PLA Podcast #9 | September 2024

A recent study reveals that 65% of Swiss CEOs believe diverse leadership, including shared roles, is essential for innovation and competitiveness. Yet, globally, only 14% of companies are actually implementing it. This highlights a significant gap between theory and practice.

In this episode of the PLA Podcast, I had the privilege of diving into this topic from a practical standpoint with two senior women leaders in the financial industry—Dr. Anne-Kathrin Lohbeck and Dr. Ilga Haubelt—who both bring extensive experience in co-leadership to the table.

Curious about how to not only make co-leadership work but help it thrive?
Join this insightful conversation with Anne-Kathrin and Ilga as they share their personal experiences and valuable insights on what it takes to succeed in co-leadership. You'll discover unexpected challenges, benefits, and practical tips that may not be immediately obvious.

Our conversation outline

00:00Introduction to Co-leadership

04:30How the Guests Came to Co-leadership Roles

08:08Unexpected Personal Highlights in Co-leadership

14:17Reasons for Organizing Co-leadership Positions

21:22Essential Factors for Thriving in Co-leadership

27:27Challenges and Recommendations in Co-leadership

29:22The Importance of Clear Roles and Effective Communication

44:31Building Trust and Establishing a Shared Sense of Purpose

53:56The Role of Managers in Supporting and Facilitating Co-Leadership

52:55Embracing the Paradoxes and Complexities of Co-Leadership

Some Key takeaways

• Co-leadership can be an effective way to bring together diverse perspectives and share workloads. It can provide opportunities for talent development and diversity in leadership roles.

• Co-leadership requires a strong strategic rationale and a clear understanding of the organizational setup.

• Managing differences and navigating various decision-making styles and the ability to appear as one unit are key challenges in co-leadership.

Selected quotes of our guests

"Co-leadership is collaboration on steroids."

"The different speed of decision making can lead to a lot of frustration in co-leadership."

"You always need a good sense of humor in co-leadership."

"We've seen a lot more fluid leadership setups and co-leadership is a part of that."

Eager to learn Anne-Kathrin and Ilga's secrets to making co-leadership not just work, but truly thrive? Don’t miss this episode! Tune in to our lively conversation and be inspired to consider co-leadership as a powerful approach for navigating the increasing complexity and rapid changes in today’s business landscape.

 Links mentioned during the podcast:

• PLA-Podcast “Perspective taking”

• PLA-Podcast “When it goes wrong”

• Do-it-yourself Offering of PLA for leaders to systematically build shared purpose, shared commitment and shared responsibility in (Co-Leadership)Teams:Title