Running the show...being "on" 24/7/365...that is what the job of the CEO is about. It's also what being the Development Director is about. The pressure of orchestrating your fundraising organization to hit your annual goal takes knowledge, experience and ... wisdom.
Remember back in the late 90s and early 00s? When “Idiot" venture capitalists were throwing millions of dollars at dot.com start-up companies (can you say sock puppet?) started and run by twenty-somethings? What happened? Right, most of them bombed out and were either acquired by "real" companies - because some of their core ideas were actually brilliant - or they went bankrupt.
Hello...twenty-somethings have enthusiasm and energy. Some rare individuals may actually have a really brilliant insight or idea that can be commercialized into a company... but no twenty-something has WISDOM. Wisdom is what you have a Development Director for.
The Captain of the airplane doesn't fly the plane; that's the job of the first officer - the second in command. So what is the Captain’s job? To plot the course and BE THERE if there is a problem. WISDOM !
Wisdom, however, is also about being discerning of change. If conditions change and turbulence blows up, it is the Captain that takes the controls. The Captain may never have seen the exact conditions she is now flying through, but she has the wisdom and experience to do what is necessary to alter course and bring the plane to a safe landing.
So if the Captain’s main job isn't to fly the plane day-to-day, then what’s her day-to-day job? Answer: constant learning. No one person...one pilot...can have first-hand experience with every single iteration of possible situations faced in flight. It's all about training and high-level learning.
And in those situations where the entire foundation of the industry changes for air-flight...think the shift from propeller-driven aircraft to jet aircraft...all the senior pilots go back to school.
-Mike
P.S. If you’re interested, or you know someone that might be interested, we will be holding a Webinar that introduces our new e-Learning program, Acquiring the Next Generation of Supporters. There is no cost for the Webinar but seats are limited, so if you’re interested in learning more, email me your name and I will personally see you get on the list.
Welcome to BIG's Blog! Please feel free to forward this post to your friends and coworkers...and email me a comment at: mike@big-db.com
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