Learn to Delegate

Leaders are not supposed to do all the work.  

If a leader is trying to do all the work, there won’t be enough hours in the day to complete all that needs to be accomplished. Successful leaders enlist the talents of their team members, and a team functions best when all its members appreciate a unity of purpose and diversity of thought. 
 
Below are 5 traits of highly successful teams. I encourage you to evaluate your own fundraising team against these criteria: 

1. Team members should be diverse in skills and perspectives because our work and our audience are diverse. All team members should bring their skills and views to the table to ensure our work is done well and successfully serves our audience.
2. All team members are essential. A highly successful team does not want anyone’s skills, abilities, or intellect to be underutilized. It encourages everyone to make contributions to benefit the team.
3. Team members function as parts of a body. The leader is the head, but nothing gets done without the feet and the hands. An effective leader provides direction so team efforts aren’t wasted. When all parts are working together well, a team accomplishes more than expected. 
4. Great teams seek to accomplish their goals in harmony and with respect for others. Working in a harmonious and respectful atmosphere removes the grind of an average day and makes achieving results not only more enjoyable, but more likely. 
5. Team members should compete with each other less and complete each other more. I am all for healthy competition, but we must be willing to pitch in when a task is too large for one person or fill in when someone has a family emergency right before an important meeting. Completing each other also means that everyone is accountable, individually and collectively, to help each other achieve their best work. 

Fundraising is best played as a team sport, bringing forward every team member’s talents toward the accomplishment of a shared goal. How is your team measuring up?