Biggest Challenges Faced by a Program Manager at Minds Matter Southern California
Alex's biggest challenge as a Program Manager at Minds Matter Southern California stems from the organization's volunteer-driven structure, which, while "the lifeblood of the organization," requires significant flexibility and self-discipline to manage "flexible schedules" and remote work. This necessitates weekend and evening work, and, although Alex enjoys the work, it creates a unique set of challenges compared to a traditional office environment, including a feeling that they sometimes miss "comradery" and a more structured workday.
Project Management, Volunteer Management, Remote Work, Work-Life Balance, Self-Discipline
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alex Moses
Program Manager
Minds Matter Southern California
Reed College, 2018
n/a
English
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Education
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Managing volunteers effectively: Alex highlights the challenges and rewards of working with a large volunteer base alongside a small full-time staff. This speaks to the importance of adaptability, communication, and understanding the unique needs and limitations of a volunteer workforce.
2. Balancing work-life integration: Alex's experience working evenings and weekends to accommodate volunteer schedules illustrates the need for flexibility and self-discipline in non-traditional work environments. Students can learn about the importance of time management and boundary setting.
3. Navigating remote work dynamics: Alex describes the challenges of remote work, including self-motivation, maintaining accountability, and the potential lack of spontaneous collaboration. This is relevant to students interested in remote work or positions with geographically dispersed teams.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
I think the biggest challenge is that we're a small organization. We are primarily volunteer-driven, and that's a core part of our identity and really important to who we are.
However, being volunteer-driven can be challenging. We have four full-time staff members and over 200 volunteers. Volunteers truly make things happen and are the lifeblood of the organization.
Working with volunteers can be challenging because they are giving their time when they have other responsibilities. Many have full-time jobs or other things going on, which is very different from having a full-time team running an operation.
This means I have to be flexible with schedules. I do work on Saturdays and also on evenings, because we have obligations then when volunteers are available for meetings. That's a challenge inherent to the type of organization we are. It's a strength, but also a challenge.
As I mentioned, working remotely and independently requires me to be very self-disciplined. I have to ensure things get done, even if there isn't a firm deadline. These tasks need completion for everything to run smoothly.
I also lack the traditional office structure where there's more direct accountability, like having your boss just a few doors down. Having to be disciplined in that way can be challenging.
In some ways, I do miss that more traditional office environment. I enjoyed the camaraderie and being around coworkers. I do see my coworkers on Saturdays or sometimes we meet in person, but it's a lot of Zoom meetings, which can be draining. That's another challenge of this type of work environment.