Here’s a question that keeps repeating in my head: Is the “Great Resignation” going to shake us up and wake us up?

There’s so much talk about the fundraiser exodus and how 51% of fundraisers expect to leave their jobs over the next two years. As a leader, how does that make you feel? Overwhelmed? Frustrated? Determined? Does it feel like this is something you have any control over?

The truth is that you do. You can stop your amazing, talented fundraisers from leaving and keep them engaged and joyful in their work. Richard and Jeff have written a number of blogs about culture, management, and strategies that are provide a path to better fundraiser retention and an increase in revenue.

But today, I want to talk about a fundamental skill set that is critical to your implementation of those strategies: emotional intelligence (EQ).

The corporate world has been studying this for a while and has made substantial investments to help their leaders developing their EQ because they know it impacts the bottom line. This isn’t a “nice to have”; this is critical to your success.

To put some hard numbers to this, listen to what Anne Loehr had to share in a blog post on the impact of emotional intelligence: “Having a high EQ isn’t for promoting warm and fuzzy feelings in the workplace. It is directly related to the bottom line. Pepsi found that executives with high EQs generated 10% more productivity, had 87% less turnover, brought $3.75M more value to the company, and increased ROI by 1000%. L’Oreal found that salespeople with a high EQ sold $2.5M more than others. And when Sheraton decided to incorporate an EQ initiative, their market share grew by 24%.”

And that’s not all. An article on Leaders stated that, “TalentSmart, a top provider in emotional intelligence services, found that ‘emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of performance, explaining a full 58% of success in all types of jobs.’”

We in the non-profit sector have some catching up to do with what the corporate world has known a long time. Leaders, this is your moment. You can lead the way.

When you are emotionally intelligent, you know how to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as how to effectively gauge the needs, wants, and expectations of others on your team.

To do this well, you want to build your abilities around four areas: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills.

There are so many great resources out there, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start. I know I appreciate having some structure and guidance to get my arms around what I want to work on, so these are some tips for where to start.

Here are some steps and directions I recommend to help you identify areas of strength and growth, and then define for yourself what understanding, strategies, and tools you need to grow your EQ. You may already have a strong EQ, but there is always an opportunity for growth.

First, I recommend that you set aside 30-60 minutes to fill in this exercise and identify someone you trust to share it with. This person should be willing and able to hold you accountable to follow up on what you created.

Finally, be patient and kind with yourself in this process. Notice if you have resistance to doing this. Avoidance or resistance are normal human reactions when you’re faced with something that may require you to change. Don’t let that stop you. If you want to do something that guarantees you more success as a fundraising leader, work on what will fundamentally impact the success of everything you do: grow your emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence Exercise: Steps and Reflection Questions

First, read over this article on Leaders about developing each area of EQ.

Then, answer the following questions for each of the four areas, and share your answers with a trusted coach, friend, or colleague. Ask them for their honest feedback on your self-assessment, and also if they’d be willing to be an accountability partner for you as you start to implement some of the strategies you identify below.

• Practice Self-Awareness
  • Define Self-Awareness for you:
  • How do you rate your ability in this area (1 low to 5 high):
  • What was the most important thing you learned:
  • List 1-3 Strategies you want to implement:
• Become Better at Self-Regulation
  • Define Self-Regulation for you:
  • How do you rate your ability in this area (1 low to 5 high):
  • What was the most important thing you learned:
  • List 1-3 Strategies you want to implement:
• Exercise Empathy and Social Awareness
  • Define Social Awareness for you:
  • How do you rate your ability in this area (1 low to 5 high):
  • What was the most important thing you learned:
  • List 1-3 Strategies you want to implement:
• Foster Strong Relationships
  • Define Strong Relationships for you:
  • How do you rate your ability in this area (1 low to 5 high):
  • What was the most important thing you learned:
  • List 1-3 Strategies you want to implement:

I’ve been working on my own emotional intelligence for years and it’s a journey. But it’s a journey that can transform the way you approach your work, manage your team, and achieve your goals. It’s worth the effort.

Karen