Shannon O'Donnell

Having spent my life in technology management and hopefully leadership, I have read alot on these topics as well as related subjects such as innovation, agile and lean. I found this book to be easy to consume, providing some good insights and overall very helpful. I wish I had read it earlier in my career, as I think it would have helped me to progress more quickly in the development of some of my skills. While I really like the narrative approach to non-fiction (it helps me to stay engaged), it always makes me realize just how good novelists are. Too often in narrative non-fiction, especially with business-focused efforts, the events and the dialogue can come across as contrived and not very natural. I have found you just have to ignore some of that, appreciate the narrative approach for making the information interesting and look for the lessons or messages in the story. There are plenty of great insights here worth chewing on, and the narrative is not terribly painful. I definitely recommend this for anyone early in their IT leadership career.… (més)

It's hard to pull off such an instructive business book by means of a fictional story. These three did it, creating an entertaining story line and realistic characters to convey what could otherwise be a very dry set of key points. This book would be useful for any manager, but especially those in the IT and other specialized technical areas. Key points I value most include: making a habit of knowing what you don't know, developing models for processes and organizational dynamics (while realizing they are models, to be adapted and refined as conditions change), avoiding assuming more than you should about people, and emphasizing relationships and talent over projects and tactics.… (més)

I would consider The Volunteer Traveler's Handbook an essential read for anyone interested in volunteering (especially abroad) with little to no experience. For those with slightly more experience, I would label this book as a highly recommended read. For the seasoned volunteer, well, you'll have to gauge from the rest of the review and other reviewers as my level of experience extends only to about seven to ten short-term volunteer trips (local and abroad). On the whole, the book is full of extremely useful information on a wide variety of topics (see table of contents) while sprinkled throughout with stories and advice from other travelers for color.

For those interested in volunteering, but unsure of where to start, O'Donnell poses pertinent questions that will help the reader develop a game plan and narrow in on the kind of trip they'd like to do. I like this aspect of the book because I think it's essential in helping people discover their reasons for volunteering and leads to volunteering that's more fulfilling. This is also true of those with a little more experience under their belt.

The chapters are well laid out and give the reader quick access to topics they may want to later return to. This, one will undoubtedly want to do considering the wealth of resources within—when searching for organizations with whom to volunteer, when planning for one's trip, etc.

Besides practical advice, responsible volunteering is another key focus of this book. O’Donnell does a good job of laying out a framework by which one can act responsibly, while leaving room for the reader to develop their own philosophy. I'm currently taking a course from EdX, The Challenges of Global Poverty, that examines effective ways of helping fight poverty, and I think O'Donnell's framework meshes fairly well with what we've been talking about. (Readers of this book, who are also looking to deepen their understanding of the mechanisms of global poverty, may be interested in the book for this course, Poor Economics, which is written in such a way that non-economics majors can understand and enjoy it. Or, you may be interested in taking the MIT course, which is currently free at EdX)

I could go on, but considering all the positive reviews I've seen on this book, if you're at all considering volunteering, you can't go wrong with The Volunteer Traveler's Handbook. I plan on going through this book again when I plan my next volunteer trip and am looking forward to more informed travels. Happy volunteering!

Disclaimer: Received book through the Member Giveaway program.… (més)