Shared Leadership in Action

How we work is changing. Who holds power in organizations is being questioned and is changing. New forms of doing and engaging are requiring new voices and new cultural experiences that are able to operate in a complex and interconnected world. This all gives rise to a growing orientation towards different and alternative models of sharing leadership, power, and decision making. Our four module course delves into “the how” — the concrete action steps — of sharing power, decision making, and leadership.

CEO Not (Necessarily) Required

In the planning for Fractured Atlas founder and CEO to depart in January 2018, the Board of Directors and executive leadership team engaged in an experiment that lead to the creation of a four-person, shared, non-hierarchical leadership team. This piece details how they got started and how it works.

Shared Leadership Research

Before experimenting with a shared leadership model, Fractured Atlas Chief Operating Officer Tim Cynova dove into existing research on shared, or distributed, leaders models. What works, what doesn’t, and what needs to be present for the model to ultimately be successful. What follows is the list of research that Tim took with him off into the wilderness for a Think Week to process it.

Assessing a Four Person Non-Hierarchical Leadership Team

Figuring out how to assess a non-hierarchical leadership team that wasn’t just a sum of its individual parts was a bit of a journey in itself. This piece details how the Fractured Atlas executive leadership team works with the Board of Directors to create a new process for doing just that.

Shared Leadership, Part 1 [Podcast]

On this episode, Part 1 of “CEO Not *Necessarily* Required.” We looked at shared or distributed leadership models, what are they, what aren’t they, how they work, how you might evaluate different models, and might they be right for you and your organization.

Guests: Michael Courville, Kelly Kienzle, Holly Sidford & Russell Willis Taylor

Shared Leadership, Part 2 [Podcast]

In this Part 2 of our exploration into shared leadership models, we sit down with a team that lead the transition from a single founder/CEO model to a four-person, shared, non-hierarchical co-CEO leadership team.

Guests: Shawn Anderson, Tim Cynova, Lauren Ruffin, and Pallavi Sharma.

Thoughts on Co-Leadership (Part 1of 4)

What Do We Think We’re Doing?

In this four-part series, Fractured Atlas Board members Christopher Mackie and Russell Willis Taylor reflect on shared leadership models from a Board perspective. What questions and conversations did the Board engage in prior to this experiment, and what did they learn along the way?

Thoughts on Co-Leadership (Part 2 of 4)

Why Did We Do It? and How are We Doing?

In this four-part series, Fractured Atlas Board members Christopher Mackie and Russell Willis Taylor reflect on shared leadership models from a Board perspective. What questions and conversations did the Board engage in prior to this experiment, and what did they learn along the way?

Thoughts on Co-Leadership (Part 3 of 4)

What Does Success Look Like?

In this four-part series, Fractured Atlas Board members Christopher Mackie and Russell Willis Taylor reflect on shared leadership models from a Board perspective. What questions and conversations did the Board engage in prior to this experiment, and what did they learn along the way?

Thoughts on Co-Leadership (Part 4 of 4)

What Still Needs Doing?

In this four-part series, Fractured Atlas Board members Christopher Mackie and Russell Willis Taylor reflect on shared leadership models from a Board perspective. What questions and conversations did the Board engage in prior to this experiment, and what did they learn along the way?