Creation of a co-leadership statement
TYPE: SHARED JOURNALING
The idea of a co-leadership statement is inspired by Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific. It collates co-lead(s) political and practical vision and commitments. It can be shared with the wider organisation and be referred back to during annual appraisals.
This activity is designed to be completed with your co-lead(s), with the resulting statement being shared with the wider organisation and board. You may even wish to complete this activity with your staff so that the statement itself is co-created with them. In this case, consider sharing the questions in advance so that staff can think about the vision, leadership, accountability and commitments they wish to see.
The prompts offered are suggestions. Feel free to tweak them or write new ones that better fit your relationship and goals.
Individually
Reflect individually on the following prompt questions, writing responses on post-its/stickies (real or virtual). Try to capture one idea per post-it so it is easy to group them with your co-lead(s) responses.
My personal goals are…
My hopes and dreams for this role are…
My vision for the organisation is…
I want to be a leader who…
I believe co-leadership is transformative because…
With your co-lead(s)
VISION, LEADERSHIP AND POLITICS
Share these responses with your co-lead. Are there similarities in your vision, hope and dreams? How do your leadership styles align or complement each other? What political values underpin your vision and leadership style? Group the post-its together where possible. Are there any gaps or tensions that need to be addressed?
Together, develop a response to the following prompts, writing it up on the wall or virtual board. You may wish to each write one and then give feedback on each other’s:
Our vision for the organisation / initiative we are co-leading is…
We hope to be leaders who…
We will model this shared leadership in our practices by
We believe co-leadership is transformative because…
The values that ground us are…
ACCOUNTABILITY
Brainstorm together who you are accountable to, listing the groups on the wall/virtual board e.g. each other, the organisation, staff, your team, the communities/constituencies you serve. For each, write one or two sentences about how you will stay accountable to them and how they can hold you to account. This should also include how you are accountable to and will show up for each other.
COMMITMENTS
Lastly, reflect on the following questions to develop shared commitments. You can write these on post-its, brainstorming first and sharing with each other after.
What practices will you commit to doing?
How will your ways of working foster a culture of meaningful accountability, shared power and collaboration?
How will you continuously reflect on your own power as leaders and as a team? How will you ensure that your practice reflects your values and that power is distributed across the organisation?
Your responses should begin to formulate the foundations for a shared statement. Agree together how to write this up. You may wish to put on music, split the sections and write up the statement together.
With your organisation
If you developed the statement with your co-lead(s) only, it is important to share this statement with your staff and board. Think about whether this is something you are asking for feedback on or if it will be shared as a final document. Try to be clear on the invitation as to what expectations are. You might wish to hold a discussion on how best to use this statement as a practical tool e.g. in your annual appraisals. Consider engaging an artist to design the statement so that it is not just a practical tool, but also a visual representation of your commitment and leadership.
