How can you lead the members of your advancement team so that each performs even the most ordinary of tasks in extraordinary fashion?  How do you motivate staff members to be the best version of themselves day-in and day-out?  How do manage staff members so that they respond positively to new ideas or new strategies?

The hard answer is this – you can’t and you shouldn’t try.  People – high quality professionals – don’t want to be managed.  Your role as a an advancement leader is not to manage people.

Instead, your role is to help create an institution they care about so much they don’t require management.  Your role is to help create an advancement team culture so inspiring and valuable that motivational speeches are not needed.  Your role is to help establish goals so compelling that staff members don’t need reminders or instructions.

Truly inspirational leaders don’t focus on persuading or managing people.  Instead, they create movements the attract the very best from others.