Help Your Employees Develop Leadership Skills by Volunteering

If you're looking for ways to develop young employees' leadership skills that also benefit the community, Give To Get has you covered.

After years of hosting conferences for its ”Rising Leaders”, Emerson wanted a way for their high-potential employees to put the skills they learned throughout the conference into action on the last day of the event while also supporting their STEM initiatives.

To make the program work, though, the company needed to be able to replicate it in each of its global hubs.

How did Give To Get help? We designed and executed a social impact program that met the moment, engaging conference attendees as well as youth from local organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs; Girls, Inc.; Girls Who Code; and other nonprofits. During each event, students would be matched with adults and work in groups to assemble robots and create a marketing pitch that shows how their robot will help create a healthier, safer, smarter, and more sustainable planet.

Once the robot was built and the marketing plan created, the groups — led by the students — presented their creations to a panel of judges. Each judge was given a presentation grading rubric, questions to ask, and similar information to ensure a seamless event. 

From October 2018 to February 2020, more than 515 rising leaders and nearly 350 students worked together to build robots, create marketing plans, develop public speaking skills, and more.

Rising leaders were able to work on communication, time management, project management, and team-building skills. They also learned to empower others, a key part of leadership.

As you build your budget for 2023 and beyond, isn't it time you start asking how you can better your employees while better the community where these individuals live, work, and play?