Advancement leaders should be expert question-askers.
We should be asking strategic questions to better understand our donors.
We should be asking encouraging questions to embolden those who report to us.
We should be asking generative questions to inspire our boards and other volunteer leaders.
We should ask questions to learn, to engage, and to raise more money.
Here is how to become a more effective question-asker in 3 simple (but not easy) steps:
Step 1: Be genuinely curious about others and their stories.
Step 2: Believe you don’t have all the answers and be willing to learn.
Step 3: Identify, specifically, what you need/want to learn from your next interaction.
When we concern ourselves with performing for our donors, our volunteers, our bosses, and our teams, we forsake the magic that naturally occurs when we are asking about them, instead.
