We've worked with a number of ownership, board, and executive teams that use variations of "shared leadership" (also called "distributed leadership") models to run their organizations.
When these teams want to hone best practices, we look at how shared leadership works best at this level and why it can often feel like a struggle.
Shared/distributed leadership models work differently than delegated responsibilities & leadership. At EMI, we often talk about shared leadership as a framework to level up any kind of delegation. Instead of just handing out tasks, managers instead look to team members to take on leadership of that work. This change in perspective means that the entire team shares the leadership of delivery rather than the manager being a central hub of responsibility and coordination.
For executive teams using distributed leadership, many of the same elements are there. Instead of a Board President or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) directing work down through the functions of a traditional org chart, responsibilities are shared among a group.
What characteristics do we see when working with distributed leadership at the executive level?
What are the responsibilities of the executive-in-charge? (Board President, CEO, Majority Shareholder, etc.)
With better understanding of the challenges, carefully crafted operating guidelines, and continued investment in making it work, shared/delegated leadership models can continue to evolve with the organization.
Posted May 4, 2026
Written by Erin (Pink) Mosley
©️ 2026 Erin Mosley, Inc.
When these teams want to hone best practices, we look at how shared leadership works best at this level and why it can often feel like a struggle.
Shared/distributed leadership models work differently than delegated responsibilities & leadership. At EMI, we often talk about shared leadership as a framework to level up any kind of delegation. Instead of just handing out tasks, managers instead look to team members to take on leadership of that work. This change in perspective means that the entire team shares the leadership of delivery rather than the manager being a central hub of responsibility and coordination.
For executive teams using distributed leadership, many of the same elements are there. Instead of a Board President or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) directing work down through the functions of a traditional org chart, responsibilities are shared among a group.
What characteristics do we see when working with distributed leadership at the executive level?
- Shared leadership often involves longer consensus building. One danger is that investing in the process of consensus during critical growth or transformational stages may mean slower adoption of proper systems and structures. The organization can suffer when this important work falls behind.
- Shared leadership at this level still requires clear direction and guidance. The President, majority Owner, or equivalent role needs to step in to make decisions when consensus isn't reached.
- The top executive also needs to take on the focus of managing relationships and conflict among the team as a real part of their job. It is common for the person in this role to view the relational underpinnings of the shared leadership model as a time sink that needs to be minimized. It's more realistic to accept it as a priority that adds continuous value to the organization, rather than a frustration. Consider including this in performance expectations and leaning in to the value of it.
- Research and practice in shared leadership points to the need for it to be fluid and based on mutual trust and shared values, goals, etc. Developing comfort with fluidity and trust is usually a continuous process for the leadership team.
- It's absolutely essential to discern the difference between distributing decisions and having everybody involved in every decision. This collective skill is a measure of maturity in a shared leadership model. Think of youth sports when the kids bunch up compared with a pro game in which players work their positions and skillfully take charge whenever they can advance the play. There are benefits to bunching when the team needs to converge and learn, but there's a risk of getting fixated on the internal dynamics. To continue with the metaphor, ultimately you want to work the whole field, create playbooks, etc.
What does "excellence" look like in a shared leadership model?
- Commit to skilled consensus building… because there is no one decision maker.
- Be vigilant about getting proper systems and structures in place… because these serve to streamline basic communications when formal avenues of decision-making and responsibility are less clear.
- Truly distribute the leadership… rather than have multiple team members piling on to every concern and decision.
- Trust in each other… so that the distribution of leadership works.
- Get comfortable with fluidity… being able to change things up is a huge benefit of shared leadership over more rigid decision-making models.
What are the responsibilities of the executive-in-charge? (Board President, CEO, Majority Shareholder, etc.)
- Still holds overall responsibility for direction, guidance, and risk/opportunity management.
- Spends more time and focus on relational dynamics, clarifying performance goals and contributions, and conflict management skills instead of taking on centralized decisions and delegating.
- Must step in to make decisions when consensus is not being reached in a timely or effective way.
With better understanding of the challenges, carefully crafted operating guidelines, and continued investment in making it work, shared/delegated leadership models can continue to evolve with the organization.
Posted May 4, 2026
Written by Erin (Pink) Mosley
©️ 2026 Erin Mosley, Inc.
