Fostering Shared Leadership

Recently I took one of those inventories where you answer a set of questions about yourself, and then you get an analysis of your personal characteristics.  I am still processing the results I got, because I'm not totally comfortable with them.  Here's one result I feel conflicted about, "She likes to have control of most situations and can speak out clearly and forcibly when she sees the need to do so."

While I like the idea of being a strong leader, I don't much like the idea that I have to be in control of most situations.  This conflicts with my belief that a solution is best when it is the result of broad and thoughtful input from a diverse set of sources.  This is why I believe in the importance of leadership coming from all levels of an organization.

The article, "Leading from Every Chair," by Roger Schwarz brings out the importance of leadership at all levels.  For those who report to me, I encourage you to take that leadership role and stand up to me if I'm too controlling.  For my part, I promise to keep working on listening and learning from you all.