Coaching for Co-Leaders and Shared Leadership
Leading together is a discipline in its own right
Do you lead together – and find that coordinating with each other takes more energy than expected?
Co-leadership arrangements are established for good reasons: shared responsibility, complementary strengths, part-time leadership or a planned succession. What is often overlooked is that two people with different experiences and leadership styles need to develop a shared approach. The team quickly notices when that shared direction is missing.
Coaching can be helpful when responsibilities remain unclear and employees choose which leader to approach. When decisions get stuck between the two of you or are communicated differently. When one person is more visible within the team than the other. Or when a co-leadership arrangement is just beginning and needs to be set up on a solid foundation from the outset.
We work on clearly defining roles and decision-making processes: Who is responsible for what, which decisions are made jointly, and how will you handle disagreement? We also examine your different leadership styles – not to make them the same, but to use them consciously and effectively. Together, you agree on how to communicate with each other and address tensions before they begin to affect the team.
Because this format involves two people who share a working relationship, we begin by clearly defining the purpose of the coaching, how confidentiality will be handled and the principles that will guide our work together.
