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A group of young people in bright outfits exercise on an indoor court - a coach is providing instructions

Top leadership tips

Are you running a group for the first time? Or choosing someone to take the lead?

You might not have all the skills to start with - but you can learn how to engage with your members and keep everyone happy.

Here are some tips that could help you or your new recruit... 

Try to motivate and inspire
Keep your volunteers happy, listen to their ideas, and find ways to get them excited about their tasks.

Encourage everyone to reach their potential and give them the freedom and flexibility to do so. Nobody likes being micromanaged!

Giving everyone a voice can also increase volunteer retention and improve the sustainability of your club.
Don't worry if you don't know everything
It's important to establish trust and loyalty among your volunteers and members. But that doesn't mean that you need to know everything!

Ask others to help fill any knowledge gaps. Also never stop looking for opportunities to develop your skills.
Be humble
Be realistic about your strengths and where you might need support. It's great to have a vision, but you can't do this alone.

Be generous in giving your members credit for their ideas and initiatives.
Be future focused
Look to the future. It's important to constantly evaluate how well your
club is being run and strive to do better.

This also includes giving constructive feedback and praise to your volunteers.
Be bold
To be a good leader, you sometimes need to take risks. Ask your members and volunteers what they think, so that they're involved - and have confidence when making difficult decisions.

Explain the reasoning behind what you decide. This will give your team courage and motivate them.
Speak to your group
Good leaders are great communicators. Keeping people informed about what's happening creates a positive team spirit.

Use a range of styles and strategies to deal with different characters and situations.

Remember that people are giving up their time to be part of your group, so try and make it as fun as possible, and based around their needs. You want them to come back!
Listen to your people
Your people are your greatest resource, so encourage them to share their opinions and ideas.

Address any concerns as quickly as possible and come up with solutions. Responding to their feedback is vital to ensure that your club survives and thrives.