January 18 2022 at 07:00PM
January Volunteer Spotlight: Brian Varkevisser
We interviewed Brian, our January Volunteer of the month. Below is a bit more about Brian!
For a quick introduction, what is your elevator pitch of yourself?
I love dropping myself into the heart of complex change – be it towns, sub-cultures or organizations – and working to build community. In the world at large, I’m a people artist who finds joy in seeing others succeed.
Who is Brian at home and/or outside of professional space? What do you do for fun?
When not enjoying my wife’s incredible edible creations or playing board games with our kids, I’m the house cleaner and dog walker for our family.
When did you start volunteering with the chapter, and most importantly, why did you join PMI-SFBAC?
While jumping head first into political campaigns throughout Northern California, I dove into the PMBOK and used it as a guide for managing diverse groups of volunteers. Because of this, I found PMI-SFBAC the perfect place to give back to the community that has given me so much. It has been a year and a half since I joined the Chapter.
What were your first impressions of the chapter and its volunteers?
I found the volunteers to have the rare combination of professional drive with an honest smile. It’s easy to lose hope in the business world with so many clawing for more money or power, but I was soon inspired by how everyone treated each other with encouragement and support.
What was the biggest challenge you faced as a volunteer for PMI-SFBAC? How did you conquer it?
Gaining rapport through Google Meet and emails was quite a challenge to overcome. I don’t know, still, if I have. It’s more than understanding a volunteer's skills and abilities. As a volunteer, it’s about understanding how to create an environment where they feel free to reach out when they need more guidance, encouragement or just someone to listen.
Bonus Qs:
What is your secret or super Project Management power? Why?
My super power is that I don’t have one. I have grown to enjoy identifying and enjoying the super powers of others and not being jealous.
What are you excited about for 2022 and moving forward?
I’m most excited that it is not 2019, 2020 or 2021. I’m over COVID.
