not be sidelined, but it is interesting to see where people's priorities lie. Governance: One of the key attributes for the chief executive or senior manager of a charitable organisation is their ability to support the effective governance of the organisation through working with a board of trustees. Any experience of working with committees, boards and partnership groupings is relevant and transferable. How much your people management skills are required will depend on how far the recruiters - usually the board - think that they are important in the top post. If you don't have line management experience, consider mentoring or becoming a charity trustee as ways to develop skills in this area. Vision: Charity trustee boards will increasingly be interested in candidates with an entrepreneurial streak and business nous. Social enterprise and new models of social finance are important future trends for the sector and it is really positive that more organisations are shifting towards thinking in a more enterprising way. However, it isn't a sticking plaster or a life raft. For more traditional charities to move to alternative sources of income generation requires a long-term cultural change. It also does not invalidate philanthropic fundraising or delivering services through grants or contracts. These are all important for the sector to develop a mixed income spectrum. About Guardian Professional Guardian Professional Networks are community-focused sites, where we bring together advice, best practice and insight from a wide range of professional communities. Click here for details of all our networks. Some