You know volunteering is good for the community. But can volunteering make you a better leader?

Lots of leaders volunteer. According to the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/volun.nr0.htm">Department of Labor Statistics, </a> more than a quarter of the American population volunteers, and employed people volunteer more frequently than the unemployed.

Many corporations actively support volunteering; 48 of the 100 companies recognized in the <a href="http://www.greatplacetowork.com/publications-and-events/blogs-and-news/975">100 Best Places to Work </a> give paid time off for volunteering; and <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/14536977">Starbucks</a> and others have made volunteering part of their turnaround stories.

I have been talking with hundreds of leaders through live conversations, LinkedIn forums, and other banter. Time and again, people shared these key ways volunteering makes them a better leader.

Read more <a href="http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2013/02/21/why-volunteering-makes-you-a-better-leader/">here</a>.