Spoiler: It’s not about being the boss of everything
At JVM Consultancy, we’ve been chatting with a lot of brilliant humans lately—at our Leadership Connect meet-ups, on our radio show The People Effect, and across many coffee-fuelled Zooms. One theme keeps bubbling up: “If leadership is shared… what does that mean for, well, me, the actual leader?”
Fair question.
So let’s bust the myth that shared leadership = no leadership. (We can hear the sighs of relief already.)
First things first: You’re not being replaced by a swarm of self-managing bees
Shared leadership doesn’t mean chaos. It doesn’t mean everyone shouting ideas over each other in a Slack thread while you quietly pack your things. It means moving from command and control to trust and collaboration.
Your role as a leader shifts—but it’s still vital.
You’re not stepping back. You’re stepping differently.
So what does a leader do in a shared leadership culture?
1. You set the tone, not the tempo
You’re still steering the ship—but you're no longer shouting into a megaphone every five minutes. Instead, you’re clarifying the “why” and giving people the trust and autonomy to figure out the “how.”
It’s like hosting a great party: you set the vibe, but you don’t tell people where to stand.
2. You grow leaders, not followers
Your team doesn’t need more people to say “yes.” They need space to think critically, experiment, fail, and try again. Your role is to nurture the conditions where leadership can pop up everywhere—like daffodils in spring.
3. You make space, not noise
Ever worked with someone who had a meeting about the meeting? Yeah… no thanks. Shared leadership is about less micromanaging, more meaning. You facilitate conversations, remove blockers, and step back so others can step in.
Sometimes your biggest leadership move is saying, “I trust you. Go for it.”
4. You model what you want to see
Want courageous, curious, purpose-driven people? Start with you. In shared leadership cultures, authenticity is contagious. Show your own learning, vulnerability, and ability to say, “I don’t know.”
5. You hold the vision and the values
You don’t have to have all the answers—but you do need to hold the purpose, keep things aligned, and wave the flag when folks lose sight of why they started. You’re the anchor in a sea of ideas.
TL;DR – What’s your new job title?
You're not the “Big Boss.”
You're the empowerer, the connector, the guardrail-giver, the mirror-holder.
You're the person who sees the leadership potential in everyone else—and actually trusts them enough to use it.
And here’s the best part…
When you lean into shared leadership, you don’t just get more buy-in—you get better ideas, more creative problem-solving, and a team that feels alive. You unlock potential that one-person leadership simply can’t reach.
You don’t lose your role.
You level it up.
Want help shifting into this kind of leadership? We’ve got workshops, courses, and a Leadership Connect community in Cork where you can meet fellow humans doing just that.
👋 Pop us a message—let’s create something leaderful together.