I got misquoted in a magazine.
Let’s see it as a chance to make a better point.
“So everyone takes a little part of the responsibility.”
This is in an article about new ways of collaboration in organisations and how improvisation principles can bring insights and experience to it .
I went “AAAAHHRGGG” and “F*^%!” when I read it. Actually this is exactly the thing I point out as the way it does NOT work. (And yes I’m kind of allergic to overdemocratic cultures.) I don’t think you can divide responsibility in equal parts and then expect a strong result.
To share leadership we have to turn away from the concept of egocentered power that goes with it, and see leadership as a focus of initiative that shifts along the way. You can be the one in charge, or you can be the one following. In both cases you are FULLY responsible. In the first case to make clear and bold offers, in the second to be open, curious and supportive to “the other thing” even when you feel your ego complaining that yoúr idea is different. Ofcourse this is only possible when that responsibility does not mean you’ll get shot if you make a ‘wrong’ choice, but that’s another story.
In trainings it is not difficult to make the shared/shifting leadership point thanks to the live experience through improvisation exercises. Words alone through the phone seemed not strong enough. I’ve been thinking about an image.
Imagine a football match. The ref deciding to replace the one ball by eleven little balls, one for each player to conquer for. But still expecting the eleven balls to go together into one goal to get a point. What result would we expect?
