Are You the Chairperson or the Referee?

I’ve only worked with a couple of professional Project Managers in my life. One of them was even certified so he could put PMP after his signature (Project Management Professional). This guy knew how to break a project down into it’s most minor tasks, prioritize and schedule them, keep everything on track and produce a deliverable. I would have trusted him to oversee the construction of my house or to raise money to buy a new piano for my church. Even though he was excellent at what he did, two other things stand out in my mind about him.

One, he made me more productive. I knew exactly what was expected of me and when it had to be done. I also knew that he would see to it that I got any resources I needed to do the job. He not only gave me assignments, he explained to me how my little task fit into the overall goal and why it was important.

The other thing that stands out is that he was universally disliked. As a consultant, I enjoy going to a company, getting results and moving on. I found out that most people don’t work that way and resent anyone who tries to change the culture in which they have become comfortable. I saw him as a doer, they saw him as a nagger.

As the leader of a fundraiser, your job is much larger than meeting the stated goal. You not only have to consider all avenues for meeting the goal, you must get all of the stakeholders involved and moving in the same direction. You must have, at least, a cursory plan for dealing with personalities, individual strengths (and weaknesses), unexpected obstacles, unrealistic expectations, delays, the weather and every other aspect of the fundraising “project”.

From your experience, do you have any tips for future leaders about what to expect? How do you get everyone on the same page? How do you foster cooperation, even among those with a history of ego clashes? How do you handle differences of opinion about how to reach your goal?