A Day Late and a Dollar Short

Managing Feet Draggers, Wheel Spinners, Dawdlers, Contrarians, and Ghosts

Highlights from my recent webinar

Sometimes grant seeking is like a three-legged race through quicksand. Tight deadlines, competing priorities, and multiple approval layers stand in the way of a smooth process.

Then there are unique personalities we have to navigate - most of them are lovely; some of them are awful; and most are both at different times.

With full recognition that each person is a unique individual, creating personas helps me recognize their tendencies and modify my approach to working with them.

Shameless Plug: GrantHolster is a fantastic way to manage everything related to every grant.

The Feet Dragger

When someone seems to be dragging their feet, they are usually overwhelmed. They may promise to get you the information, then forget. They’re drowning in tasks, so your requests get buried.

Limit communication to essentials, give hard deadlines, and send reminders the day before. Weekly and monthly update emails help keep them on track. Check out my weekly update template on Patreon.

The Wheel Spinner

These folks have a hard time making a decision and sticking to it. They are often paralyzed. I designed a funder information form (free on Patreon) and matrix to help these professionals see the pros and cons of their decision. When Wheel Spinners (finally) make a decision, be sure to affirm the decision they made.

The Dawdler

Back in 1770, Voltaire wrote, "The best is the enemy of the good" and that sums up the problem with Dawdlers. They want every word and number flawless before moving forward. That's a great ideal but it's not a good way to meet a deadline.

Try holding a kickoff meeting to set deadlines, maybe follow up in person, and use language like “review for critical errors only” to avoid endless editing loops.

The Ghost

These folks just...disappear...when you are on deadline. Just keep doing your job: sending updates as usual and maintaining communication.

You may have to offer a "nuclear" option for them: "I'm deferring this $100K opportunity if I can't get the information by noon tomorrow."

The Contrarian

These folks can recite every tiny error you have ever made. They are resistant to change, risk-averse, and difficult. But once you earn their trust, they can be your biggest champion.

Admit your mistakes, focus on the mission, communicate openly, don't avoid them (even though you want to), and give them your grant deadlines for the whole year.

These aren't Jedi Mind Tricks but they help

Here's a few general strategies to try with any/all of your coworkers:

• Use a countdown in your subject line: Due in four days!

• Schedule meetings at odd times - it gets noticed. Are you available at 11:37 am tomorrow?

• Write a draft with what you know and put XXXX for information you need. It's easier to edit something that exists than create something from scratch.

• Don't lie about the due date but create an internal due date that offers a grace period.

• Offer lunch-and-learn seminars to demystify the grant process for colleagues. Give the talk a snappy title like, "10 Steps to Turn Your Idea into a Grant!" or "Getting Grant Funding."

The Payoff

Grant seeking isn't about forms and deadlines. It's about securing resources that allow you to make the world a better place. You know, the whole reason you decided to do this work.

When you shift your mindset from "I work with jerks, imbeciles, and flakes," to "I'm helping move our mission forward by doing hard work," the process takes on purpose.

Yes, you'll still have to deal with coworkers who make things harder than they should, but with the right tools and strategies, you can eliminate roadblocks and start seeing "annoying traits" as "super powers."

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BOTTOM LINE: Don't let chaos ruin your day. Build systems, know your people, and keep your eyes on the mission.

Instead of "a day late and a dollar short," you'll be "on time and fully funded."