Many advancement leaders want to adopt what the “other institutions like us are doing.” Copying is safe and easy, even if whatever it is that we are copying doesn’t necessarily work well for our institution.
Similarly, many advancement leaders are people pleasers. For example, if two donors out of 5,000 responded negatively to a giving day email, some leaders would question the strategy of sending the email.
The desire to copy and please may bear different fruits, but both come from a similar root system. Each behavior is driven by the need to fit in professionally, or, make few professional waves. When we lean on copying and pleasing others, we become so “other-centered,” that we can lose our own perspective, goals, ideas, plans, and voice.
If you want to be viewed as an effective advancement leader, apply (don’t copy) what others are doing at your institution. And, respond (don’t react) to the complaints of others.
Making decisions takes initiative.
But, first, we must believe that our perspective, our plan, our strategy is worth sharing.