When times are a bit tougher, we still have the memories of the terrific times everyone could experience in the past. One of my best moments? Being a volunteer at Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. What a collection of memories……
When times are a bit tougher, we still have the memories of the terrific times everyone could experience in the past. One of my best moments? Being a volunteer at Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. What a collection of memories……
Olympic Games are unthinkable without the invaluable support of thousands of volunteers. For most organising committees, this fact alone posts a major challenge in preparing and running the games since they often do not have experience in managing an army of unpaid workers. The always available IOC ‘cook book’ is not more than a good start, since the behaviour and attitude and hence the requirements for hiring and managing the crowd of helpers depends much more on the culture of the people with their upbringings, beliefs and traits, than it is influenced by instructions and SOPs. After all, an unpaid worker has nothing to lose. If he perceives being treated unfairly, he walks!…
There are several invaluable lessons learnt during the different phases of YOG. A significant task has been the recruitment, preparation and motivation of more than five hundred staff and of more than twenty thousand volunteers within a timeframe of less than two years.
It is not new that recruiting people means evaluating, finding skills and experience that make up the eligibility – the aptitude – on the one hand and the suitability – the attitude – on the other hand. However, it is commonly much easier to evaluate the former in detail whilst neglecting the latter.…
Imagine most of your trainers as well as your team leaders have never done this job before either. Most of them have joined the new organisation only slightly earlier than…