Sometimes it's hard to count on Co-Leaders

While developing individual capabilities, we must be able to find partners that fit this need in order to form and sustain a more effective leadership system. It is important that leadership be grounded in reality. A leadership system that neglects reality or sets up unrealistic expectations for the leader will not last. Individuals must also be knowledgeable about and know how to deal with the complexity of management while respecting the objectives of the institution. Leadership must have a very strong collaborative relationship with the other organizations in which it is working.

This takes a toll on the morale of the team. Any leadership coach will tell you this. Leaders are often the weak link in a group. A well-respected co-leader will do all that they can to shield and support their leader. Having confidence and trust in your co-leader is a critical thing for a leader to learn.

Many leaders, in particular, are routinely hesitant to make serious commitments with their co-leaders. This reluctance is likely an attempt to maintain face with their co-leaders and/or to preserve their integrity. These actions may take place in a variety of ways, including refusals to deal with serious problems on their own, that confront the leader as a unit. Even though we know in our hearts that there will be negative consequences of both being non-committal and being ineffectual, we believe that this reluctance will not last very long.

Other factors must also be considered when doing motivational activities. One of the most obvious reasons is that many people do not consider motivational activities as an opportunity for change. They are, in effect, considered as "home-work" or "performative" activities. Just as one need not be a gymnast to make excellent sacrifices for the good of society, so one need not be a leader of a motivational team to reap benefits from leadership training.

Having known myself for a few years in many facets of life, and having done my very best to gain a better understanding of where I am now, there is a severe difference between where I once was, and where I am now. I now feel more capable of self support and a harder time surviving in my lack of choices, so I have adjusted my way of life. I can survive, or I can not, and I have adjusted. This is for those who are ready to be under the same conditions and situation that I am now, not for those who are seeking a "new way of doing things.

Thus, by the time you develop a strong rapport and faith in one another, it is often too late to initiate action. A quick glance at a person's problems may help, but if you cannot work through those problems together, your relationship will eventually fall apart. So, if your co-leader seems to have an on-going problem with a subordinate, you need to overcome the problem BEFORE you have a conflict. If you are hoping that an unbridgeable gap will magically form, keep reminding yourself of the present situation.