Do The Job Or Do The Work?

June 22, 2016      Tom Belford

In his Starting Over series, Roger will be urging fundraisers to take a fresh look at how we’re going about our work.

In yesterday’s post he commented that “much of our sector just keeps doing the same thing over and over and over”, arguing that “too many fundraisers. simply coast through their professional life following the consensus. They truly believe most things ‘fundraising’ have been figured out and are willing to accept others’ word for it.”

One might say that those fundraisers — the coasters — are just doing their job, but not the work.

What’s the difference?

Consider this distinction made by marketing guru Seth Godin in So busy doing my job:

“Your job is an historical artifact. It’s a list of tasks, procedures, alliances, responsibilities, to-dos, meetings (mostly meetings) that were layered in, one at a time, day after day, for years.

And your job is a great place to hide.”

[He goes on to say that if you’re doing your job, you can’t fail.]

Now the distinction:

“The work, on the other hand, is the thing you do that creates value. This value you create, the thing you do like no one else can do, is the real reason we need you to be here…”

In other words, ‘doing your job’ is just marking time. Following the script. Maybe that’s OK if you’re planning on exiting your job shortly, or retiring. Someone else can pick up the pieces and do the work.

I suspect that if you look into the most successful fundraising organisations (and consultancies), you won’t find too many people just ‘doing their jobs’. Indeed, those doing the work won’t tolerate for long those merely doing the job.

Doing the work involves questioning (especially, asking: Why?), being uncomfortable, prodding, innovating, occasionally failing … maybe even starting over!

Tom

2 responses to “Do The Job Or Do The Work?”

  1. Dan Kirsch says:
    June 22, 2016 at 9:30 am

    I recall a discussion shortly after being put in charge of an underperforming development operation of a struggling college.

    The CFO told me the Annual Fund director didn’t really have 14 years of experience. She had one year of experience 14 times over.

  2. mike says:
    June 22, 2016 at 9:57 am

    I look forward to reading The Agitator every morning to be motivated not to explode when I hear the following statements:

    “We don’t have the budget for acquisition and renewal” (this AM)

    “I’m not interested in planned gifts. I’m more concerned about meeting this year’s budget.” (last week)

    Thanks for providing the counseling sofa!

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