I have recently observed the struggles of two nonprofits. While they work in two different service areas, they have similar struggles. Both agencies have hired, for leadership positions, people who lack crucial leadership skills.

In over 20 years of consulting to nonprofits, I find this to be a recurring and all too frequent issue. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, “there are lots of people in leadership positions, but there are few leaders in leadership positions.” That is true in both of these agencies. It is an area in which improvement is relatively simple. Here are some guidelines for nonprofits in addressing this issue.

First, develop a set of standardized interview questions about how people lead. Include how they handle leadership scenarios. Work with your best existing leadership to develop the questions and scenarios. This will make the interview more realistic.

Second, develop a series of leadership-related questions to send to references. The fact that someone is a reliable worker in one situation doesn’t mean they can lead in another.

Third, have final interviews be with a team of existing leaders, who need to have a consensus before you hire.

Finally, use a leadership assessment like those used by Ray Hoskins and Associates. Our behavior and competency-based assessments can help you identify leadership strengths and challenges. Then you can develop custom staff development strategies to develop your best leaders.