What do you do if your leadership skills are being tested as a project manager in the nonprofit sector?

1 Know your mission and vision

The first step to being a good leader is to have a clear and compelling mission and vision for your project. What is the purpose and impact of your project? How does it align with the goals and values of your organization and your beneficiaries? How will you measure and communicate your progress and results? Having a strong mission and vision will help you inspire and motivate your team, as well as attract and engage your donors, partners, and volunteers.

2 Build trust and collaboration

The second step to being a good leader is to build trust and collaboration among your team members and stakeholders. Trust is the foundation of effective teamwork and communication. You can build trust by being honest, transparent, respectful, and supportive of your team. You can also foster collaboration by encouraging feedback, input, and innovation from your team and stakeholders. By creating a culture of trust and collaboration, you can leverage the diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences of your team and stakeholders to achieve your project goals.

3 Adapt to change and uncertainty

The third step to being a good leader is to adapt to change and uncertainty. As a nonprofit project manager, you may face many external and internal factors that affect your project scope, timeline, budget, and quality. You may also encounter unexpected challenges, risks, and opportunities along the way. To adapt to change and uncertainty, you need to be flexible, agile, and resilient. You need to be able to adjust your plans, strategies, and actions according to the changing circumstances and needs of your project. You also need to be able to cope with stress, learn from failures, and celebrate successes.

4 Empower and develop your team

The fourth step to being a good leader is to empower and develop your team. As a nonprofit project manager, you are not only responsible for delivering your project outcomes, but also for developing your team's capabilities and potential. You can empower and develop your team by delegating tasks, providing guidance, coaching, mentoring, and feedback, and recognizing and rewarding their achievements. You can also create opportunities for your team to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and grow professionally and personally.

5 Communicate effectively and persuasively

The fifth step to being a good leader is to communicate effectively and persuasively. As a nonprofit project manager, you have to communicate with various audiences, such as your team, your organization, your donors, your partners, your beneficiaries, and the public. You have to communicate your project objectives, plans, status, results, and impact. You also have to communicate your vision, values, and stories. To communicate effectively and persuasively, you need to use different modes, channels, and styles of communication, depending on your purpose, audience, and message. You also need to listen actively, ask questions, and seek feedback.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?