriers between our souls and our work that filter out our joy in
serving. If so, what are they and how can we remove them? I have realized that in
those times that I have personally come close to burnout (when there seems to
be more on my mind that there is room for and more to do than there is time
for), I have been in grave danger of losing the soul in my work. It becomes
just work. The passion, energy, dedication and excitement is crowded out and I
find myself asking, "Is all this really worth it?" My joy diminishes and so
does the quality of my work.
One thing
that replenishes the "fire in the belly" for me is to revisit the vision and
the purpose of what I believe volunteerism and volunteer leadership is all about.
When I am clear about the why and infuse my work with heart and soul, I find
people frequently commenting on how obvious it is that I love what I do. I am
always somewhat taken aback when that happens and am tempted to respond "of
course I love it, otherwise why would I be doing it?" There are many other
things each of us could be doing and we also know we pay a price to work in
this field (especially regarding salaries). So, are we crazy, or just not too
bright?
Kathryn
Graham once said, "To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could
anything be more fun?" That is a gift beyond price. You are embarking on one of
the most challenging and fulfilling jobs anyone could ever undertake - please don't ever forget that!
My goal is
that you leave here not just equipped with the vital tools needed to ensure
your competency but also with a clear, personal statement of vision and a
commitment to invest your soul and spirit in the tremendously important work
that you do. Wow! Is the world really ready for you?
Permission
is granted for organizations to reprint this excerpt. Reprints must
provide full acknowledgment of the source, as cited here:
Excerpted from Visionary Leadership in Volunteer Programs:
Insight and Inspiration from the Speeches of Marlene Wilson � 2008 Marlene Wilson. To
be released in September 2008 in the Energize, Inc. Online Bookstore at http://www.energizeinc.com/bkstore.html.
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Energize, Inc. 5450 Wissahickon Ave., C-13 Philadelphia, PA 19144 [email protected] www.energizeinc.com
Energize empowers and inspires leaders of volunteers worldwide. Our specialty is creating and selecting the most relevant, innovative resources in volunteer management. We're advocates for the power of volunteers and for the recognition of the leaders who unleash it. About Us |
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