Compiled from the Volunteer Managers National Occupational Standards by Skills Third Sector. Read the full report here.

Adaptability and Innovation

• Juggle multiple demands without losing focus or energy
• Seize the opportunities presented by diversity
• Try out new ways of working
• Constantly seek to improve performance
• Recognize changes in circumstances promptly and adjust plans and activities accordingly
  

Communication

• Identify people’s information needs
• Present information clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promote understanding
• Listen actively, ask questions, clarify points and rephrase others’ statements to check mutual understanding
• Modify communication in response to feedback
  

Concern for Others

• Make time available to support others
• Give feedback to others to help them improve their performance
• Recognize the achievements and the success of others
• Show respect for the views and actions of others
  

Desire to Learn

• Develop self and others to meet the demands of changing situations
• Freely share learning with others who can benefit from it
• Inspire others with the excitement of learning
• Reflect regularly on own and others’ experiences, and use these to inform future actions
• Enable the organization to support people’s learning needs

Entrepreneurship

• Seek out and act on new opportunities
• Do things without being asked or forced to by events
• Balance risks against the benefits that may arise from taking risks
• Identify and seize unusual opportunities to obtain resources
• Design, develop and monitor processes, products and/or services that are sustainable over the medium and long term

Ethical Stance

• Comply with, and ensure that others comply with, legal requirements, industry regulations, organizational policies and professional codes
• Act within the limits of your authority
• Act to uphold individuals’ rights
• Show integrity and fairness in decision-making
• Set objectives and create cultures that are ethical and sustainable

Focus on Results

• Set demanding but achievable objectives for self and others
• Take personal responsibility for making things happen
• Prioritize objectives and schedule work to make the best use of times and resources
• Monitor quality of work and progress against plans
• Clearly state what is required of others and hold them to account
• Take pride in delivering high quality, accurate work

Information and Knowledge Management

• Use cost-effective and time-effective means to gather, store and retrieve information
• Make best use of existing sources of information
• Keep confidential information secure
• Check the validity and reliability of information
• Push for concrete information in an ambiguous situation
• Make appropriate information and knowledge available promptly to those who have a right to it

Persuasiveness

• Seek to understand people’s needs and motivations
• Present self positively to others
• State own opinions, views and requirements clearly
• Identify clearly the value and benefits to people of a proposed course of action
• Use factual evidence to support arguments
• Present information and arguments convincingly in ways which strike a chord with people
• Create a sense of common purpose
• Articulate a realistic vision that generates excitement, enthusiasm and commitment

Political Awareness

• Show sensitivity to internal and external politics that impact on your own area of work
• Develop plans to meet the priorities of policy makers

Relationship Management

• Work to develop an atmosphere of professionalism and mutual support
• Clarify own and others’ expectations of relationships
• Take timely action to resolve disagreements
• Model behavior that shows respect, helpfulness and cooperation

Self-Management

• Accept feedback from others without becoming defensive
• Remain calm in difficult or uncertain situations
• Handle others’ emotions without becoming personally involved in them
• Recognize own strengths and limitations

Strategic Awareness

• Work towards a clearly defined vision of the future
• Identify key stakeholders and their interests
• Display good understanding of how different factors in the work context relate to each other
• Anticipate likely future scenarios based on realistic analysis of trends and developments

Thinking and Decision-Making

• Identify the range of elements in a situation and how they relate to each other
• Identify the implications or consequences of a situation
• Use own or others’ experience to understand a situation
• Make timely decisions that are realistic for the situation
• Produce and test a variety of solutions before making a decision
• Articulate the assumptions made, and risks involved, in understanding a situation