LEADING YOURSELF

I am an avid sports fan and late October through mid-November is the ultimate time of year for me to follow multiple sports very closely. When we think about leadership, our minds tend to go immediately to the notion of an individual who leads others, most often in a business setting. However, what I want to drill down on in this blog is an entirely different aspect of leadership: it is the notion of leading yourself. And sports offer many sterling examples of just that.

Daniel Jones

Daniel is the current quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. He is having a record-breaking season. At mid-season, he is leading the league in several key metrics and his team has only lost one game.

What I think is most remarkable about Daniel's season this year is that he was literally shown the door and booed out of NYC as the former quarterback of the New York Giants. My most vivid memory of Daniel was him running down the field untouched on his way to what looked like an obvious touchdown when he tripped over himself and fell to the ground. Humiliation. This play symbolized his career in New York.

So, how did he lead himself out of this dark place? To me, he persevered, learned from his adversity and he put in the hard, hard work to position himself (and therefore his team) in a place to succeed.

The transferable leadership skill for us to recognize here is one of perseverance and putting in "the reps." To my knowledge, very few of us dream of being a development officer as a child or go to school to learn the trade. (Apologies to those of you who did!) There is no play book to study and memorize; it is a calling where we have to learn by doing, we must be willing to try and fail, to learn from prior missteps and to do it again, but better and better each time.

Steph Curry

Steph is the all-world point guard of the Golden State Warriors. Admittedly, I am a tad biased here as he and I are both graduates of Davidson College. His story is magical in so many ways that it is difficult to zero in on one particular skill or attribute that he has perfected to lead himself. Steph moves so effectively on the court during a game when he does not actually have the basketball in his hands. Watch him: he never stands still. It is not uncommon for him to run at least 10 miles a game!

So, how can this generally unnoticed aspect of his game have any relevance to us as fund-raising professionals? Be active on your development team. Don't wait around waiting for good things to happen. Put yourself in a position to "receive the ball" and go with it. Get out and see prospects, make contacts, stay curious. Move! No supervisor will ever say these words to you, "You know, you're seeing too many prospects and building too much trust as a key representative of our organization. You need to rein it in." Move with a purpose. Be active.

Clayton Kershaw

Clayton, veteran pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, is an interesting hybrid of power and precision. On the mound, he is an imposing figure at 6' 4" tall. He is in the record books for many reasons, one of which is his number of strikeouts of the opposing batters. He simply overpowers them with his velocity. A rare complement to power, speed and strength is the precision with which he throws the ball. He has an ERA (earned run average) in the low two's which means opposing teams have a very difficult time hitting his pitches, and, as a result, they score very few runs. In addition, Clayton is an ingenious strategist who has adjusted and adapted to the changing nature of the game of baseball.

What can we learn from how this athlete leads himself through a long and storied career? Kershaw is a control pitcher who stays true to the fundamentals and practices them over and over again. He practices and perfects the little things in order to give himself a competitive advantage. Through a long career with inevitable injuries and setbacks, slumps, etc., he made adjustments in his throwing motion and velocity to extend his career and thereby avoid setbacks. He was willing to adapt.

Do you do the same? Do you do your homework prior to visiting a prospect? Do you know your programs inside and out? Go spend time with the appropriate subject matter experts on your larger team. Develop and practice your elevator speech and be able to easily articulate your organization's case for support in a clear and compelling way. In terms of adaptability and adjusting, embrace learning new skills and expanding your ability to connect in new and deeper ways with existing and/or new donors. Finally, stay within yourself and develop your own personal style and approach to your work. Be genuine and authentic and strive to have a reputation amongst your volunteers, stakeholders and colleagues which affirms that you are knowledgeable, reliable, committed and most importantly, trustworthy. 

Post-Game Summary

Before you can lead others, you need to put in the time and effort to lead yourself well in order to develop and hone the skills that will contribute to your own success. Doing that demonstrates to others that you are ready for a leadership position.

One final point I will underscore is to find a mentor: someone(s) in your work life who has behaviors and abilities that you want to emulate. The true test of a leader might be summed up with this quip: What makes a great leader? It is hard to put a finger on it exactly, but I know it when I see it.