By Donna Rossi Smithers
This article was originally published by The Good Coach and has since been revised and adapted by the author to reflect insights and applications relevant to the nonprofit sector.
In today’s evolving nonprofit sector, leadership is no longer confined to formal titles or top-down directives. With organizations navigating increasing complexity, limited resources, and the need for cross-functional collaboration, influential leadership—the ability to lead with or without positional power—has become a vital skill at every level.
Our recent leadership conversations have centered on how influence plays out across an organization: leading up to those in executive roles, leading down to direct reports, and leading sideways across peers and partners. In all directions, the ability to motivate, collaborate, and inspire action is key.
Influential leadership is rooted in social influence rather than authority. It means building trust, communicating effectively, and aligning others toward a shared vision or goal. It thrives on relationships, credibility, and a willingness to act without waiting for formal permission. Today, influential leadership is increasingly linked to change management, collaboration, and innovation. Navigating shifting priorities, team structures, or strategic directions requires the ability to bring others along through trust and communication. Cross-silo collaboration is now essential to drive mission-aligned impact, and influential leaders help others see possibilities rather than obstacles.
Whether you’re guiding a team, managing up to your ED or Board, or working with peers, influential leadership demands adaptability. The core skills are similar—clear communication, empathy, and accountability—but the application varies. When leading up, it means gaining trust by delivering consistently and aligning your efforts with organizational priorities. You influence through data, solutions, and reliability. When leading down, it means empowering your team by setting clear expectations, listening actively, and modeling adaptability. And when leading sideways, it means fostering collaboration with peers through mutual respect, shared ownership, and curiosity. Building your influence also means leaning into what is authentic to you so that your leadership is genuine, not scripted or forced.
Coaching has become a critical tool in developing influential leadership across nonprofit organizations. It helps emerging and experienced leaders tap into their strengths, broaden their awareness, and practice new ways of engaging others. Coaching emphasizes reflection, meaning-making, and helping others succeed—all cornerstones of influential leadership. Coaching frameworks, like Columbia University’s three-phase model (Context, Content, Conduct), align directly with building the mindset and behaviors that drive positive influence. Leaders learn to ask powerful questions, reflect on what matters most, and move from insight to action.
Influential leaders take initiative and personal responsibility. They navigate change with resilience and think long-term while solving short-term problems. They build and maintain strong relationships, communicate with clarity and purpose, and demonstrate humility and curiosity. They are future thinkers and persistent problem solvers who seek to have impact and are open to learning new knowledge and skill sets. They know that true leadership does not require formal authority, but it does require awareness, intentionality, and an authentic presence.
Recent research and practice point to several trends reinforcing the importance of influential leadership. Leadership is now increasingly distributed across teams, not held by a few individuals at the top. Equity-centered practice is essential, and influence includes lifting underrepresented voices and leading with cultural humility. Nonprofit leaders today are also shaping organizational culture by modeling balance, boundaries, and care to support wellbeing and prevent burnout.
As the nonprofit sector continues to evolve, influential leadership remains a key lever for creating impact. Whether through formal coaching or informal peer support, developing the ability to lead in all directions—up, down, and sideways—ensures we move forward together with vision and integrity. Building your influence is not about control—it’s about clarity, trust, and being true to yourself while helping others move toward shared goals.