5 top tips for building better leadership skills in charities

Leadership can make or break an organisation’s culture. Great leaders bring out the best in people, navigate challenges and inspire teams to work towards a shared purpose. Poor leadership, on the other hand, can damage trust, affect morale and hold people back.

For charities facing increasing demands, limited resources and constant change, effective leadership has never been more important.

But being good at your job doesn’t automatically make you a good leader. Leadership requires a different set of skills, from communication and emotional intelligence to influencing others and managing change. These skills need to be developed, practised and supported.

The good news is that leadership skills can be learned. And developing them doesn’t have to involve expensive training programmes.

Here are five practical ways to help build stronger, more compassionate and effective leaders in your charity.

1. Support people stepping into leadership roles

Being promoted into a management or leadership position can be exciting, but it can also be daunting.

Someone might be brilliant at their day-to-day role, but suddenly find themselves responsible for motivating a team, managing difficult conversations and making decisions that affect others.

It’s important not to assume that people will instinctively know how to lead.

Top tip:

Give new and aspiring leaders the support they need to succeed. This could include mentoring, peer learning groups, coaching or access to bite-sized learning resources. Creating opportunities for new managers to share experiences and learn from one another can be particularly valuable.

And remember, leadership development shouldn’t only begin when someone gets promoted. Helping people build confidence and leadership skills earlier can make the transition much smoother.

2. Help leaders develop their influencing skills

Leadership isn’t just about managing people. It’s also about bringing people together, communicating ideas and inspiring action.

In charities, the ability to influence can be particularly powerful. Leaders may need to engage volunteers, collaborate with other organisations, persuade stakeholders or advocate for change.

Being influential doesn’t mean being the loudest voice in the room. It means understanding others, communicating clearly and building relationships that encourage people to work towards a common goal.

3. Put kindness, trust and accountability at the heart of leadership

Kind leadership isn’t about avoiding difficult decisions or trying to keep everyone happy.

It’s about treating people with respect, listening to different perspectives and creating an environment where everyone feels valued and able to contribute.

Sometimes, being a kind leader means having an uncomfortable conversation, giving constructive feedback or making a difficult decision. Compassion and accountability should go hand in hand.

When leaders demonstrate these behaviours consistently, they help create a culture of trust and psychological safety, where people feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas and learning from mistakes.

Top tip:

Encourage leaders to reflect on how their behaviour affects others. Coaching, regular feedback and 360-degree reviews can help them recognise their strengths and identify areas for improvement.

Small changes can make a big difference. Something as simple as listening without interrupting, asking for feedback or acknowledging someone’s contribution can help build stronger relationships.

4. Equip leaders to navigate change

Change is a constant for many charities. Whether it’s adapting to new technology, responding to funding pressures or introducing different ways of working, leaders are often expected to guide their teams through uncertainty.

But leading change isn’t simply about communicating a new plan. It’s about helping people understand why change is happening, listening to concerns and supporting them through the process.

Leaders need to be adaptable, resilient and comfortable with the fact that they won’t always have all the answers.

Top tip:

Create opportunities for leaders to learn through real challenges. Short learning activities, group discussions and reflection sessions can help them explore different approaches to managing change.

Encourage leaders to ask themselves: What’s working? What could we do differently? What have we learned?

Building regular reflection into everyday work helps turn experience into learning and makes it easier to adapt when circumstances change.

5. Recognise influence, not just authority

The best leaders don’t rely on their job title to get things done. They earn trust, encourage collaboration and help others succeed.

Yet it’s easy for organisations to unintentionally reward more traditional leadership behaviours, such as taking control, making all the decisions or being seen as the person with all the answers.

A more inclusive approach recognises that leadership is about empowering others, not holding on to power.

And leadership skills aren’t just for managers. People at every level can demonstrate leadership by supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge, taking initiative and positively influencing those around them.

Top tip:

Think about the leadership behaviours your charity values and rewards. Are you recognising people who collaborate, listen, support others and build trust?

Make these behaviours part of leadership expectations, performance conversations and development opportunities. Celebrate examples of people making a positive difference through influence rather than authority.

Boost leadership skills

Explore our collection of bite-sized leadership videos, packed with practical tips to help you build confidence, motivate teams and lead more effectively.

Small steps can make a big difference

Developing great leaders doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t have to depend on large budgets or formal qualifications. Some of the most valuable leadership development happens through everyday experiences: a supportive conversation, an opportunity to practise a new skill, feedback from a colleague or time spent reflecting on a challenge.

The key is to make leadership development intentional, accessible and ongoing. By investing in skills such as communication, compassion, adaptability and influence, charities can build stronger teams, healthier cultures and more resilient organisations.

Because great leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about helping others thrive.

And leadership skills aren’t just for managers. People at every level can demonstrate leadership by supporting colleagues, sharing knowledge, taking initiative and positively influencing those around them.

Download today: The L&D Playbook for Enabling Busy Managers

Today’s business leaders and managers are challenged by a shortage of skill and capability within their teams. This is holding them back from great performance today and stops them from being ready for new ways of working tomorrow. Read this guide to to help you:

• Engage: engage managers with learning through work around a common agenda
• Act: equip managers to take team initiatives to support growth
• Improve: encourage managers with continuous improvement