SHARED LEADERSHIP STARTS WITH SELF-AWARENESS
One of the trends in leadership is collective or shared leadership which involves leading as one collective team rather than seeing leadership as an individual and personal directive. Whilst the concept isn’t new, there needs to be a new approach to it or it will fail just as the self-directed work teams did in the 1990s.
For decades, HR and business thought leaders have tried to influence the business through greater collaboration and less command and control style of leadership. There needs to be a shift from I to We.
In the 1990s, I was in a self-directed work team and it was challenging to say the least. We didn’t know how to navigate decision making when we didn’t agree because we all had an equal say. Democracy at its very worst. The focus was on what we wanted individually and then we tried to persuade each other to our individual way of thinking. It was a disaster waiting to happen. The frustration of our boss not stepping in when we hit stalemate was immense.
The problem was… we were unskilled. We didn’t know how to have open dialogue and collaborate, just as most people still do not today, even though they think they do. And therein lies the problem. We believe we are more skilled than we really are. We don’t want to admit that we can learn something new. Many leaders feel that they should know how to lead and any improvement on their leadership is a reflection of not being good enough in the first place. This way of thinking is a major hurdle to overcome if leaders are to grow and develop and transform their businesses.
Before we can create shared leadership, leaders need to be skilled in self-awareness and open up to being transparent about their capabilities and where they get derailed in front of their team. The desire to look good and have it all “under control” is an inhibitor to being open, honest and authentic. Rest assured your team already know where you get derailed. By being open and honest about it, you can work together to support each other. This takes humility and courage by the bucket load and is often particularly difficult for higher levels of management in organisations.
Generation Y and Z have grown up collaborating through social media and technology. They expect the rest of us to do the same. They don’t have the same desire to cling onto the same job for life which means they are more open to having a go and moving on if it doesn’t work out. If businesses are to engage the newer generations, they must transform the way they lead at all levels of the organisation and offer space for people to grow, individually and collectively.
For those clinging on to their leadership at the top, change within your organisation starts within you. A deeper emotional connection is needed, firstly to recognise how your emotions influence the way you show up and the impact you have, and secondly so you can engage and inspire others within the organisation. Those who transform in the coming years will largely be dependent on self-awareness and shared leadership. Ignore them at your peril.
The Leadership Whisperers help senior leaders develop embodied leadership skills that have a profound impact in business. Through live events and workshops, Jude and Emma partner with horses who provide non-judgmental feedback, enabling clients to identify their strengths and where they get derailed so they can transform themselves into courageous and hugely influential non-verbal communicators.
Our corporate clients report significant results including resolving conflict, cultural change, improving financial performance, increasing sales and individuals gaining promotions.
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