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Negotiation Workshop Volunteer

The Moment Confidence Takes Hold

Chuck Kawalek can see the moment when something shifts.

A participant who was hesitant begins asking questions. She tests the words she might use in a difficult conversation. What once felt intimidating starts to feel possible.

“You see the comfort level change,” Chuck explains. “They begin to think, ‘Okay, I can take the chance.’”

For Chuck, that quiet change is the most meaningful part of volunteering in Working for Women’s negotiation workshops. It is not simply about preparing a woman to ask for higher compensation, greater flexibility, or better working conditions. It is about helping her trust her own voice enough to begin.

“You empower someone to ask one question, and then she sees, ‘That was easier than I thought. Something changed,’” he says. “It builds on itself.”

One question can lead to a successful conversation. That conversation can create the confidence to take another step, and then another.

That possibility is what keeps Chuck coming back.

Connecting Professional Skills to a Greater Purpose

In his role at ZS, Chuck coaches people and helps them build the confidence to navigate important professional conversations. When he learned that he could bring those skills to Working for Women’s negotiation workshops, the connection felt immediate.

“When this opportunity came up, I knew this was where I wanted to volunteer,” he says.

The workshops help women prepare for conversations that can affect their work and financial lives. Negotiation may mean asking for higher compensation, preparing for a job interview, requesting greater flexibility, or advocating for better working conditions.

For some participants, the first step is believing they have the ability and the right to ask.

Chuck is careful not to frame that process as helping women become better versions of themselves. They already bring talent, experience, and potential. The workshop helps them recognize and act on what is already there.

“You’re not trying to be better. You’re trying to be you,” he says. “It’s about bringing that confidence forward.”

A successful conversation may lead to better compensation, greater work-life balance, or a new opportunity. It can also create momentum, giving a woman the confidence to take another step and then another.

Learning to Show Up as an Ally

Chuck’s participation in the workshops has also deepened his understanding of what it means to be an ally.

For much of his career, he believed being fair meant treating everyone the same. Over time, conversations with women in the workplace helped him recognize experiences and barriers that were not always visible to him.

He began to understand that good intentions are only a starting point. Allyship also requires listening closely, questioning assumptions, and recognizing that someone else may experience the workplace differently.

“It has heightened my awareness of what women may be experiencing,” he says.

As a man volunteering in a program centered on women, Chuck initially felt uncertain about his place in the room. He came to recognize that he did not need to have all the answers. His role was to listen, learn, contribute his skills, and carry that awareness back into his work.

“There is a lot of value in the awareness men can build,” he explains, “and in the conversations they can bring back to their own teams.”

That is why Chuck hopes to encourage more male colleagues to participate in future workshops. Skill-based volunteering gives men a meaningful way to move from supporting women in principle to actively contributing to their advancement.

When Companies Put Their Values Into Practice

Chuck’s experience also demonstrates what becomes possible when an employer gives people the time and support to use their expertise for a larger purpose.

Through its partnership with Working for Women, ZS connects employees’ professional capabilities with a genuine community need. Working for Women brings the relationships, context, and understanding of the women and nonprofit partners being served. Volunteers bring skills that can help turn knowledge into action.

“For me, coaching is about helping people build confidence and move forward,” Chuck says. “Working for Women has given me the opportunity to use those skills in service of a clear purpose and share them beyond my day-to-day role at ZS. That has been very rewarding.”

He also sees the company’s investment as an expression of its culture.

“ZS is not just talking about its values,” he says. “By giving employees the time and support to participate, the company is putting those values into practice.”

That investment creates value in several directions. Women gain practical tools and confidence. Volunteers deepen their awareness and sense of purpose. Employers create opportunities for people to learn, contribute, and lead.

For Chuck, however, the reason to return remains deeply personal: the opportunity to help someone recognize what is possible and feel prepared to move toward it.

“Through this work, I am greatly rewarded by the purpose I see in helping women bring their confidence forward,” he reflects.

That is the value of moving from awareness to action. A professional skill becomes a source of opportunity. A workshop becomes a starting point. And one volunteer’s willingness to listen, learn, and show up helps create change that continues long after the session ends.