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Its a Shared Leadership World |
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Written by Don Frederiksen
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 With Opportunity and Leadership for All
Are you a leader? Certainly BAs have a leadership role on teams. But leadership can be intimidating. Consequently, your answer to the leader question might depend on your definition of leadership. It is reasonable to ask, "What you mean by leadership?"
For many, the first vision that comes to our mind is the picture of a charismatic and heroic leader, a person in command who possesses great skill and authority. This vision of the heroic leader is classic. However, with this vision it is frankly hard for many of us to aspire to a leadership role. Speaking for myself, I am not heroic. Charismatic? Not my style. Can I be a leader and just be me?
There are other leadership approaches. This article will focus on the other end of the leadership spectrum where one finds a shared or distributed model where leadership is no longer the exclusive responsibility of a single person. It’s a model where anyone can be a leader. Under a shared model, leadership is cultivated at all levels of an organization. Leadership doesn’t require a title or authority. Leadership is a choice and as a BA, it is a choice that you can make.
This article will explore the concept of shared leadership and provide insight and awareness. Second, this article will touch on some simple ideas that BAs or anyone can use to expand their leadership influence. Leadership is a choice. Anyone can lead.
The Traditional View of Leadership
The tradition of leadership from the top is firmly entrenched in organizational culture. The vision might include a heroic and charismatic leader who will lead people into battle. It might include the politician and, of course, the accompanying political (I approve this message) advertisement that touts the leadership of a candidate to bring change. It might include a vision of a powerful manager (think Jack Welch, Larry Ellison, or Bill Gates) who leads a company to great achievement. This classic vertical model of leadership is timeless and is the topic of countless books, models and insight. This model of leadership has existed for centuries. The etymology of leader is based on the Middle English ledere that was the term for a person in the lead or "out in front". In many instances, this leadership style is linked to title, a position of power, or the idea of management. It is widely adopted and successful. If you subscribe to the idea that different leadership approaches work for different organizations, top-down, heroic leadership is important and will continue to be important for countless organizations.
Within this classic definition of top-down leadership, there are a variety of leadership styles. It is not always about command and control. It’s not always about charisma. For example, a prominent leadership approach that is described in recent literature is the Level 5 Leader as described in the work of Jim Collins (2001) in his book Good to Great. His research showed that leaders in great companies were likely to have shunned charisma and much of the bravado of leadership. He labels these leaders as Level 5 Leaders who are self-effacing, quiet, reserved, and even shy. With this shift in thinking, the face of leadership is changing from its classic model. Although leadership is still intimidating, the change sets the stage for our discussion of shared leadership.
Share and share alike
Shared leadership is leadership based on a model where leadership is no longer the exclusive responsibility of a single person. There is a conscious sharing of leadership and responsibility between members of a team. This article will use the label "shared leadership" to describe this model. However, in the growing body of work in this area by researchers, authors, and academicians, several other labels are commonly employed including, distributed leadership, post-heroic, servant leadership, and leaderful practice.
Points of Awareness for Shared Leadership
A review of the literature and research in shared leadership generates a number of awareness points that characterize both leaders and leadership. The primary points of awareness are:
- Leadership is not about title or authority. Rather it is a decision that anyone can make. You don’t need a title to lead.
- Leadership is more about influence than control. With this focus, great leaders on teams aspire to become trusted advisors to their communities (teams) and organizations.
- The role of leadership does not change. As the MIT Leadership Center (Ancona 2005) proposes, leadership is needed more than ever for sensemaking, relating, visioning, and inventing. Your organization’s competitiveness is still dependent on leadership.
- Leadership is not explicably tied to either charisma or heroism. Leaders come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Leadership can emerge from right where you are.
- Leadership is not an individual sport. In today’s highly networked environment, leaders need to build strong community and develop trusting relationships across their community. Relationships are more important than ever and it is important that all voices are heard.
- Balance in action is critical. At various times, team members in a shared leadership position will need to move, follow, oppose and bystand. (Ancona and Isaacs 2006) A balance between these actions insures that no single point of view is allowed to dominate and that team members can adapt and respond to change. Awareness of your skills and the skills of others on your team will facilitate the necessary balance.
- Shared leadership can actually occur with or without formal organizational support or structures. Shared leadership can be informal.
Shared Leadership is not Leaderless or Manager-less
Just like there are core characteristics in shared leadership there are also a number of assumptions that are not part of the shared leadership model.
It is is not leaderless. There is no suggestion in our discussion of shared leadership that leadership is unnecessary. In fact, the opposite is suggested. Joe Raelin (2003) descriptively applies the label "leaderful" in his work in the area. Teams don’t lose the need for leadership. Rather shared leadership promotes the expansion and distribution of leadership across teams or as Raelin prefers to call it, the development of leaderful communities where leadership flourishes.
It is not Manager-less. Leadership and management are different roles within a team. Professor John Kotter (1990) makes the distinction clear when he suggests that leadership and management are "are two distinctive and complementary systems of action…Both are necessary for success in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment." Managers are needed to make sure things happen, goals are reached and efforts are coordinated and organized for efficient implementation.
A Measure of Success
In today’s wiki-fied, Web 2.0, collaborative, social network environments, a shared leadership model seems a perfect choice for dealing with complex technology and business challenges. Published research papers are also supportive. A study by Pearce and Sims (2002) stated definitively that, "Shared leadership was found to be an important predictor of team effectiveness. These results show that a conscious strategy of distributing leadership to team members is likely to enhance team effectiveness. " This is reason enough to give the notion of shared leadership additional consideration. It seems to make sense for organizations. Whether it makes sense for you is your decision.
Elevating your Leadership
If you subscribe to the idea that leadership is a choice and that shared leadership practice is effective and successful, the focus of this article shifts to two questions, "What can I do as a business analyst or team member to elevate my leadership?" Question two is, "When is a good time to start?"
Question two is easy. I appreciate the response of authors Kelley and Nadler (2008) in their Wall Street Journal article when they suggest "Don’t wait for the perfect time, just wait for a good time." And they offer another recommendation, "Don’t wait for an invitation," suggesting you might was well pick a time and just do it.
What can I do to elevate my leadership?
There are countless paths on the road to leadership in this shared leadership world. Many of us in technology fields might feel that the only way to show our leadership is through our technical or business knowledge. When you master your game as a BA or any role and then share your skills and expertise, you are on the path to leadership. The fact that you are reading this article on BA Collective already suggests you are a student of your game, a great path to leadership. I propose two additional steps to consider.
Step 1: Build Community
Strong community is a key element of shared leadership. Respect for other people and their opinions and the ability to build trusting relationships are key competencies. A leader’s ability to engage in inquiry, advocacy, and connecting is aided by a strong and trusting community. Building community is hard but it is easy to get started with simple activities that build community and trust. How easy? Start with thanks and smiles.
A favorite quotation of mine comes from author, consultant, and self-labeled loudmouth, Tom Peters (2004). He writes,
"It" begets "it."
Fact: "Not it" begets "It-less-ness."
Smiling begets a warmer (work, home) environment.
Thanking begets an environment of mutual appreciation.
The verb "begets" suggests the contagious nature of an activity, i.e. when you do it, the people around will also do it.
Smiles begets smiles. When you smile at someone, it’s hard for the other person not to smile back. You automatically elevate your likeability with a smile greeting. You’ll feel better when your teammate smiles back. The personal feeling is great but you really desire the contagious part that will spread across your team and add to the strength of your community.
Thanks begets thanks. The Tom Peters’ quote also hints at the power of gratitude in the same contagious fashion. It strengthens your community. It builds trust. Take extra time to say "thank you" for the efforts of your team members. Go a little out of your way. If you can, look your teammate in the eye when you say it.
Step 2: Own a challenge
Kouzes and Posner (2007) in The Leadership Challenge offer ten leadership commitments that serve as a guidebook on how leaders get extraordinary things done. It’s a great list. I’m recommending one with a twist as step 2 on your path to shared leadership.
Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.
The commitment implores us to find a challenge where we can grow. The twist that I add? When that challenge arises, simply raise your hand and say, "I own it." Once you find a challenge that matches where you are and matches your interests and passions, take ownership, become accountable, and do your best to tackle the challenge. Your leadership will simply show in the process.
What’s next?
The next step might be a personal choice. As Deborah Ancona (2005) writes, "Leadership is personal and developmental. There is no single way to lead. The best way to create change is to work with the particular capabilities that you have, while constantly working to improve and expand those capabilities." Note that Ancona does not mention heroics or charisma. It’s a shared leadership world.
In the end, if you want to advance your career as a BA, or simply improve your team’s performance, the decision to lead is yours and you don’t need an invitation. Just do it.
Your comments and suggestions are priceless. Can you recommend other simple activities to expand leadership across your team?
References:
Ancona, D. (2005). Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from MIT Leadership Center: http://mitleadership.mit.edu/pdf/LeadershipinanAgeofUncertainty-researchbrief.pdf
Ancona, D., & Isaacs, W. (2006). The 4-Player Model: A Framework for Healthy Teams. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from MIT Leadership Center: http://mitleadership.mit.edu/r-fpmodel.php
Collins, J. C. (2001). Good to great: why some companies make the leap--and others don't. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
Frederiksen, D. (2008). Lead Quietly Posts on Community. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from Lead Quietly: http: http://www.leadquietly.com/search/label/Community
Kelly, J., & Nadler, S. (2007, March 3). Leading from Below. Wall Street Journal, p. R4.
Kotter, J. (1990). What leaders do, Harvard Business Review, May-June: 103-111.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The leadership challenge: how to get extraordinary things done in organizations 4th edition. The Jossey-Bass management series. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pearce, C. (2004), "The future of leadership: combining vertical and shared leadership to transform knowledge work", Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 19 No. 1.
Peters, T. (2004). 100 Ways to Succeed #5. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from Dispatches from the new world of work: http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=006684.php
Raelin, J.A. (2003), "Creating Leaderful Organizations", Innovative Leader, Vol. 12 No. 6.
Don Frederiksen is a Business Intelligence Architect at Pearson in Bloomington, MN. He also blogs on leadership at his Lead Quietly blog (www.leadquietly.com) where he studies and writes about quiet leadership. Please visit and comment.
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