Volunteering has long been an avenue for individuals to give back to their communities, but its impact on professional development, particularly in project management, is a lesser-known benefit.
Galen Low is joined by Yasmina Khelifi (Senior Project Manager) & Mayte Mata Sivera (Head of PMO) to discuss how their volunteer experiences have significantly propelled their careers.
Interview Highlights
- Unlikely Volunteer Roles and Skills Gained [02:17]
- Mayte, passionate about volunteering, shared her experience from TEDxSaltLakeCity.
- Her first task was filling and cleaning water bottles, despite having a larger managerial role.
- Mayte highlighted the importance of learning from any role, big or small.
- She valued the bonding experience with another volunteer during the task.
- She emphasized that having fun and an open mind makes any volunteer activity meaningful.
- Yasmina shared that she had to design social media visuals, which was new to her.
- Although she works as a project leader, she doesn’t handle communication or design tasks at work.
- She took on the role after the graphic designer left the team.
- Initially uncomfortable, she decided to try using a software with customizable templates.
- Yasmina also saw it as an opportunity to onboard others and share knowledge within the team.
- Mayte, passionate about volunteering, shared her experience from TEDxSaltLakeCity.
My first hands-on activity at an event was filling water bottles. It doesn’t matter if the task is big or small; you will learn something from it, especially if you approach it with a sense of fun and an open mind.
Mayte Mata Sivera
- Motivations Behind Volunteering and Writing the Book [07:47]
- Yasmina started volunteering to find more challenges outside of work.
- She was inspired by a trainer who suggested volunteering at her local PMP chapter.
- The motivation for writing the book was to provide answers to the questions she had when she began volunteering.
- Yasmina wanted to help others who might be in the same position, unsure or hesitant to ask questions.
- Mayte’s volunteer journey began when she moved to Utah, feeling lost and seeking a sense of belonging.
- She found her network through TEDxSaltLakeCity and PMI, drawn to their values and her PMP certification.
- Mayte has always enjoyed sharing knowledge, helping others practice languages during college.
- Writing the book was a way for her to share valuable insights on volunteering, showing how those skills can apply to the workplace.
- She emphasized that the book isn’t about her personal experiences but is intended to help others understand and benefit from volunteering.
- Yasmina started volunteering to find more challenges outside of work.
- Cultural Perspectives on Volunteering [13:05]
- Yasmina and her team interviewed over 100 volunteers globally and ran surveys to gather diverse insights.
- The aim was to collect stories, not formal research on cultural perceptions of volunteering.
- Yasmina shared that in French culture, volunteering wasn’t valued much in education or job interviews, where diplomas and work experience were prioritized.
- She noted that in Argentina, people were surprised by the idea of working for free as a volunteer.
- In France, volunteering was often associated with retirees, as a way to stay busy post-retirement.
- Finding the Right Volunteer Role [16:12]
- Yasmina explained that their book, The Volunteering Journey to Project Leadership, guides readers in identifying suitable volunteer roles.
- They encourage readers to start by defining their SMART goals—what they want to learn and achieve.
- The book explains different volunteer roles, from contributor to project leader, board member, and global volunteer.
- Yasmina and Mayte also created a “volunteering canvas” to help readers align their SMART goals with appropriate volunteer roles.
- Mayte emphasized that volunteering should bring joy, not just be another task on a to-do list.
- Volunteering should be rewarding and enjoyable, especially in a world full of challenges.
- She encouraged listeners to incorporate joy into their volunteer canvas, highlighting its importance in the process.
- Mayte shared her passion for volunteering and the joy it brings her.
- Some people aspire to be board members without understanding the commitment required.
- After becoming board members, some individuals become bottlenecks due to time constraints and lack of engagement.
- Yasmina expressed frustration when interacting with these board members, as their lack of commitment can hinder progress.
- She highlighted the importance of having good role models in volunteering, noting that not everyone exemplifies great volunteer qualities.
- Yasmina explained that their book, The Volunteering Journey to Project Leadership, guides readers in identifying suitable volunteer roles.
- Translating Volunteer Experience to Career Skills [22:24]
- Mayte noted that her attention to detail improved through her volunteer work, as she learned to handle tasks properly, like filling water bottles.
- Yasmina emphasized that volunteering fosters empathy and understanding of others’ roles, enhancing team dynamics.
- She mentioned that knowing the effort behind simple tasks helps appreciate teammates’ contributions.
- Both agreed that volunteering is a learning opportunity, allowing individuals to accept mistakes and grow in new roles.
- Networking and Collaboration through Volunteering [24:23]
- Yasmina noted that her attention to detail improved through designing slides and conveying messages effectively.
- She gained confidence in her design abilities and took the initiative to create a small poster for an event, even though it wasn’t required.
- Yasmina emphasized the importance of networking, which she initially didn’t understand, but learned through volunteering.
- She explained that volunteering allows for natural interactions and relationship-building with new people.
- Yasmina and Mayte had worked together virtually for two years before finally meeting in person, highlighting the community aspect of their collaboration.
- Mayte shared that she and Yasmina met at a project management conference after collaborating virtually.
- They experienced excitement upon finally hugging after numerous Zoom calls.
- The eight-hour time difference presented challenges but also improved their collaboration skills with remote teams.
- Mayte emphasized that their experience was a valuable learning opportunity.
- Yasmina noted that her attention to detail improved through designing slides and conveying messages effectively.
Meet Our Guests
With a background in chemical engineering, Mayte began her career as a Business Analyst and accidentally transitioned into project management. After more than 10 years in technology, she moved into strategy and projects supporting core functions and business development. This transition allowed her to discover her passion for managing programs and portfolios on large cross-functional initiatives.
Find something that truly brings you joy. Volunteering should not feel like just another item on your to-do list. Instead, it should be an activity that rewards you and adds a sense of joy to your life.
Mayte Mata Sivera
Yasmina Khelifi, PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA is an experienced project manager in the telecom industry. Along with her 20-year career, she sharpened her global leadership skills, delivering projects with major manufacturers and SIM makers. Yasmina strives for building collaborative bridges between people to make international projects successful. She relies on three pillars: her project management skills, the languages she speaks, and her passion for sharing knowledge.
When you volunteer, you meet new people, engage in natural conversations, and create something meaningful while having fun with your friends. I think this also helps you learn how to get to know people quickly.
Yasmina Khelifi
Resources From This Episode:
- Join DPM Membership
- Subscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcasts
- Connect with Mayte and Yasmina on LinkedIn
- Get 15% off Mayte & Yasmina’s book The Volunteering Journey to Project Leadership
Related Articles And Podcasts:
Read The Transcript:
We’re trying out transcribing our podcasts using a software program. Please forgive any typos as the bot isn’t correct 100% of the time.
Galen Low: Hey folks, thanks for tuning in. My name is Galen Low with the Digital Project Manager. We are a community of digital professionals on a mission to help each other get skilled, get confident, and get connected, so that we can amplify the value of project management in a digital world. If you want to hear more about that, head on over to thedigitalprojectmanager.com/membership.
Alright, today we are adding to the conversation around volunteering and how to choose the right volunteer role to get the project management experience that will take you towards where you want to go. And spoiler alert, sometimes the best roles to get PM experience from aren't necessarily PM roles.
With me today are two movers and shakers from the world of international project management, Yasmina Khelifi and Mayte Mata Sivera. Yasmina is a senior project manager in the telecom industry, a podcaster and an avid blogger. Mayte is the head of a PMO in the retail space and also a prolific speaker. Together, they've just published a book on exactly this topic. It's called The Volunteering Journey to Project Leadership.
Yasmina, Mayte - thank you so much for being here today.
Mayte Mata Sivera: Thank you for having us.
Yasmina Khelifi: Thank you very much, Galen.
Galen Low: I said in the intro, and I'm just to kind of make sure I'm being clear for my listeners.
We've had a couple of episodes on volunteering. And the reason why I keep hammering it on the head is because it's just so important in the conversations that I have with individuals, that catch 22, everyone's I want project management experience, but in order to get project management experience, I need to have project management experience.
And what can I do in the spin? Like, how can I find a good foothold in my career as a project manager? And a lot of the time, the answer is, well, actually volunteering is a great way to build some experience that will get you noticed, that will help you land those roles. And up to this point, we've been kind of talking about volunteering to gain project management experience.
But I thought maybe today we could even just crack it open a little bit, put an international lens on it. And then also I think it would be really cool to just talk about some of the adjacent experience you can get, not, going out and looking for volunteer project manager opportunities, because those are probably fewer than you'd think. But also how we can pick the right opportunity to get the right skills that'll propel you forwards in your career and not get stuck in that catch 22 hamster wheel.
I thought I'd just dive right in and I thought maybe I could ask a question to both of you. And the question is this, the question is, What is the most unlikely volunteer role that you've had that ended up helping you develop a skill that was just pivotal in your career?
Mayte Mata Sivera: I'm going to take this one because I'm very passionate about volunteering and one of my first opportunities when I moved here to Utah, I volunteered for a TEDxSaltLakeCity.
It's a local TED event. And all the people see, Oh, my gosh, Mayte is volunteering there. Yes, I was the president manager. We had a lot of meetings, a lot of timelines, but my first hand on experience the day before the event was filling water bottles. So I was two, three hours in a room cleaning water bottles, filling the water bottles and preparing to give it to the attendees.
And I took a lot of pictures because I wanted to remember that memory was important for me because it was with another person. We bond a lot and she hold my hand to learn about the event per se the next day. But my first hands on activity in an event was filling water bottles. And it doesn't matter if the activity is big or small, you are going to learn something doing that.
And more if you make it, you do it with having fun and with an open mind.
Galen Low: Well, I love that because also it was like this relationship with the people around you. And it didn't really matter necessarily what you were doing. I mean, I imagine that most of your projects and your day to day work does not involve cleaning and filling water bottles, but even just that notion of being able to bond with somebody, like learning about the events and just sort of developing the skill of, I guess just like exploring something new. I mean, what would you say?
Mayte Mata Sivera: It was 3,000 bottles. 3,000 water bottles in two, three hours. It was fun. Let's say that.
Galen Low: What would you say the like main skill, what was that like big skill that you took away from that?
Mayte Mata Sivera: Other than opening and cleaning bottles...
Yasmina Khelifi: Passions, passions, to be patient, probably.
Galen Low: I was gonna say stamina. Yeah, persistence.
Mayte Mata Sivera: No, I think that they show me how to be a consumer experience obsessed.
It means I really wanted the attendees to have fresh water. I really realized how important it is to serve to other people and that the small things matter because when, after we were giving away these water bottles, people were super excited because they don't need to buy the water. It was kind of a souvenir with the logo of the company.
And it really helped me a lot to grow inside of that team of volunteers.
Galen Low: I love that. Understanding that stuff that looks like small stuff actually really matters, right? You can kind take that anywhere. I love that.
Yasmina, how about you? Any cool volunteer stories?
Yasmina Khelifi: It would be less disruptive than Mayte, but you talked about learning new things, in fact. And that is what I discovered also by volunteering, which I become also very passionate about it is I had to design visuals for social media. And for me, it was completely new because it's not my way. I'm not we don't work in communication field at work. I am a project leader, so I work with communication, but I don't work in communication corporate communication at work for example.
So I had to do it. It was completely new and it was also something I didn't feel very comfortable with at the beginning, but someone had to do it in the team because the graphic designer left. So I said, okay, why not trying it? And I use also a software. I said, we have a software, let's try the software.
There are some models we can customize the model. And at the same point, we can also help other people to onboard because when there was a graphic designer, he was using specific technical tools, in fact, that not everyone can master. So at the same time, it was a way to know how to share and to knowledge within the team.
Galen Low: I love that sort of communication angle too. I mean, a) I love stories, especially volunteering stories where it's I didn't know how to do this thing. I was scared to do it. No one else was around to do it. I had to do it. And now I learned it, I think is like a huge, I mean, that as a skill in and of itself.
But I like the sort of communication spin too, that it's you didn't just sit there and go, yeah, I better just, put some graphics together and then I'll be done this task. It was like, okay, well, why is this important? How can I look at this as a way to improve the way I communicate and how I can grow?
And, yeah, maybe you're not in Photoshop or Canva every day, but yeah, I mean, at the very least now someone was like, hey, someone needs to step in and create these social media graphics. You have that confidence that you could, as well as the confidence that, if that was something else, not social media graphics, that you could also go and be like, listen, I know I'm pretty good at figuring out software and I get communication.
Yeah, I can raise my hand and step in and do this thing. And I think that's like a very interesting marketable skill as well.
Yasmina Khelifi: Exactly. And what is important also, that is something we probably discuss it later is I did it because I was not alone. In fact, I was in the project team. Some people could give me feedback and could help and support me, and I could correct and improve, in fact.
Galen Low: I really like that, the safety of it. I never really thought, and like the togetherness of it as well. Where, yeah, there are a lot of, I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's volunteer opportunities where they're going to stick you in isolation and hope it's going to be perfect when you finish.
But in a lot of cases, there is this sort of grace around it because you're a volunteer, right? It's we didn't pay you because you're great at this. You volunteered to do this and we were in a jam and we need some support and we know you're going to be learning it and at the end of the day, let's just do as good as we can, which is such a great way to learn a new skill versus under pressure. I think that's so cool. Both really good stories.
I thought maybe I can zoom out a little bit because you've collaborated and co-authored a book about volunteering, which is I think in some ways novel, right? Like I don't see a lot of books about volunteering and I think it's just like I said at the top I think it's so important. I'm just wondering what motivated you to start your volunteer journey and then what further motivated you to write a book about it because that's not a small job.
That is a big job. You have to kind of care about it. So I'm just wondering, yeah, like what started you off and what motivated you to explore volunteering? And then like, why was it so important that you're like, we got to write a book about this?
Yasmina Khelifi: Well, for me I started this volunteering journey because I think it was it was at work. I needed more challenges outside of work. That is what I felt. I couldn't articulate it very well. To be transparent, this is something I understood after all, but I think I needed more challenges. And then I remembered a trainer at the PMP told us, you can volunteer at your local chapter. And so I say, why not trying it?
That's the first thing in terms of what motivated me in terms of the book's motivation to write the book, because I wanted to try to give the answers to people to the questions I had. When I began, I did not know anything and I had many questions and I didn't dare to ask them.
Galen Low: It's a journey shredded in mystery.
And like culturally, where I'm at, it's yeah, you should volunteer. And it's just okay, now what? Like a lot of people are stuck at step one, actually. They're like, okay, well, like, how can I find the right opportunity? What can I expect to have? What are my goals? There's not a lot of dialogue around it. So yeah, I totally appreciate that.
Yes. Let's answer some of those questions for people in a way that we can reach them, in a channel that we can reach a lot of people. I think that's really neat.
Mayte, how about you? What started your journey off and why does volunteering matter to you?
Mayte Mata Sivera: My journey really started when I moved to Utah.
It means I was between jobs. I didn't know anyone. I was looking for some kind of place where I feel that I belong and to meet people. I didn't have any friends, so I was kind of lost and looking for a network support. So it's when I found the TEDxSaltLakeCity event and the PMI local chapter, so one was an event that I really love the TED mission and values and this kind of events and PMI because as I get my PMP certification and I think that over there was a good place where I can feel and find people that they are like mindset.
So, related to the book I really wanted to share knowledge. I always wanted to share knowledge. When I was in college, I was teaching people, making interchange of languages to help them to practice my language. I always wanted to share my knowledge, so I found that that was a nice way to show other people with the book how to do it, how to do it properly, and I don't know, I think that was a very rewarding experience to be able to share all of that.
And I want to say that the book is not a memoir about me filling water bottles or just me not doing the creative designs. It can help a lot of people to understand the beauty of that and use those skills in in a workplace.
Galen Low: I really like that. And it's just like everything in there is kind of centered also around like community as well.
Right? This sort of knowledge sharing, being together. And then I think the thing that people often forget, I think, because it's not a predictable thing, but like the people you'll meet, it's networking. As long as they haven't, you haven't signed up for that volunteer position where you're trapped in a cave alone, licking stamps.
They're probably going to be around people and those people probably are people who can help you grow or can help you sort of discover other opportunities that you wouldn't have found on your own. And I can't remember in the green room, I can't remember if you've mentioned that person who was filling water bottles with you, are you still in contact with them?
Mayte Mata Sivera: Yes, sure, we get in contact. She moved to another state, but we still send message Happy birthday and things like that. And there is an upcoming event on Monday, so I'm going to go for the first time as attendee after volunteering six years with them. I'm a little nervous, I don't know how is experience as an attendee and I don't know if I will be sitting all the time or I will run to the back stage if I see that I can help with something.
So I bought my tickets. And I'm going to hang out with all the people as an attendee.
Galen Low: That's amazing. Now you can go and judge the water bottles. You can be like...
Mayte Mata Sivera: Yeah, I hope that they have this time.
Galen Low: Is it up to my standard? I really like, I should say to my listeners that I was very tempted to just try and pack your entire book into this podcast episode.
It was just, it's too much. It's so much. I will put it in the show notes. Let me link out to where people can find the book and you both have graciously given our listeners a bit of a discount. So I'll put that code in the show notes below so it's easy to copy and paste. And yeah, we'll make sure that you can get a copy of this book because fundamentally I agree. It's about, let's share this knowledge. It shouldn't be clandestine. It should be something that people have access to so that it's something where, we can all win from this.
All right, I'm going to segue a little bit because as we were prepping for this, it occurred to me that I'm coming at this from a very North American perspective. And I mentioned it earlier where, volunteering is like this sort of expected rite of passage. It's like a thing that people do. Sometimes it's, helps you get into college, and people might ask for it for a job situation. But I realized that like volunteering is viewed differently actually in different regions and cultures.
It's not just this one flat thing. And I think in writing your book, you interviewed many people from all over the world about their volunteer experience. And I was just wondering, what was an interesting insight about how volunteering is approached in different regions and different cultures?
Yasmina Khelifi: You are correct. My team and I interviewed more than 100 volunteers, and we also run some surveys to try to have real data in addition to our experiences and to some testimonies and sharing stories. So, the aim was not to have a formal research to know exactly how volunteering is perceived in different cultures.
But I can talk for my own culture French when I studied at school, volunteering was not valued at all in my curriculum. And for the first job, when you have job interviews, if you say, okay, I volunteer in a project organization. Yes, and so what? They are not going, it's not going to bring a lot of value, to be honest, because people, they want to go to France.
They are very focused on diplomas and also experiences. That was my experience. Perhaps now it has changed, because the world is becoming very global. So it may have changed in the current academic way of doing. And we have also in the book, I remember one of the person we interviewed from Argentina.
He told us, when I began to volunteer, people were very surprised in Argentina because they told me what you are going to work for free. In fact, it was not, the mentality. And also in France, the experience I had from volunteers. It was mostly retired people, not exclusively, but a lot of retired people when they're retired or retired in early, they said, okay, I have to do something.
I have to keep me busy. So let's go and make some volunteering work. So that was the image I had in fact. So that's why I began to volunteer quite late in comparison with you, probably, Galen.
Galen Low: No, that's actually really interesting. Like all of those perspectives. And yeah, I think it's true, right? I think expect also to be in a volunteer role with people who are not trying to do what you're doing necessarily.
Not everyone's there trying to become a project leader. So people are there because, well, maybe they were bored. Either way, you're going to meet all these different people who are volunteering for different reasons. And I think the thing you said really kind of underscore it, which is like a hiring manager or an organization.
They might not really care about volunteering. It might not be important to them, or it might be, but either way, it's, I think it's that experience and how you frame that experience that you've done a thing, not just read a book, but you've done a thing. And even when you're saying like in France, it's yeah, it's about credentials and experience. And, volunteer very much goes into that experience bucket.
That actually might be a good segue just to get into the sort of the practical bit because now we started this conversation as we were planning around, yeah, like how does someone find the right opportunity? And I think within that is the question, which is just what makes a volunteer role the right fit for somebody and how can someone like a) would be, will be, or future project leader seek out volunteer opportunities that like align with their goals?
Yasmina Khelifi: I think in our book, The Volunteering Journey to Project Leadership, we tried to help people find the right volunteer role. And for that, we began to ask them, please identify your SMART goals. What do you want to learn? What do you want to achieve? That was one step. Then we also, it's always important to have knowledge.
When I began to volunteer, I had no knowledge at all about the different roles. So now we try to explain different roles to being a contributor, being a project leader, being a board member, or being a global volunteer. And at the end, we also designed with Mayte a canvas. We call it the volunteering canvas, when we try to help a reader align their SMART goals to their volunteer roles.
Galen Low: That's super cool.
Mayte Mata Sivera: That's very cool. And Yasmina basically highlighted the same thing that I was going to say, but something that I want to remember to our listeners, find something that really gives you joy. It means volunteering should not be part of your to do list.
Do laundry, walk the dog, do groceries. Volunteering should be something that also rewards you and brings a little of joy. We are in a world that is full of problems at work, maybe family challenges. So when you prepare all this canvas, always remember, put a little smile in some place. I'm doing that.
It gives me joy. I'm passionate about this topic. So it's yeah we prepared this amazing volunteer canvas, but always remember what gives you joy.
Galen Low: I love that because it is for a lot of people around me in the circles I travel in, volunteering is expected and is a duty and therefore is a box ticking exercise.
Okay, I helped out. I kept the, at the, soup kitchen. I can move on with my life now. And it's not necessarily that. And I know even, I've mentioned earlier, like college admission and stuff like that, which is not what we're talking about here, but very much the, okay, I just need the hours.
I just need the hours versus finding something that actually is making an impact about something you do care about, where you can feel good about it. It's going to be entirely different. And I would imagine that like the relationships you build along the way there also will be more related or at least more interesting for you and have more longevity.
But I think it's also really interesting and I love the idea of the canvas and I'll be honest, I haven't had eyes on it yet, but just this notion of kind of aligning stuff you care about with your goals and the answer might not necessarily be, Oh, I want to be a project leader in the software space.
I better go find a volunteer role being a project manager in the software space like that might not be how you achieve your goal. It might be that you find a cause that you care about, where you will meet people who are in the software space, or where you can just develop skills that are going to help you achieve your goal.
It doesn't have to be so literal, but I have that conversation with people all the time. They're like, I need to find the like volunteer version of the job that I want to have later. And I can't find it. I'm like, it probably doesn't exist, actually, that's why you want the job, because there isn't really like a volunteer role for that, but you can build some of the skills and meet some of the people along the way.
Yasmina Khelifi: Yes, and I think what Mayte said is really very important, the joy we find. Because my experience is, because I volunteered in different chapters, and sometimes we can see people, they absolutely want to be a board member. It's one I remember because it has, you have a board member and sometimes they are not yet a board member at work, but they want to have the board member next to their name.
And after when they are a board member, I saw they become bottlenecks because they do not have time. They didn't know they had to commit. They had to take decision to give feedback, et cetera. And for me, from my point of view, I was not a board member. It's quite frustrating to interact. And I think it's also don't, from my point of view, it's very personal.
It's a judgment also. I think it doesn't give a good image of being a great volunteer. I had very good role models in volunteering also, but I had also noticed some people were not so great models.
Galen Low: Even as you're saying that, I know that there is sort of an interpretation of board member as sit around and do nothing, you know. Oh, I'll just, why don't you just join a board, and it's kind of viewed as like this thing where work is not involved, but obviously that's not true and it's a very important role.
And for people who do sit on boards, I had Karl Sakas on the podcast and I think he's been sitting on a board for most of his life. He's very big about volunteering. He thinks it's just a really important thing. And I know he's probably a really good role model for volunteering where he knows it's work. And he knows that he has allocated the time to do the job, not just raise his hand and get the title and put it next to his name.
And I think that's just such an important thing that, Mayte coming back to you box ticking to do this thing. It's not just a, cool, now I'm a board member. All right, now I can go get that job and, sit on my laurels here. But actually, the value is actually doing the work and helping and, orchestrating the effort, no matter what kind of role it is.
I think it's a really good point. Yes, we know about pick a role that you have time to do is the other thing because it is an investment. And, when you think about the person you're interviewing about. But why would you do that? You're basically working for free, yes and no, but it's still, if time is the unit, it's still time. So you are investing time. You do need to commit time and you also need to know what you want to get from that time. If not money, right, then where's it going to take you and make it matter to yourself. Mayte, like what you said about aligning to a cause that brings you joy.
Wow. It's you guys have really thought about this. It's exquisite. I think, honestly, it's something where we do need to share knowledge around.
I wanted to see if I could answer the mail on what I think will be the title of this episode. And what I mentioned in the intro that, yeah, it's not always project management volunteer experience that's going to help you as a project leader.
And we've been talking about filling water bottles. We've been talking about doing graphic design. I think the big question in everyone's head is like, how do I then take that and frame it into my profile and frame it into my CV and use it in a job interview? And how do I translate that into something that's useful to then help me get to become a project leader? Because I'm imagining Mayte, that you didn't, it's not Hey, I deserve this job because I can fill water bottles super good.
Mayte Mata Sivera: Hey, since then I put more attention to detail. It means I needed to put on clothes correctly. The bottle, I didn't want the person to, hey, that spill of water remains. There are always something to learn.
Galen Low: I like that.
Yasmina Khelifi: And I think also Mayte, for sure, because you had already a lot of empathy, but I think it's also important because you develop empathy to get, I think, new perspectives of people's other jobs also to do this kind. Because for example, now, if you have a pro someone in your team for an event who is going to fill the water, you know how much effort it really takes to do it.
So from my point of view, it also helps develop other perspectives. And as we all said, in fact, it's also a way to learn new things. And how we can be in the posture of saying, okay, I do something completely different. Now, perhaps I'm not going to be so good at it at the beginning, in fact, but I'm going to accept to make mistakes and to learn along the way.
Galen Low: I like this game. Because sometimes it takes that external perspective as well, right? To be like, okay, I was doing this thing, how do I translate that into something that matters to help me sort of achieve my goals? And sometimes that external perspective is actually a very helpful thing to be like, okay, let me ask somebody else what they think I gained from this experience.
Yeah, maybe if we like flip that around too, Yasmina, thinking about your sort of graphic design volunteer role. What are some ways that either you frame that or Mayta that you would recommend that Yasmina frame that in sort of a project leadership context?
Yasmina Khelifi: So for me, I think how I did I translate it. First, I had more attention to the slides. In fact, in the way I designed the slides, the message they conveyed. And as always, in my case, I had more confidence, in the way of making, designing the slides or we had also an event, it was a few years ago. We had to organize a technical event and for the technical event, then I made a small poster.
It was not required, but I think it was to I could, I have asked the corporate communication to do it, but I said, okay, I just do a small poster. And it was in the hall when people arrived. So I really see, like Mayte said, that all that we are doing in the volunteer setting is really me learning new things and meeting new people, in fact. And networking also is something cultural from my point of view, because networking, for me I did not know the meaning at all of networking.
And the way we translated it in French, we said, I think a word like network also réseauté, like network means réseau, and we say réseauté when we want to translate really in French, in fact. Which is not a very nice word, in fact, from my point of view, but I did not know what it means. Whereas when you volunteer, you meet a new people, you talk naturally, you are going to make something, you are going to have fun with your friends. And I think that's also learn how to get to know people quickly.
The experiences we had with Mayte, when we explained, we also perhaps shared already, but we never met until last year, in fact, in October. So it means we had worked together probably for two years. We wrote articles, we made webinars, and after we, we made a podcast and we had the idea of the book.
All virtually. And why? Because we are part of a community.
Galen Low: Yeah, I love that. Wow. Okay. I didn't realize the sort of timeframe of that journey. That's incredible. Hadn't really sort of met face to face until a year ago.
Mayte Mata Sivera: Yeah we met in a project management conference and we finally hugged each other and it's Oh my gosh, all these Zoom calls and the challenge that we face with, because we are in an eight hours time difference. So that also helps us to better collaborate with our remote teams if we have it. So it's always a learning experience.
Galen Low: Oh, I love that. That's so cool.
The one other thing I was thinking about, sort of volunteer experience, because Mayte, you mentioned like TEDx. And, I know that in the circles I travel in sometimes we are so enamored by big brand names, right?
We're like, Ooh, TEDx, right? And then you started like unpacking that and what does that mean? But something you said earlier really resonated with me. It's just like the small details that make it a good experience. And when I think about the TEDx brand, right? The TED brand is like high production values, sort of thoughtful approaches to speakers. It is an experience top to bottom. It's it's quality. And I think even no matter what role you played in making that experience happen, I think there's so much there that is about understanding the pressure, I guess, to deliver an incredible experience.
Because I mean, I could put a talk on for my community center and I, it would be low pressure, low stakes, and I'd learn something. But I think just that whole we're delivering the TEDx brand, it involves water, it involves ushering people to their seats, and it involves so many things, and it's just you can play at that level of the game, I think is also an interesting inflection on like volunteer experience, you know, no matter what you're doing within that.
Mayte Mata Sivera: Yeah, because every little thing is contributing to the success and you realize that doesn't matter. It's a, you need to pay attention to the small details. And sometimes there are high pressure situations like, Oh my gosh, this is starting raining. When we are going to put the people that were having lunch outside, or we didn't think about to move the piano that we have in this state who can help to move a piano?
I'm not a strong enough and doesn't have will. There are these small little things and high pressure situations that you learn how to be more agile, more adaptive, and after it helps you to be a better project leader, really.
Galen Low: Yeah, I love that sort of adaptability thing, when things don't go to plan.
I'm the kind of person who I like watch renovation shows on like Home and Garden Network or whatever, because honestly, it's like a project in 22 minutes, right? Everything starts out great, everyone's happy and inspired, things go wrong, we have to add to the budgets, oh my gosh, there's cockroaches in the walls and then everyone somehow ends up happy at the end.
I'm like, yeah, that's the project. We need to, it doesn't always go well, and we need to have certain skills that are not always in a textbook. Right? So that we can be adaptable, so that we can build our network, so that we can collaborate with people and achieve something great. I probably got off topic there, but...
Mayte Mata Sivera: I love this conversation. I love to chat with you both. It looks like you are also very passionate about all this topic and I'm really having fun.
Galen Low: I'm having fun as well. I mean, I have to say I am the person who probably never volunteered, but in having this conversation, I regret it now, actually, because I think there were probably a lot of opportunities for me to spend some of my time in a more productive way, working with people.
Rather than sort of sitting around trying to do something in isolation to help me with my career or life in general. But honestly, yes, I'm absolutely bought in. And all the tips that you've shared are just incredible. I will definitely include the link to the book below. And Yasmina and Mayte, for our listeners, they're both highly visible, at least on my LinkedIn feed.
But if you want to kind of, keep track of what they're up to, I would recommend following them. You two are always up to something. I think it's really important, all the things that you're bringing to the table, all the knowledge you're sharing. And I think it's great to have you on the show. So I appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Mayte Mata Sivera: Thank you.
Galen Low: All right folks, there you have it. As always, if you'd like to join the conversation with over a thousand like-minded project management champions, come join our collective. Head on over to thedigitalprojectmanager.com/membership to learn more. And if you like what you heard today, please subscribe and stay in touch on thedigitalprojectmanager.com. Until next time, thanks for listening.