How to increase your leadership competencies to run your nonprofit with confidence

​How to increase your leadership competencies to meet your nonprofit goals with confidence

​Leading your nonprofit organization to hit its targets and achieve its goals can be challenging! 

Have there been times lately where you wish for a bit more confidence as you run your nonprofit organization? Perhaps when you were going into a conversation, you wanted to feel a bit more sure of yourself. Maybe in a meeting, you hoped the nagging doubt would disappear. Or was it that you put off a project longer than you should have because you weren't quite sure how to tackle it.

Lingering doubt, fear and hesitation are all signs of lacking confidence. 

To feel confident, though, you first need to feel competent. 
But, do you often wonder what you need to be skilled at? Furthermore, do you wonder how to develop those skills to increase your confidence?


Are you at a loss of what competencies you need to learn? 
Developing competencies to achieve results is critical, but do you often wonder what you need to be skilled at? Furthermore, do you wonder how to develop those skills to increase your confidence?

You aren't alone. Many women leaders come into their nonprofit leadership roles not knowing precisely what they need to learn and grow. This often leaves them, and perhaps you, feeling incompetent, anxious and struggling with imposter syndrome.

You've probably learned the basics of leadership.
You sometimes learn the basic tools and skills you need to do your job, such as using Excel, Zoom, and filling out a performance appraisal. However, many of the more subtle competencies of leadership you may never have had the chance to learn. For example, I remember hearing the term servant leadership but was never taught what that was, how to be a servant leader, and why I might want to.


But leadership requires a whole new set of skills, including how to meet goals.
Beyond goal setting and meeting targets, consider these examples of leadership competencies you may not have been taught. 

• Were you taught how to think strategically?
• Have you been taught what goes into building good team relationships, leading people and how to do that?
• Have you been taught how to make value-based decisions?
• Have you been taught what to do with those feelings that arise when you know you have to work late, but you also know that your family needs you?

Those are all skills that lead to the competencies that make you an effective leader, and without them, you may have noticed you feel incompetent at times and struggle with your lack of confidence.

How to learn the key leadership skills
This week I've been teaching my students how to develop the competency of systems awareness.

Being skilled in systems awareness allows you to see the bigger picture, connect the dots, and ensure your work is related to your bigger purpose, thus leading to feeling like you are doing meaningful work. I thought you might like to have a peek at the lessons 

• In this video, I am giving you an overview of systems awareness.
• And in this video, I walk you through the exercises associated with this.

There are 5 essential leadership competencies for nonprofit leaders
Each week I'm adding more to the Library to help YOU gain all of the skills I spoke about in the podcast: Episode # 62 - The 5 leadership competencies you need now for impactful nonprofit leadership.

For your reference, those competencies are:

• Achieving results
• Relating well with others
• Having a systems-awareness
• Having self-awareness
• Leading with courageous authenticity

These come out of the work of The Leadership Circle Profile.

Listen to the Podcast
This week, I dived deeper into the competency of achieving results. You can find that episode here: Episode # 64 - How to get results in your nonprofit.

With all of these competencies, I'm teaching you, the way to learn them is to do the inner work. You need to be self-reflective. That's why I always give exercises and worksheets to my students. There is no cookie-cutter way to think strategically, no best time and no mandatory topic. 

You need to find your way in your nonprofit leadership journey.
As you learn more about yourself via the introspective work, you'll find that perhaps you like to journal or meditate. Others will go for a walk to think strategically. I had a client yesterday tell me that when she drives home, she shuts off the radio and lets everything settle in her mind. That's often when she connects the dots between things in her day and her role. 

If you'd like to dive into the exercises inside of The Training Library to grow your leadership competencies, you will find your access to a 14-day free trial here. But, if it's not for you, you can end your membership before you pay a dime!

The bottom line to become a confident leader is two-fold.

First, where you lack confidence now is often an area where you've received no guidance, training or mentoring. Therefore you lack competence. So until you increase your competence, it will be hard to build your confidence. 

Second, the types of skills, competencies and mastery you desire as a leader are different. To gain these require an inner knowledge and aptitude that comes only with self-reflection.

Do the inner work! It's worth it!