The Extreme Fundraising Blog

As I mentioned in the last issue, the five driving abilities are very powerful. These abilities directly impact job performance and satisfaction. If any one of these abilities is high, it requires itself to find an outlet. Most jobs only call on one or two so people that test high in many of these abilities need to find outlets for them in other areas of their life.

Concept organization is what the Highlands Company defines as: “the kind of problem solving in which a person starts with known facts, uses logical connections between them, and arrives at a logical conclusion.”

Concept organization is linear, left-brain problem solving. It is the basis for planning, strategizing for the future, and communicating thoughts in ways others can understand. Let’s look at the characteristics and challenges of people that test high and low in Classification.

****HIGH CONCEPT ORGANIZATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
People high in concept organization find it natural to organize and plan things. They easily create structures, systems, and schedules for themselves and others. Because people usually understand information much better if presented to them logically, people high in concept organization are often terrific communicators. Their organizational ability is internal so they really do know where things are, even if their desks are a mess!

CHALLENGES
People high in concept organization feel a need to go thought every single step in the decision process. They even feel compulsion to finish all the steps in a project without analyzing whether the steps are important or not. Their step-by-step adherence to detail can get in the way of their making decisions.

****LOW CONCEPT ORGANIZATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
People low in concept organization can act quickly and decisively. They have no need to work through all the steps of a solution and they can get impatient with those that do. This ability to cut through layers of logic to get to an answer is a valuable skill for executives and managers.

CHALLENGES
People low in concept organization can be overwhelmed by multiple competing demands. They can also have a challenge organizing and prioritizing. People low in concept organization will usually need to rely on external organization tools like calendars, planners, lists, and files. They may also have a hard time communicating clearly with people. Since this doesn’t come easily for them, they’ll just need to allow more time to prepare for presentations and talks.

****IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISING****
There are a number of ways concept organization can affect our fundraising. Here are a few:

• People lower in concept organization (CO) may want to team up with a person higher in CO when planning a solicitation or strategizing a campaign.
• Someone higher in CO that finds themselves bogged down making a decision may want to seek out the help of someone lower in CO to cut through to an answer.
• When you’re with a donor that needs to tediously move through each and every step of a solicitation process, ask yourself, “Is this person simply stalling or are they high in CO?”

****WHAT ABOUT YOU?****
Which do you think you are: high concept organization or low? Remember, there isn’t a good and bad in this range. Isn’t it interesting that executives and managers are better if they’re low in classification and concept organization?

How do you balance interruptions and planning? How do you meet your departmental goals when the priorities change daily or hourly? How do you keep all the plates spinning while determining which plates are truly important? When schedules are tight, every unexpected occurrence impacts your entire day. No matter how small the interruption, the ripple effects may be felt throughout your organization!

“Keeping the Plates Spinning” will help you be more successful at the critical fundraising skills of goal-setting and time management. You’ll leave each session with tools you can use to immediately help you regain a measure of sanity in your work day. You’ll learn:

• 6 powerful tools to help tame the task-list tiger
• how minding your P’s and Q’s can be crucial to getting your important things done
• 4 steps to identifying which goals give you the most return on your investment of time
• and practical ways to “manage up” so that your supervisor or board understands what you do

This teleclasses is a workshop by phone so you can become more successful without leaving your desk. Starting July 13th, we’ll meet every other Tuesday at 3 p.m. EST. (The dates are July 13, July 27, August 10 and August 24.)

It costs $195 plus the long distance fees for the call. It’s a terrific way to make sure your next twelve months are the most productive ever. To sign up, email me at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com or calling me at (207) 577-1407. MasterCard and Visa are accepted and, remind me that you’re an Extreme Fundraising subscriber for $50 off the class price!

The five driving abilities measured by the Highlands Ability Battery are very powerful. Whether a person tests high or low, these abilities directly impact job performance and satisfaction. If any one of these abilities is high, it requires itself to find an outlet. While there are five Driving Abilities, most jobs only call on one or two so people that test high in many of these abilities need to find outlets for them in other areas of their life.

If you’re currently experiencing stress in your life, it may well be one of the Driving Abilities letting you know it’s not being addressed.

Classification involves non-linear, non-logical problem solving. The Highlands Company defines classification as: “the ability to take many factors onto account simultaneously in coming up with a solution to a presented problem.” People high in classification say the solution to a problem “just comes” to them. They can’t figure out why everyone else doesn’t “get it” too.

As with the other abilities, let’s look at the characteristics and challenges of people that test high and low in Classification.

****HIGH CLASSIFICATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
People that are high in classification love solving problems, love being intellectually challenged, and love learning new things. These people tend to thrive in chaotic work environments that are fast-paced and offer lots of variety. They love flying by the seat of their pants. They have an uncanny ability to pull lots of different points together and see the “big picture.”

CHALLENGES
People high in classification can be come very frustrated when others don’t see the solution too. This can be aggravated because, although people high in classification can see a solution quickly, they aren’t always adept at communicating that solution.

These folks can also tend to get restless if they don’t feel they’re being stimulated enough. They’ll even create problems just to have some to solve. Students that leave their term papers until the night before may well be high in classification.

While good at picking up information quickly, they don’t like taking the time to learn anything fully. They’ll learn enough to get by but they’ll think they’ve learned all there is to learn.

****LOW CLASSIFICATION****
CHARACTERISTICS
People low in classification tend to prefer more stability and seek to create work environments with more structure. They are good listeners and tend to be curious and accepting. They are patient with process and allow people the time it takes for their own personal development. They are also willing to take the time needed to gather all the information and learn subject fully. Given these characteristics, great managers and executives tend to be low in classification.

CHALLENGES
People low in classification can be overwhelmed with new information and change. They tend to be not well suited for chaotic environments and positions that constantly require them to put out fires. Initially the information gathering process can be time consuming which may cause them to look indecisive. Interestingly, once they’ve amassed enough experience, they’re often able to make decisions much more quickly than high classification people—another reason most effective executives tend to be low in classification.

****IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDRAISING****
Given the tendency of low classification people to be overwhelmed with change, you wouldn’t want to tell a donor low in classification about the organization’s new executive director, introduce him to the goals of the new capital campaign, and tell him of the plans to tear down one of the nonprofit’s buildings. You’d want to determine one thing to share with him at a time.

On the other hand, if you’re sitting across from a donor who seems restless, she may be high in classification. You might want to speed up what you’re saying or tell them about all the new developments with your nonprofit. You might even present them with a problem and ask for their ideas on solutions. (Given the non-linear nature of classification, this might work better if you’re actually at the location of your nonprofit.)

****WHAT ABOUT YOU?****
Which do you think you are: high classification or low? Remember, there isn’t a good and bad in this range. If you think you’re high, how do you keep yourself challenged at work? If you think you’re low, what kind of structure have you implemented to stabilize some of the chaos?

Drop me an email at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com