Welcome to Volunteers Anomalous (we are a strange bunch): My name is Gary. I have an unusual secret that I have been living with for over 20 years. I’m a ‘volunteer.’ Recently things have become more extreme. First of all I allowed myself to be appointed volunteer representative on the Lifeline Board. And then suddenly I was made Deputy Chair. Yes, I know I have to take responsibility for my own actions but how did it all come about?

Well, many years ago, at the end of my time at uni, I was sitting next to a colleague in the bar. Just before closing time she asked if I would go outside with her (Inner voice: Hmmm!). When we were outside, she said she wanted to tell me about her intention of taking her own life (Inner voice: Why me?). She thought I would be a good listener and might even persuade her to live (Inner voice: Don’t panic!). So we started walking and she started talking. We walked and talked till dawn. And yes I listened. And no, I did not persuade her to live.

She persuaded herself (Inner voice: Phew!). These days I recognise that, as the jargon goes, I helped facilitate her own process until she found a solution that she could, quite literally, live with. That was my start on the road to becoming a volunteer but it was nearly ten years before I had the courage to admit it in public.

It was also the start I needed to find my way in a working life. Most of my career (till I gave up wearing a suit!) involved organisational change, from Invercargill to Istanbul; Toronto to Taupo. I soon realised that the best change models are people centred; the very best also build on some key human values. I was lucky enough to be involved in international research on what values are most important to customers or clients. They apply just as much to our work in Lifeline as they do in commercial environments.

Top of the list is:

Treat me as an individual and respect me for who I am.

Then allow me to have as much choice or control as I want.

Make sure you give me the information I need.

And create a safe environment for me to contribute.

Whenever I come in to Lifeline for a shift, I try to remind myself of these values.

Just as importantly, I try to carry them through to my interactions with colleagues who are no less important than the people outside. And now I see it as an essential part of my role on the Board of Lifeline, with all the changes that have been going on, to help ensure that volunteers (and others) continue to receive respect, choice, information and a safe environment.

But I also need to hear from volunteers about your likes, dislikes and concerns. So let me know what you think. Let me know when you see me, by email or through the Lifeline Office. Fanmail can be sent through the same channels.