On Leading Well

Tag: shared leadership

  • Share the Lead to Share the Load

    We are watching a fascinating leadership transformation in the Middle East. A dozen countries are experiencing political turmoil as protesters have flooded the streets, wanting their voices to be heard. Interestingly, they are not following a high-profile personality or even a named leader. One news report offered the term “crowd-led.” These crowds, or movements, don’t want merely to be represented, they want to participate – to share leadership – in shaping their nation’s future.

    I believe these protests represent a shift in how the world thinks about and experiences leadership. Gone are the days of the in-charge, know-it-all, autocratic leader. Traditional leadership theories tend to focus on a leader and his or her character, vision, roles and skillsets. However, in recent years a growing number of influential thinkers view leadership as an activity that can be shared or distributed among members of a tribe, group or organization.

    What is shared leadership?
    Many questions coming from my organization’s recent restructuring revolve around the definition and practical expression of shared leadership. I’ve found Executive Coach Marshall Goldsmith’sdefinition helpful:

    “Shared leadership involves maximizing all of the human resources in an organization by empowering individuals and giving them an opportunity to take leadership positions in their areas of expertise. With more complex markets increasing the demands on leadership, the job in many cases is simply too large for one individual.”

    For us, this in no way diminishes the role of a team leader. Rather team leaders must now think differently about how they will attract, retain, develop and release a talented team to accomplish the mission. This desire to share the burden of leading with others who have greater expertise is crucial, particularly as our emphasis is shifting away from teams comprised of full-time staff members to teams of volunteers.

    Is It Biblical?
    Last year as I read through the Bible, God showed me several examples of shared leadership. Here are a few:

    • God’s initiation to create humankind (“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Genesis 1:26).
    • Jethro coaching Moses to share his workload with trustworthy men who could lead thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. (“you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you…you are not able to do it alone”) Exodus 18:18-23.
    • Joshua’s commissioning by Moses included sharing decision-making authority with Eleazar the priest, “who shall inquire for him…before the Lord” (Numbers 27:21).
    • King Uzziah, a five-star talented achiever who refused to share leadership with the priesthood, ultimately suffered leprosy, shame and dethroning as a result (2 Chronicles 26).
    • Barnabas and Paul, in their church planting strategy, rapidly selected and anointed elders (never a single elder) in every church (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5).

    How Does It Work?
    When I train with my bike club, we all recognize that it takes 30 percent more energy for the lead rider to ride out front–deflecting the wind and setting the course. Riders who draft behind the leader reap the benefit of a reduced headwind and do not have to work as hard. This allows them to save energy or recover until it’s their turn at the front. Typically, on a two-hour bike ride we will rotate the lead every three minutes.

    During a recent bike ride we faced a stiff headwind. One poor guy tried to ride up front for too long and he was slowing down the pace of the whole group. Finally someone yelled out, “Hey guys, ROTATE!” signaling it was someone else’s turn to lead the paceline; our frontrunner needed our help. Gutting it out for too long may appear noble, but it slows everyone else down.

    As you can imagine, Steve Douglass (our organization’s president) has exerted more energy to deflect primary headwinds and set our God-given course. Our Executive Team realized this as we began to better define our roles and goals.  As we’ve discussed and mutually agreed upon ways that some of us could share the leadership burden, we’ve discovered that we can do more, with less stress. For me personally, I find my heart growing in willingness to trust my team members and experiencing much greater passion for our mission. I like that.

    Make It Practical
    Goldsmith suggests ways to share leadership and maximize talent. Here are a few:

    • Give power away to the most qualified individuals to strengthen their capabilities.
    • Define the limits of decision-making power.
    • Cultivate a climate in which people feel free to take initiative on assignments.
    • Give qualified people discretion and autonomy over their tasks and resources and encourage them to use these tools.
    • Don’t second guess the decisions of those you have empowered to do so.

    What steps could you take to live out shared leadership within your ministry or workplace context?

  • What Is Shared Leadership?

    Leadership is hard work. Good leadership is really hard work. Today’s dynamic, rapidly changing knowledge economy provides an ever-shifting landscape that requires multiple perspectives to navigate well.

    Exit the know-it-all, do-it-all leader.

    Enter the self-aware, in-touch connector that can share leadership by pulling people, resources and ideas together to get the job done.

    What is shared leadership? Marshall Goldsmith describes it this way in an excellent post: “Shared leadership involves maximizing all of the human resources in an organization by empowering individuals and giving them an opportunity to take leadership positions in their areas of expertise. With more complex markets increasing the demands on leadership, the job in many cases is simply too large for one individual. Sharing leadership isn’t easy, but it’s definitely possible, and in many cases, highly successful.”

    Goldsmith suggests ways to share leadership and maximize talent. Here are a few:

    • Give power away to the most qualified individuals to strengthen their capabilities.
    • Define the limits of decision-making power.
    • Cultivate a climate in which people feel free to take initiative on assignments.
    • Give qualified people discretion and autonomy over their tasks and resources and encourage them to use these tools.
    • Don’t second guess the decisions of those you have empowered to do so.

    As leaders, our job is to constantly move those people our organizations touch from strangers to acquaintances, from acquaintances to friends, and from friends to partners in our common mission. Sharing leadership usually provides the best pathway to true partnership.

    How are you learning to share leadership?

  • Fatigued? Learn to Draft

    Drafting PacelineHave you felt the burn of fatigue? It’s difficult to define but easy to feel. It’s when you can’t run another step, or lift another weight, or swim another lap. The muscles have filled with lactic acid and you’re done for the day.

    How about leadership fatigue? In a similar way, it’s when you just can’t gear up for another meeting, or have another hard conversation, or work through another planning agenda. For me, leadership fatigue stems from constantly monitoring my genuine concern for people’s well-being while navigating the continuous stream of challenges and crises which threaten the group’s ability to make forward progress. Paul the apostle captured the feeling this way: “I’ve been beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger in the city and the wilderness, but what really wears me out is the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:25-28, paraphrased).

    Learn to draft. Recently I’ve renewed a lifelong passion for road cycling. On clear mornings after a decent night’s sleep, I really enjoy heading out for a crisp 25-mile ride. If I’m alone I’ve got to work hard 100% of the time. I can average about 18-19 mph on a windless day. If the wind rises it just wears me out. When I ride with one of my cycling buddies, we rotate the lead every mile or so, sharing the load of breaking the wind for one another. Together we can average about 20-21 mph for the same distance. When I return home, I’m not nearly as tired.

    This summer I discovered a cycling club that rides a non-stop 40-mile loop around East Orlando on Saturday mornings. Last weekend I joined about 50 people in the B-group. Together we cranked comfortably for nearly two hours, averaging over 22 mph and hitting some 2-mile sprints of 30 mph. We accomplished this because the front 6-8 riders pulled our group forward in a paceline. A paceline is an informal arrangement in which the front rider pushes his or her limits for a brief period (usually only a mile or so), then drops off to the side, allowing the next rider to break the wind for the group. The rest of the peloton usually follows in two columns behind the leaders. With this approach, everyone can ride up to 30% faster and longer than anyone could ride alone. I return home thinking “hey, let’s do another 20 miles!”

    We lead better when we create a paceline environment of shared leadership on our teams. There is less overall fatigue. People feel healthier and are eager to pull their fair share. Some will even push beyond their known limits to serve the team. Next time you’re feeling the burn, try sharing the lead and drafting behind some of your teammates.