In a workplace environment where we are commonly facing complex challenges, where day-to-day events are unpredictable, and where tried and true approaches to problem solving and finding solutions no longer support us, many of us long for better leaders and more powerful leadership.

In fact, we often feel individuals with the "right stuff" will miraculously appear like knights in shining armor and solve all our problems. This focus on "people" however, if often misplaced and misguided.

Bill Drath, of the Center for Creative Leadership, tells us, "Focus on the tasks of leadership and forget about how many people are, or are not, leaders."

So, in your department, unit, company or organization, do you see or sense challenges and opportunities that call for fresh approaches to leadership?

According to Drath, "No individual alone can provide leadership in the face of a complex challenge...The problem is, then, how to get more people involved in leadership and how to make leadership more inclusive and collective."

One approach to involve people is commonly referred to as shared leadership. However, there are two critical issues that arise when we entertain the notion of shared leadership.

Too-Many-Chiefs Problem. The "too-many-chiefs" problem appears when companies and organizations encourage more people to exercise leadership. The well-intentioned effort to transform more folks into leaders often degenerates into a mix of differing (and often opposed) visions and values as too many individuals attempt to lead.

Diffused Accountability. When people share leadership responsibility, it's almost inevitable that accountability will also be shared. When this happens, everyone is accountable and no one is accountable at all - a true dilemma.

"Getting more people to act like leaders does little more than multiply the weaknesses of an individual leader approach," explains Drath. "In the face of a complex challenge, simply having more people trying to say what should be done is not likely to be effective."

The result of these two problems is a heightened state of frustration, negativity and pessimism combined with a growing sense that the shared leadership strategy is futile.

So, what to do?

The answer is to create a richer and more complex process of accomplishing the leadership tasks.

A good place to start, according to Drath, is to focus on the notion of leadership as a process put in place to achieve a set of leadership tasks. In this vein, rather than focus on who is the leader, the focus is on what people hope to accomplish with leadership.

When you focus on the outcomes and expectations of leadership, that is, when you ask, "What outcomes is leadership expected to produce?" the synergy and focus is on setting direction, creating alignment and generating commitment.

Thus, by shifting your focus to the accomplishments of leadership, your questions become more useful and direct. For example,

What obstacles stand in the way of clear direction, effective alignment and solid commitment?

What resources exist in our organization for creating direction, alignment and commitment as we face complex challenges?

What different methods and strategies for accomplishing the leadership task are possible for our organization?

How might folks act in new and different ways to accomplish the leadership tasks?

When you shift your focus from "leadership people" to "leadership tasks" and answer these questions, you can often free yourself from becoming entangled in the traditional trap of shared leadership. You can move beyond the idea that you need to create more individual leaders and thus get on with the business of facing complex challenges.

So, some questions for consideration and reflection are:

In your organization, is there a sense of new challenges and opportunities that call for new approaches to leadership?

Is your organization, in fact, moving in the direction of new approaches to leadership, or is it "leadership as usual?"

Do you experience a "too many chiefs" leadership issue in your company or organization? If so, with what results?

Do your leaders effectively set direction, create alignment and generate commitment?

Who participates in the leadership process and what constitutes leadership effectiveness?

On a scale of 1-10, how pleased are you with the effectiveness of your leaders and their efforts in the face of new challenges and opportunities?

Dr. Peter G. Vajda is a personal success coach, professional speaker, trainer and facilitator, specializing in mind, body and spirit integration. The focus of his work is on "Who I am", "How I am" and "Why I'm here". His clients choose to work on "showing up" with integrity, authenticity, and clearly-defined values at work, at home and at play. He can be reached through his email.


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