Recently, having had extensive experience in navigating the full production system of many small to medium sized businesses and the wider territorial production systems that they operate in locally, regionally, nationally, and even globally, I have arrived at the conclusion that leadership is more of a team sport.

Distributed Leadership

In this context, leadership is a set of capabilities and skills that are distributed in nature, rather than simply relying on the talented, heroic leader type that we are most used to.

This type of heroic leader is still very necessary in bringing out the best of the others around them in a team to achieve a desired result. But given the lack of leadership and workforce talent available in a local community or organisation, a distributed or relational model of leadership makes sense.

This leadership insight is informed by observing how rural town’s, family farming operation or a small business operates, often through a conversation conducted around a kitchen table in discussing the things that need to get done.

This type of interaction is often facilitated by the formal leader of the business; however, the skill of the formal leader, like a player/coach, involves the ability to evoke and include the talent that exists around the table, to achieve high performance to the benefit of the whole enterprise.

This was very well demonstrated by John Wooden, the celebrated UCLA basketball coach, whose basketball teams won an unprecedented series of ten national championships.

His approach was based on a distributed model of shared responsibility and accountability and in having a team spirit that involved getting the fundamentals right, working hard and operating as a whole unit.

He famously said that: ‘It takes 10 hands to make a basket’ (Not two)

This approach requires, among other things:

• Working hard

• Good listening skills

• Making sense of all the experience shared around the room

• Being circumspect

• Always learning

• Respecting the other person’s skills and abilities throughout the business

• Making choices that take in several perspectives.

As a formal leader in this setting, it is good to work on yourself and your own development, as well as the development of those around you.

The following list of questions may be useful to ask of yourself and the others in the organisation as conversation and thought starters.

Key questions to consider:

• To what extent is leadership seen as a function in your organisation, as well as a position?
• Who makes the decisions in the organisation?
• How are leadership initiatives and activities implemented and rewarded in your organisation?
• What evidence is there of leadership being displayed outside of positional roles?
• What support is provided for staff to develop networks and work together?
• Does the organisation have a Leadership Development and Succession plan?

How can a distributive leadership model help your organisation?