The Fund Raiser

The Departing Data Diva

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By Mark J. Drozdowski

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" My colleague stood in my office doorway, holding an envelope and sporting an anxious countenance.

People seem to end relationships with the "we need to talk" line, so I was predisposed to expect the worst. She closed the door, handed me the envelope, and sat down. It was addressed to me, and I didn't have to open it to figure out its contents.

"You're leaving?" I asked, hoping her reply would be, "Oh, heavens no! I just want a raise."

Instead she delivered the news I was hoping not to hear: "I got the job."

The job referred to a position I had encouraged her to apply for at another university. I had known she was in the running, but I hadn't heard any news lately. I had secretly wished that things had passed without consequence. Not so.

Let's go back a few months. I see an advertisement for a job that I think is perfect for this colleague. She is an information-technology expert, specializing in database management. The position would offer her a leadership role in advancement services, a rapidly expanding field crying out for talented professionals. Plus, it's at her alma mater, which is converting to the very same database we use here. A match made in Boston.

Initially she demurs, suggesting a lack of management experience. I encourage her to apply anyway. A few weeks later, she lands an interview. I begin to get nervous, second-guessing my tactics.

My data diva and I had discussed career issues, and I knew she was looking to leave. Nothing personal, I understood; she simply was ready to move up. To do so, she had to move out. We couldn't accommodate her structurally or financially. Her desire to get an M.B.A. was the final impetus.

You've earned your wings, grasshopper, and it's time to fly.

And leave me with a gaping hole in my staff. Now I'll need to find someone equally adept at manipulating data and navigating our somewhat recalcitrant technology system. No big deal, really. It's not like I have campaign reports to run every couple of days.

I can't fault my employee for seeking greener pastures. I did, in fact, encourage her to look. So here's my question: Should I have kept the job opening to myself and not prodded my data diva to pursue it? Should I, in other words, have been selfish?

A rhetorical question, of course. As a manager, it's my responsibility to help employees develop professionally. If that means developing them to the point where they begin to seek better opportunities elsewhere, so be it. Who am I to stand in their way?

At the same time, though, I have an obligation to my institution. Recruiting new staff members is costly and time-consuming, and can induce migraines and mild cases of the bends. If I continue grooming my best employees for other jobs, am I acting in my employer's best interests? Or mine?

We walk a fine line here. Professional development enables people to perform better in their current positions. It also helps them climb the career ladder. The next rung may appear at a different college.

Conceptually, I figured that out long ago. But I'll return to my initial query, that of determining where we, as managers, draw the line between helping colleagues and sabotaging our own departments.

I'll phrase my answer as a follow-up question: What's the alternative? Do we discourage employees from gaining new skills, embracing opportunities to experiment and learn, and exploring career possibilities beyond the campus? Do we jealously guard them from professional poachers, downplay our employees' accomplishments to recruiters and reference-callers, or tear out tempting job ads in The Chronicle before passing it on?

I suppose a second answer is to prepare for such consequences. If a talented second-in-command begins sending vibes about moving on, is there a No. 3 ready to step in? That assumes an institution or department is blessed with enough personnel to accommodate those transitions. When the director of major gifts leaves to take a vice presidency down the street, a robust development office will have a couple dozen major gift officers ready to take the reins. At least in theory. But at small shops, where many functions run one-person deep, succession plans are fruitless.

So we have to factor expected turnover into our planning. In the case of my data diva, she's toiled in our midst for five years, so perhaps her decision shouldn't have surprised me. Five years in development -- especially at a midlevel position -- is a healthy tenure. By then, if you're so inclined, you're ready for more responsibility, more challenges, and more money. If we can't provide those to you, set sail.

Were I not supportive of my diva's efforts, how would that reflect on me and my institution? She paid her dues here, learned what she needed to learn, and is taking the next logical step in her career. That just happens to be at another place. I hope she'll carry fond memories of us and speak well of the college. Reputations, good or bad, are built that way. If a college or university becomes known as a launching pad for talented young professionals, and it's able to squeeze productive years out of them while they learn the ropes, is that so terrible?

Not every institution is a destination. Some will forever remain part of the journey for most people in our business. I prefer to call those places launching pads, rather than stepping stones.

If that describes your college, trumpet it to job candidates. Tell them to spend a few years gaining requisite experience and soaking in the knowledge they need. After that, they'll be equipped to move on, should they so desire. Most folks aren't ready to sign on for a 10-year tenure, let alone a lifetime commitment, so why do we continue asking applicants if they'll bring their grandkids to campus once they retire?

Meanwhile, managers should prepare for the inevitable. Turnover can be tough, especially when it's untimely. Yet if you're fortunate enough to gain a reputation as a fertile training ground, perhaps recruitment may come easier.

I wish my data diva well. She did great things for us, and we'll certainly miss her abundant talents. Her new institution is lucky to be getting a prodigal daughter. I just hope her new bosses don't expect her to stay forever.

Mark J. Drozdowski is executive director of the Fitchburg State College Foundation, in Massachusetts. He writes a monthly column on career issues in fund raising and development. To read his previous columns, click here.