Sharing Leadership translates on one level into “styles” of leadership. Specific ways for the leader to work with the group will be more appropriate than others, depending on the job and the group. It also identifies some of the generic roles groups have that can be distributed among all members.
Sharing leadership is a key function of a leader. The ability to extend ourselves, to accomplish jobs greater than one person alone can handle, is one of the key elements of our society’s success today. Never has a society been so productive as such.
In this case, we as leaders are supposed to be capable of:
- developing a concept of leadership for a group which allows different functions of leadership being shared or distributed among group members in accordance with the situation and member’s strengths.
- gaining knowledge of the forces acting on the leader and the group, and inherent in the situation which makes for appropriateness of leadership styles.
- distinguishing between situations in which certain styles of leadership are apparently more appropriate.
- relating styles of leadership to the twin factors of getting the job done and maintaining group integrity and morale.
- developing attitudes of using appropriate styles of leadership to fit needs of the group to meet situations and accomplish short-and long-range goals.