Why Sharing Leadership Makes You—and Your Organization—Stronger: Series Part 3

One of the biggest learnings for me once I left the day-to-day leadership of nonprofit theater was realizing how many of us think we have to do it all ourselves. We’re so used to proving our competence that we forget leadership isn’t about showing others (and ourselves) that we can do the job.

This post is part of a series adapted from a workshop I led for ArtsCore, a program of the North Carolina Arts Council and Triangle Art Works supporting new Executive Directors across the state. In the first post, I introduced my three-bucket framework (Risk Management, Resource Attraction, and Opportunity Development) to help make sense of the ED role. In the second post, I shared a tool—the Eisenhower Matrix—to sort the urgent from the truly important.

Today, let’s talk about something that can be transformative for your leadership—and your sanity: sharing leadership.

The Myth of “Doing It All”

Early in my career, I thought the best way to prove I was a capable leader was to carry as much as I could on my own shoulders. After all, wasn’t that what leaders were supposed to do?

But here’s what I learned: doing it all yourself doesn’t make you a stronger leader. It makes you a bottleneck—and it’s the fastest road to burnout.

Sharing leadership is about more than delegating tasks. It’s about building a team that feels empowered, valued, and invested in the organization’s success.

Why Shared Leadership Matters

When you share leadership, you:

• Expand your organization’s capacity. One person can only do so much, but a team working together can take on more and do it better.
• Tap into diverse skills and perspectives. Your colleagues bring experiences, networks, and ideas you don’t have. That diversity makes your organization stronger.
• Build buy-in and investment. People support what they help create. When others are part of decision-making, they’re more committed to the outcome.
• Prevent burnout—for you and for your team. Shared leadership distributes the load. You’re not carrying everything by yourself, and neither are they.
• Make better decisions. When leadership is shared, you’re less likely to make decisions in a vacuum. Others can spot blind spots, challenge assumptions, and offer creative solutions.

What Shared Leadership Looks Like in Practice

Shared leadership starts with curiosity and respect. It means asking questions like:

• Who else has insight or expertise on this?
• Who could bring a valuable perspective to this decision?
• Who can help carry this forward?

It also means creating a culture where people feel safe contributing ideas and taking ownership. Whether you’re working with a board member, a program director, or a volunteer, the key is making space for their voice—and showing that you value it.

Here are some concrete examples of things that Executive Directors might feel themselves hanging on to, and how to switch them to shared leadership:

Solo Leadership	Shared Leadership
You approve all the concessions items.	Let your audience services manager choose. Check sales reports in 2 months. (LETTING GO OF CONTROL)
You talk for 90% of the meeting with your city commissioner.	You share high level goals and two impact stories. Then ask them about their current priorities, listening for shared goals. (INVITING OTHER IDEAS/PERSPECTIVES)
You bring a list of potential funders to the Development Committee meeting and ask who knows anyone at these foundations and businesses.	You bring a worksheet with a few target foundations and businesses. Share 2-3 stories about how past Board members have made connections – including one that didn’t work out. Development Chair (not you) facilitates brainstorming of new prospects. (MAKING SPACE FOR OTHERS TO HAVE BUY-IN)

Letting Go of Perfectionism

If you’re a perfectionist or an overachiever (I see you!), sharing leadership can feel scary at first. You might worry that things won’t get done “right” or that you’ll lose control.

But the truth is, holding on too tightly limits your organization’s growth—and it limits yours, too.

Letting others lead doesn’t diminish your leadership; it amplifies it.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to carry it all alone. In fact, you shouldn’t.

Leadership is about creating the conditions for others to succeed alongside you. It’s about building trust, fostering collaboration, and sharing the load in a way that makes your organization—and you—more sustainable.

In the next post, we’ll talk about building partnerships that last, and why trust matters more than the perfect pitch.

As always, thanks to the North Carolina Arts Council and Triangle Art Works for making the ArtsCore program possible—and for the invitation to share this work with a new generation of arts leaders.