Skills of Leadership

What is Skills of Leadership?

Skills of Leadership (SofL) is the East Midlands Region’s innovative approach to Scouts’ Manager & Supporter Training, condensed into an intensive weekend experience. This course meets all the objectives of the national training scheme but delivers them in a dynamic, interactive, and collaborative format.
Our goal is simple: equip volunteer leaders with the confidence, knowledge, and practical tools to lead effectively – all in one immersive event.

Why We Created SofL

Traditional Manager & Supporter training can take months to complete. SofL accelerates this process without compromising quality, making leadership development accessible, engaging, and time-efficient. It’s designed for:

• Group / District / County Lead Volunteers
• District and County Team Leaders
• Anyone who is aspiring to a leadership role in Scouting and would like to explore what it could be like
• Anyone who would like to refresh their current knowledge of volunteer leadership
• Anyone who would like to complete a Managers & Supporters Wood Badge

Course Highlights

Over two days, participants explore:

• The Bigger Picture: The Scout Association Strategy, growth principles, inclusivity, and youth-shaped Scouting.
• Personal Leadership: Personality traits, leadership styles, motivation, communication, and active listening.
• Practical Skills: Effective meetings, time management, managing change.
• Team Development: Recruiting, coaching, mentoring, and building strong teams.
• People & Processes: Inductions, compliance, reviews, and complaints handling.

You do not have to attend all two days; the course is split into four main chunks. These can be seen on the booking system below.

What Participants Say

Feedback from recent courses has been overwhelmingly positive:

• “This is genuinely the most useful Scout training I’ve done and will have a positive impact on my group moving forward.”
• “Networking and sharing ideas with other volunteers was invaluable.”
• “Fantastic course, very enthusiastic and helpful presenters.”