
Clear Confident Leader Weekly Observer, Issue #74
From the Greenbelt of Boise Idaho, Warm with a light breeze
In a world of constant change and increasing complexity, our greatest leadership challenge is developing collective leadership in teams, organizations and communities.
Creating better results and a better future requires more than lots of well-intentioned leaders operating from their own domains of expertise as the image depicts. While the myth of one heroic individual leading people to success persists, the reality is today’s polarizing world requires concerted action within and across teams. The leadership challenge is in bringing people with diverse knowledge, skills and experience together in networks of teams to create better solutions.
The dynamics of collective leadership require more than Setting a Team Up for Success. While it is easy to allow someone to take charge, it requires focused effort to grow collective leadership capacities together.

Take this example where a team has strong reactive tendencies in controlling combined with a medium tendency to protect. These limit their ability to creatively relate and engage with other people, each other within the team and the broader system in which they operate, which limits their achievements.
Now consider the teams and groups you’re a part of. Imagine walking around the circle and think about how much time and energy is spent on each of the eight summary dimensions.
Consider these questions:
- How much of your team energy is focused on creative leadership?
- How much is spent on reactive tendencies?
- What is the balance between tasks and relationships?
- During the average team meeting, where do you most frequently stand?
- When team meetings become stressful, where’s your go to place?
- What helps you and your team shift from reactivity to creativity?
- What steps can you take to develop collective leadership in your teams, organizations and communities?
I work with teams and leaders to create better results through the conscious evolution of our practice of team leadership. To learn more visit here.
Let’s create a better future today!