How do leaders know they’re focusing on the most important things?
Is there a formula for dividing time between cultivation, asking, and thanking donors?
If you are in a role that primarily exists to grow giving to an organization and you will be interacting with givers, then that is people-oriented work.
The currency you are pursuing is not money; it is actually influence. You are trying to grow your influence so you can, in an authentic way, help people see what God is doing in the organization and then challenge them to have the impact that only they can have.
While there is no formula, aim to spend 50% of your time with people.
Influence comes through relationships and trust built over time.
Invest in people, not programming.
Technology, systems, and processes will broaden your influence, but they alone won’t increase your impact. Narrow and deep, not broad and shallow, is the more effective way every time.
We live in a world where people can influence thousands and thousands of people in a relatively minor way, and the ability to go deeper is becoming scarcer. One way to ensure your role is impactful and valuable, and that you are getting results in development, is to focus on building genuine relationships with people, helping them see what God is doing, and then challenging them to have the impact only they can have. That means investing significant time into people.
We’ve deceived ourselves by believing programs, processes, data, and technologies make us productive, but they don’t maximize the time we spend with people.
When you feel enslaved by the system or the policies, or processes, or procedures, then something is wrong because those things are supposed to support your ability to build relationships with people.
Maximize your time with people.
You get no credit for doing the wrong things well.
Doing an excellent job with day-to-day details makes a difference, but is it really resulting in measurable successes?
It’s problematic when people see their jobs as a list of duties and projects rather than as roles designed to advance a specific mission and move the organization forward in measurable, tangible ways.
It’s critical to know your role, why it exists, the success factors, and what the right things to focus on are because you get no credit for doing the wrong things well.
When you are in a people-oriented role within an organization, there is a chunk of time that is just not your own, every week, month, and year.
The more responsibilities you have as a leader, the more this applies.
Leaders spend an average of 10 hours per week on email, a massive amount of time that many assume is somehow productive and, therefore, gets results. No leader knowingly commits ten hours to email; it just gets used.
What time do you have that is not your own? What is the discretionary time that you have? How much of that discretionary time are you committing intentionally to people? How much are you committing to yourself, setting meetings with yourself, and blocking time with yourself to work on your own work? How are you using technology, systems, and processes to make the most of the time you have left?
You will constantly be tweaking, evaluating, and looking.
The reality is that, unfortunately, we all have vast amounts of time that really don’t amount to much impact.
You must choose to be intentional when and where you can.
Start today by being brutally honest with yourself about where you are putting your energy, attention, and time, so you can make adjustments and move forward. I would love to hear about your progress. Add yourself to my address book and send me a message.