Volunteering Will Make You Better at Your Job and Your Life

"Thank you for being real with me. I felt like I was talking to someone who was genuinely interested and concerned about me. You took the time to let me talk and explain. You didn't jump right away into the cliché things that would help me. You're doing great in this world and truly are a hero."

This is a text that was sent to me as a thank you from someone I helped to make it through a mental health crisis. I don't know who wrote it. I never saw their face. I never heard their voice. I never held their hand. We shared just one text exchange when I worked as a volunteer crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line.

When I read these words, I don't just think about how good it feels to know I helped someone, I feel grateful for what being a crisis counselor taught me. When I decided to take on Crisis Text Line's 30-hour training course and commit to at least 200 hours of service over the next year, I did it because I was looking for a way to give back that would make use of my critical thinking skills. I didn't anticipate the added benefits that I've carried with me into my personal and professional lives. These skills have made me a better coworker and a stronger asset to my workplace. They've also made me a better partner, parent, friend and daughter.

Volunteering showed me how to listen. Listening is highly underrated. It's a skill that can be a great connector of people and builder of relationships because, when you're listening, you're investing in someone. You're learning about them — about what is important to them or what they need or what they know. Listening gives you information you can use to help or solve or diffuse. It has the power to make people feel seen and understood, which is really all most people want.

Volunteering boosted my EQ. Emotional intelligence has been thrown around as a buzzword for some time now, but what is it? Wikipedia says it's "...the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions." All of that is just a fancy way of saying what can be summed up in one word: empathy. Crisis Text Line calls its crisis counselors "Empathy MVPs" because they are charged with bringing texters from a “hot moment to a cool calm," and that's something that can only be accomplished with empathy. The task sounds simple enough, but the method CTL counselors are trained to use is measured and well studied. They listen and reflect back the same language their texter is using. They ask questions and help lead texters to their own solutions. They follow prescribed steps that help them help others. These steps all stem from empathy, which turns out to be a skill that can be taught.

Volunteering taught me about collaborative problem-solving. One of the most useful skills I learned when I was a crisis counselor was collaborative problem-solving. I was used to thinking of how to help in terms of offering advice, but I came to understand that my solutions may not work for someone else. By using reflective listening and asking pointed questions, I learned to help people find their own answers. 

Why should you volunteer? Giving your time and energy to a cause you care about may seem like a selfless act — and it is — but it's also one that gives back. I learned listening skills, grew my EQ and gained collaborative problem-solving skills. You may walk away with something completely different. In the end, no matter how you choose to volunteer, you're sure to end up with more than you thought possible.

Originally published as a LinkedIn article.