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Working in the voluntary sector
Working in the voluntary sector

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2.3 Person and role

If you have many responsibilities, you may have to decide on the amount of time and energy that you can put into the different aspects of your overall role. You may choose on the basis of personal goals and preferences or your own ideas about priorities. For some people this may be a trade-off between being effective (so that they get results and have satisfied colleagues) and being successful (in terms of their own career advancement). Of course, not everyone has choice in their roles.

The kind of person you are influences the way in which you take up a role and the kind of role you take up. Some people find it easy enough to give directions; others are happier to work through consensus (i.e. getting everybody’s opinion first). Some people are at their best in a crisis; others prefer an ordered life. Inevitably, ‘who you are’ will shine through in the roles you undertake.

Whether this works for or against you, and for or against your organisation, depends on the situation and the level you are at in your organisation. Where your experiences, aptitudes and values match the requirements and expectations of the job, you will probably carry out the role with a degree of confidence and satisfaction. It will be ‘doing what comes naturally’. However, where you are expected to be and to do things that clash with your experience and values, you may encounter difficulties and tensions.