I wrote a few days ago about the challenge of distinguishing between a leader’s desire for control and what might be a deeper desire, on the part of true partners and teachers, the desire to share and extend what we know about the work. So how to does a leader do that?
How about a Leadership Blog? Not the kind where the CEO blogs for the customers, or internally to pep up productivity. In a Leadership Blog, everybody posts. Everybody leads. A group blog, for issues and opportunities for moving a given project or initiative forward. Everybody is invited, encouraged, required to take responsibility for the issues that matter to them. The chief can comment, or not, as he or she chooses. But he or she does get to choose. Everybody gets to choose. Everybody leads.
What I’m suggesting (and testing now for myself) is a blog-based version of OpenSpaceTech. Anybody can post an issue. Anybody can attend the “breakout session” by reading and posting comments. I’ve made four categories: Open Issue (the default), Closed Issue, Announcements, and Technical Notes.
Everything that needs doing can be posted as an Open item. When it’s resolved, it can be Closed. In the meantime, meetings and conference calls can be announced. Research, observations, technical specs and other notes can be recorded.
Anybody else blogging like this? How does it work? What have you learned? I think this does much to address the challenges of leadership awareness, experience, sharing and control.