How 38 years of voluntary work with the Technisches Hilfswerk have shaped one's working life
For almost 40 years, Jungheinrich employee Mirco Grönwoldt has been involved with the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW). In doing so, he has developed skills such as leadership, teamwork, the ability to manage change and the ability to motivate people – skills which he now applies in his day-to-day work.
Key insights
38 years of commitment: Mirco Grönwoldt has been volunteering with the THW for almost four decades and brings the experience he has gained there to his work at Jungheinrich.
Inspiring people to work towards shared goals: Whether in a voluntary role or in his professional life, for Mirco Grönwoldt, leadership means, above all, motivating people, providing guidance and successfully achieving shared goals.
Skills that add value: Skills such as the ability to manage change, communication, teamwork and personal responsibility strengthen both collaboration at Jungheinrich and the Yellow Way.
What do disaster relief and process optimisation have in common? At first glance, not much. Yet anyone who takes on responsibility as a volunteer for decades, leads teams and motivates people to work towards shared goals develops skills that are also in demand within companies.
Mirco Grönwoldt knows both worlds. Whilst he works at Jungheinrich as part of the central Lean team to improve processes and make collaboration more efficient, he has been involved with the Technisches Hilfswerk (Technical Aid Organisation short THW) for almost 38 years.
After completing his training, his career took a rather pragmatic turn. Instead of military service, he opted for alternative service with the THW.
“What began as a formal obligation quickly became a labour of love,” says Grönwoldt. 
Over the years, he took on a wide variety of tasks, was involved in public relations and worked alongside operational units. Since 2011, he has been the local representative for the THW in Kaltenkirchen and is responsible for managing the site as well as coordinating the work of numerous specialist departments and units.
Leadership means empowering people
What Mirco Grönwoldt particularly values in his voluntary work is not technical challenges or organisational tasks, but working with people.
“It’s important to me that what we do makes sense and is enjoyable at the same time. For myself, of course, but above all for the volunteers.”
For him, successful leadership is primarily about creating the right conditions: providing guidance, facilitating collaboration and supporting people in contributing their strengths.
“This is particularly crucial in voluntary work,” says Grönwoldt. “After all, people get involved of their own free will. If you want to keep them enthusiastic about a shared task in the long term, you have to convince them, motivate them and convey a sense of purpose.”
He is particularly pleased when volunteers remain loyal to the THW over many years and make a difference together. For him, that is the clearest sign of good cooperation.
Skills that also strengthen Jungheinrich
Much of the experience Mirco Grönwoldt has gained through his voluntary work continues to benefit him at Jungheinrich today. As part of the central Lean team, he works alongside colleagues to further develop processes and create solutions that focus on customer benefit, efficiency and collaboration. This is not just about methods or procedures, but above all about winning people over to change.
“Leadership, motivation and communicating purpose play a central role in voluntary work just as they do in a professional career,” he explains.
Particularly when new processes are introduced or existing ways of working are changed, it is crucial to incorporate different perspectives and develop sustainable solutions together. He has intensively developed his ability to get people on board and make change understandable over many years of voluntary work.
As well as leadership skills, voluntary work also strengthens abilities such as communication, organisation, personal responsibility and teamwork. These are skills that are in demand not only during THW operations, but also in day-to-day collaboration at Jungheinrich. After all, successful collaboration thrives on taking responsibility, involving others and developing solutions together – principles that also shape Jungheinrich’s corporate culture, the Yellow Way.
A special chapter with a lasting impact
As fulfilling as volunteering is for Mirco Grönwoldt, he is also aware of the challenges. Balancing work, voluntary work and private life over many years requires time, energy and personal commitment.
After 15 years as local representative and three terms of office, the next election was due to take place in August as scheduled. With 95 per cent of the vote, he was re-elected by his team for a further five years in office. By then, he will be able to look back on a total of 43 years of voluntary service.
“But that’ll be enough for me,” he says with a smile. “I’d like to have more time for my private life again.”
What remains are more than four decades full of responsibility, team spirit and personal development. And the realisation that voluntary work not only benefits society, but also fosters skills from which teams, colleagues and companies can benefit.
