SESSION TWELVE: SHARED LEADERSHIP

Another of the elements of a successful team is shared leadership. Are you comfortable sharing a leadership role? How do you feel about someone sharing leadership with you? Do you delegate among and across teams?

The Key to Success

The key to shared leadership is communication. If several (or all) members of the group are going to share in leading the group, they must agree on where they are going and how they are going to get there. They must also communicate along the way to make sure they are on track, and to resolve any problems that arise.

As an example, let’s look at a traditional construction team. Typically, you have a supervisor (or foreman). This person directs the rest of the workers to get the construction project accomplished. Now, let’s say that this team decided to use shared leadership and eliminate the supervisor’s position. Without communication, this could be a disaster. You would probably end up in a situation where one person is laying carpet before painting has been completed. However, if the team meets each morning and lays out responsibilities and plans together, this shared leadership formula might work very well for them.