Lee R. Lambert in the USA, Founder of PMP
In this new blog series, I’d like to ask four questions to people from different countries, backgrounds, professions, and genders who have all one thing in common: volunteering. I hope you’ll get inspired by their journeys and take the leap into volunteering.
Notice: The positions, views and information contained published here are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily represent my views or opinions.
Lee R. Lambert, PMP, PMI Fellow is the Founder of PMP.
Lee has built his career around the concept of maximizing the commitment and productivity of volunteers. Before PMI he was very active in an international civic organization that delivered improvement projects to the community with ALL volunteer labor. He was eventually named Executive of the Year in California.
Lee has carried the knowledge he gained in California Jaycees into his 44 years of PMI involvement and has prided himself in his ability to create and nurture high performance teams using the very concepts that have motivated volunteers for decades. He rehabilitated the Columbus, Ohio PMI Chapter from probation in 1981, and a year later it had become a healthy Chapter with nearly 200 members. Columbus (the third PMI Chapter to be Chartered) PMI has reached nearly 2,000 members since those lean years. Inspiring committed volunteers—“It ain’t brain surgery”!
How did you begin to volunteer?
I began after moving to California in 1967. I joined the Jaycees for social reasons and morphed into managing community development projects.
Why did you continue volunteering?
Two reasons: 1) to continue the friendships I made managing many projects and 2) My ego. The feeling I got from being congratulated for outstanding effort made me feel good about myself.
How has volunteering helped you in your career?
It could more aptly be said that volunteering has been responsible for my career. I was an engineer that was not satisfied with the pace of my career. I found much more pleasure from volunteering for projects. Eventually it became clear that my personal and professional preferences were project management and the volunteer projects cleared the way for a career change.
Would you encourage other people to take up volunteering, and if so, why?
I would but I would caution them that they need to decide what need a volunteer role would fill that isn’t being met by the job they are in. 70% of people are not doing what they would prefer to be doing and volunteering can fill the gap. In my courses I always arrive early to “interview” students. Within a few minutes discussion I can tell you what their true interests are and they usually have nothing to do with their current job. I need to know this information so I know how best to connect with them.
