Wednesday, 23 March 2011

Four Hats of Shared Leadership

As a leader, which of the four hats do you wear and is there balance among the hats you wear?

In an adaptive organization, leadership is shared - all the players wear all the hats.  All the players must have the knowledge and skill to manage themselves, manage [those they supervise] or lead adults.  Leadership is a shared function.  ...  Recognizing the hats and knowing when and how to use them is vital for you as a leader. 

The Four Hats

Facilitating - To facilitate means 'make easier'.  A facilitator is one who conducts a meeting in which the purpose is dialogue, shared decision making, planning, or problem solving.  The facilitator directs the processes to be used.

Presenting - To present is to teach.  A presenter's goals are to extend and enrich knowledge, skills, or attitudes and to have these applied in people's work.  A presenter may adopt many stances - expert, colleague, novice, or friend.

Coaching - To coach is to help someone take action toward their own goals while simultaneously developing their own expertise in planning, reflecting, problem solving, and decision making.  The coach takes a nonjudgmental stance and uses tools of open-ended questions, wait time, paraphrasing, and probing for specificity.

Consulting - A consultant can be an information specialist or an advocate for content of process.  As an information specialist, the consultant delivers technical knowledge to another person or group.  As a content advocate, the consultant encourages the others to use a certain predetermined strategy.  To effectively consult, one must have trust, commonly defined goals and the desired outcomes clearly in mind.

From: The Adaptive School by Robert Garmston and Bruce Wellman

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