Time To Think

Time To Think

More than 75 percent of fundraisers are women.  Besides managing their own time, and those of their donors, volunteers, bosses, colleagues and those who work for or with them, they are also, in many cases, busy being wives or girlfriends, daughters, sometimes mothers, pet parents, and the list goes on.  Multi-tasking is no stranger to men or women fundraisers.  How do we get it all done and keep our sanity?

It's astonishing to me that I've been fundraising for more than 30 years.  In that time, fundraising has developed from writing donor information on index cards and creating a paper filing systems, to computerizing offices with dedicated databases.  Every time there's a technological advance, we fundraisers are told these modern devices will save us time and energy.  Now, Blackbaud software manufacturer is coming out with NXT for The Raiser's Edge.  Again, we're told it's going to change our lives and give us more time.

Promises, promises.

Can't help thinking back to the time I was studying for my MBA in Non-Profit Management, when a young woman I know was planning to title her thesis, "No Time to Pee."  One of her three thesis supervisors refused to sign off on her thesis unless she changed the title.  Indeed, "no time to pee" has been a mantra of mine since the early 1980s.

One of my fundraising colleagues recently said this very thing to me as she entered my office, threw down her purse, and begged forgiveness as she borrowed five minutes from our meeting to run to the washroom because, she said, she had no time to pee that day.

How can a person organize their life and find a work/life balance?

First published in 1989, Stephen Covey wrote a business and self-help book entitled, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and was deemed as one of the most influential business books of all time.  I recently had a refresher course as part of a leadership workshop at the university where I work. These principles are always effective to organize one's mind, and while they may not give us a much-needed bathroom break, engaging in these practices, will allow a person to have a more balanced, productive life that can be lived with grace and elegance, and enable us to not feel as rushed and beholden to outside influences that distract us from our own goals.

Each chapter in Covey's book is dedicated to one of the habits, which are represented by what are termed as imperatives; a thing that is essential or urgent.

The first three habits move a person from dependence to independence, or mastery.

1 - Be proactive:

Here, Covey talks about the concept of Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern. This basically means that a person should work from the centre of their influence and constantly strive to expand it. Don't sit and be in a reactive mode, waiting for problems to happen (Circle of Concern) before taking action. The longer you sit and worry about a problem, the worse it becomes.  Sometimes you can't sleep because of just thinking about it, and what is the good of that?  Confront the issue, and the problem will resolve: perhaps not always in the way you want, but it will resolve and you can move onto the next challenge.  And, yes, there will be a next one.  And one after that, and one after that.

2 - Begin with the end in mind:

Try to envision what you want, what is your end-game, so you can work and plan towards it. You need to write out your own mission statement, with your principles and values, and then make all your decisions according to who you are.  Are you - right now - who you want to be? What do you want people to say about you now?  How do you want to be remembered? You will stray off the path time and time again.  Of course you will; you are human.  Keep going and keep growing.

3 - Put first things first:

This principle talks about the difference between leadership and management. Leadership in the outside world begins with personal vision and personal leadership.  It also talks about determining for yourself just what is important and what is urgent, stating that priority should be given in the following order:

1) Important and Urgent

2) Important and not Urgent

3) Not Important and Urgent

4) Not Important and not Urgent

And guess what, you get to decide all of the above according to Step 2: because you need to be a proactive leader.  Others have their idea of what is urgent and important, according to them.  But, once you write your mission statement, you should work and be guided according to your own agenda, not the agenda of others.

The next three Habits talk about independence, or working with others.

4 - Think win-win:

Now you are the master of your own destiny.  You are in control.  However, you are dealing with other human beings who are also captains of their own ship; kings or queens of the world.  Be sure to treat everyone with kindness, as you would have them treat you. Where have we heard that before? Have genuine feelings for mutually beneficial solutions or agreements in your business - and personal -- relationships. Value and respect people by understanding that a "win" for all is ultimately a better, long-term resolution than if only you get your own way.  This is a basic code for interaction and collaboration. It's better to be good, rather than right.

5 - Seek first to understand, then to be understood:

Use empathetic listening to genuinely understand a person. This compels them to reciprocate the listening and take an open mind to being influenced by you. In turn, this creates an atmosphere of caring, and positive problem solving.

a) Work on your own Emotional Bank Account, which is your personal credibility, or the trust that you inspire.

b) Be empathetic, aligning your own trust with the emotional trust of another person during communications.

c) Be logical, but remember that reasoning comes into play after your character, and your relationships.

6 - Synergize:

Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork. This will help achieve goals that no one could have done alone.

7 - Continual improvement:

The final habit is that of continual improvement in both the personal and interpersonal spheres of influence.  Be sure to balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle. Exercise, volunteer, pray, meditate or engage in yoga, and allow time for reading.

After sufficient time for reflection, Covey added an addendum in the form of an 8th habit:

8 - Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.

Covey coined the idea of abundance mentality or abundance mindset, a concept whereby a person believes there are enough resources and successes to share with others. He contrasts it with the scarcity mindset, founded on the idea that if someone else wins or is successful in a situation, that means you lose; not considering the possibility of all parties winning.  Individuals with an abundance mentality are able to celebrate the success of others rather than feel threatened by it.

Of course, I need to re-read and refresh my own dedication to these principles.  After all, I am only human and I sometimes fall back into my old routines.  But with determination to always learn and refresh tried and true methods of getting hold of my life's purpose, I can find time to stop and smell the flowers, among other of life's necessities!