​Volunteering is something people should do for multiple reasons, including the actual giving to charity, and the internal realization that you cannot get paid for everything you do in life. Making money isn’t the only way to create value for yourself or others! Volunteering ties closely to leadership.

An entrepreneur is not an entrepreneur until that person has risked everything. You aren’t ready to be a leader until you’ve given yourself completely. Until you have volunteered–either your time, your energy, your money, or whatever it takes–then you really aren’t extending yourself. That becomes part of the leadership journey, and it certainly has been a big part of mine.

If someone asks you to do something for free, do it. Be the person who says ‘yes.’ Offer your services for free. Eventually you will have the reputation and clout to charge for it because people will know you are worth it.

Also volunteer for humility. When you volunteer for an organization, it teaches you how to get over yourself and be among people who need help. ​Give beyond what you do and who you are. Give back to communities that need it – whatever that means to you.

​Résumé? Check. References? Check. Snazzy duds? Check. Ready for your interview? Not hardly.
 
Employers can learn a lot about the real you before you even cross their threshold. Several ‘duh’ moments can easily trip up solid job candidates, and the first is their digital presence. This includes social media, and making sure your Facebook and Twitter feeds are not jam-packed with drunken bar pics. A person’s digital presence reflects the brand he or she wants to have as a candidate. If someone says they are a fancy marketing executive, but their website looks terrible, those things don’t work together.
 
One of the first search items that pops up tends to be a candidate’s LinkedIn page. Your digital presence is very important. It needs to be managed in the same way as wearing a suit to an interview: It is the new interview suit.
 
Some organizations have long-tenured employees and tend to be spoiled. They’re born-again virgins every time they recruit, and it’s a massively awkward event. At the other end of the spectrum are organizations that have so much turnover, recruiting is a well-oiled machine, and others still outsource to executive search firms that are masters of finding your dirty laundry online.
 
Your résumé might have a ticking time bomb right at the top, like a personal e-mail address with some variation of ‘John is sexy,’ and I just think, ‘You have got to be kidding me with this!’ I used to think this kind of dopey behavior was the stuff of urban legends, but it does happen. When it comes to professionalism, up your game.

Companies talk about hiring young people to tap their energy and enthusiasm, but when those energetic, enthusiastic folks show up for their first day the older folks just want the youngins to calm down.

Think about what it is like to bring a new puppy into a house. Puppies pee on the carpet. Puppies have a different energy than an adult dog. They can be overwhelming. Organizations say they want young, fresh energy, so be ready for it. If you invest in these puppies – if you give young workers training – then it is better for the organization in the long run.

One day, one of those puppies is going to be the CEO.

I often tell my sons, “Look alive!” Look up, be aware, pay attention. This advice is valuable for anyone. In a time when we can be distracted by our technology, we have to engage. We have to choose to live and choose to grow. You gotta wanna. You have to want this. Leadership, growth and moving forward are all about engagement. When you choose to make a change, to do something differently, that is when the real change occurs.