goodworkpeople

The TFA Report: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Doing Service Work

Yesterday, the New York Times published an article that I’m going to file in the “inconclusive but interesting” folder.  The piece, “Gauging the Dedication of Teacher Corps Grads”, comments on a new report that surveyed every person accepted by Teach for America from 1993 to 1998.

“A new study has found that their dedication to improving society at large does not necessarily extend beyond their Teach for America service.

In areas like voting, charitable giving and civic engagement, graduates of the program lag behind those who were accepted but declined and those who dropped out before completing their two years, according to Doug McAdam, a sociologist at Stanford University, who conducted the study with a colleague, Cynthia Brandt.”

Reactions on Twitter and in the blogosphere seem to go in two directions: either the article confirms people’s doubts the TFA can change the face of education or it remains too flawed and misleading to make a meaningful case.  I certainly have my questions.  What about the advancements TFA has made in the last 10 years since 1998?  What is the control group?  How exactly does the survey define a social citizen?

But as someone who myself served as a teacher for two years following college—in Japan on the JET Program, not through TFA—I feel the piece engages an important conversation around work and service.

In order to avoid the path toward cynicism, here are five questions you can ask yourself before deciding to mix work and service.

1.  Are you doing it for the resume?
Sought-after service programs like TFA are often seen by employers and graduate schools as a noble star on a young person’s resume. When I joined the JET Program, I can’t say I didn’t think about how it would distinguish me in a competitive job market.  But service work should make sense in your broader narrative.  I had participated in education and social services throughout high school and college, and having traveled in Japan I had a dream of moving back there.  Think hard about how a two-year commitment fits within your personal and professional story.

2.  What are your goals?
Service is often thought of as doing things for others, but you have to understand what you want to get out of it for yourself.  Develop your leadership skills?  Experience living abroad or in another state?  Continue your commitment to a particular issue? Write them down.  When the social problems you’re trying to solve become overwhelming, turn to this list to keep yourself focused.

3. Have you done your research?
It’s easy to romanticize service work. Yet in many ways it’s really like any other job, filled with interpersonal challenges, frustrating bureaucracy, and growing responsibilities. Are you aware of your actual daily duties?  Do you know if there are opportunities for professional development?  Have you seen your potential living and work conditions? Actively seek out that kind of information and then set realistic expectations for yourself.

4.  How will you deal with emotional stress?
The daily grind of service is exhausting, especially when you’re stationed far away from your family and friends.  Couple that with minimal compensation and you’ll likely start questioning your choices.  That’s not a desirable position for anyone.  Putting that support system in place beforehand can be the difference between dedication and disillusionment.

5.  What will you do once your service ends?
Of course, this is a trick question.  We all know that service never really ends!  But when burn out hits, you might find yourself saying, “I served for two full years of my life.  I put in my time.” That’s a pretty hopeless response. Figure out what you like about service and find at least three ways to integrate that into your daily routine at work, with your family, or on your own.

Taking the Pledge

The Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility states: “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

I like this idea a lot.  I like it because it’s a reminder to students, schools, and employers that we have a choice to seek out jobs that match our values.  That choice is quickly becoming a right, not a luxury.

So far more than a hundred universities, graduate schools—even some high schools—have adopted this pledge in varying ways: printing it in the commencement program, giving students wallet-sized cards with these words on it, wearing ribbons in honor of it.

When I was in college, I never took a pledge.  I guess I had a pledge in my mind, but it consisted more of a general sentiment than of specific tenets.

I decided to write down what those specific pledge items would be, and came up with the list of 10 things below.  I think it’s important to note that social and environmental consequences aren’t the only requirement for me.  It’s more about positive company culture, thoughtful decision-making processes, and a pro-social compass that guides the work.

I pledge:

1. To advocate for transparency above secrecy
2. To judge opportunities from every side, not only the most convenient one
3. To consider the interests of all stakeholders fairly and evenly
4. To ask the hard questions
5. To build relationships with colleagues based on trust and mutual benefits
6. To remember the community that exists outside my office walls
7. Never to accept that my company’s social efforts are good enough
8. Never to take the easy road over the right road
9. Never to say, “The work is terrible, but the money is good”
10. Never to make a decision at work that I wouldn’t make in any other situation

No Tradeoffs

Last week I participated in a conference call featuring Andrew Winston, writer of Green Recovery.  The call was part of the “Issues in Depth” series hosted by Net Impact, a network of business students and professionals committed to bettering the world.

As a globally recognized expert on green business, Andrew doesn’t just demonstrate how simple operational changes can be good for both your business and the environment.  He also demonstrates why it’s important and why “culture matters an awful lot.”

Andrew is full of stories from inside the industry—how UPS reduced 28 million miles from its driving routes by removing left turns, how Heineken uses internal competition between its breweries to decrease energy consumption—but one of his best bits comes from Procter & Gamble.

P&G talks about the concept of “no tradeoffs”: consumers shouldn’t have to sacrifice cost for environmentally-friendly products.  Perhaps they even pay less.  Basically, environmental benefits should have just as high a priority as quality and price.

According to BBMG’s 2009 Conscious Consumer Report, consumers are starting to feel the same way.  When asked which product attributes are most important, price and quality ranked at numbers 1 and 2—no surprise—while health benefits, where it’s made, and energy efficiency came in right behind.  As Andrew put it, “Consumers who will pay more for green is small.  The conflicted consumer is becoming nearly everybody, and they want it all.”

This is encouraging.

Price and quality are important for obvious reasons, but they’re also things we can see.  We can look at the price tag, we can touch the material, or judge how well something is crafted.  The other items are priorities for us, but just not as visible, and so we’re more willing to excuse a product’s deleterious effects on the environment or our health.

Businesses that make the intangibles visible—without charging more—can really say “no tradeoffs” and rise to the top.