Co-Leadership: Two Heads Are Better Than One
Co-Leadership: Two Heads Are Better Than One
Lisha Wallace | 2021
Abstract
The direct study of leadership and developing leadership theories is about 100 years old.1 It is an ever-evolving transition of definitions, types, styles, and labels. However, the vast majority of these focus on the individual as a leader2 with a few examples of a dyadic relationship, mainly between the leader and their followers. A notably absent concept is co-leadership, where two leaders fuse together to create a more robust leader pair. Co-leadership is when you have two people equally sharing power, influence, responsibilities, and tasks while also combining unique gifts, talents, and traits towards the goals and success of a company or project.3
On numerous occasions through the Old and New Testament, God presented strong leader duos such as Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, and Ruth and Naomi. Even more profoundly, Jesus directly paired his disciples together before he sent them out to villages and towns to minister, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1). Why was this so important? The answer lies in Proverbs 27:17 and Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” and “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (ESV). Co-Leadership is why Rome was so successful for at least 400 years4 and can strengthen organizations, leading to increased success.5
The project has four complementary parts. Part one is a manuscript highlighting the history and importance of co-leadership and what it takes to succeed. Part two is a multi-day workshop covering the practical application of incorporating a co-leadership model into an organization. Part three is a 60-minute highlights wheel with the basics of co-leadership to pique organizational interest. Finally, part four includes three interviews with individuals who are currently trying a variation of the co-leader model and can be sliced into different video files to use in the workshop. The main point of all the parts is co-leadership is the answer to leadership failures because we were not meant to lead alone. Two heads are better than one.
1Northouse, P. G. (2016).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
2Pearce, C.L. & Conger, J.A. (2003). Shared leadership: reframing the hows and whys of leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
3Wallace, L. (2021). Co-Leadership. [Unpublished Doctoral Presentation]. Regent University, VA.
4Sally, D. (2002). Co-leadership: Lessons from republican rome. California Management Review, 44(4), 84-99. doi:10.2307/41166144
5Northouse, P. G. (2016).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.