My approach
Why I put structure over mood
Shared leadership doesn’t succeed through good intentions but through clear agreements. My approach is deliberately pragmatic: look at reality first, then build the rules that hold up under pressure.
Key takeaways
- Practice before theory: I only recommend what I’ve tested myself.
- Structure before mood: rules carry where chemistry reaches its limits.
- Honest before pleasing: a clear no is worth more than an expensive maybe.
Three principles
1 · Practice before theory
I carried shared leadership myself. So I don’t explain models that look elegant on paper and break in daily life. When I recommend something, I’ve lived it – including the mistakes I learned from. I use academic models where they help; they never replace the practical test.
2 · Structure before mood
Almost every duo starts with good chemistry. And almost every duo hits the moment when chemistry isn’t enough: a decision that can’t wait, and two different opinions. Those without a rule end up negotiating the power question in exactly that moment. So we build the decision rules before they’re needed – written, concrete, usable.
3 · Honest before pleasing
Sometimes the most honest advice is to advise against a project. Shared leadership is not an end in itself. If a role is better carried by one person, I say so – even if a contract falls through over it. An honest no saves more money than a pleasing maybe.
What that means in practice
- We start with an honest status check instead of a finished solution.
- We make roles and responsibilities explicit – who decides what, alone or together.
- We agree how you’ll handle disagreement before the first real disagreement arrives.
- We put the result in writing so it outlives the workshop.
Aus meiner Praxis
In my own time in a tandem, writing things down was the turning point. As long as our agreements only existed in our heads, every one of them was negotiable – usually at the worst moment. Only the shared, written document truly carried us.
What sets my approach apart
- Lived experience instead of pure theory.
- Concrete, written results instead of nice slides.
- The willingness to name the uncomfortable, too.
- Guidance that stays long enough to hold.
How this article was written
This approach is based on my own leadership experience in a job-sharing model and 15 years of leading in banking, as well as work with organisations and leadership duos. Where I draw on models or studies, I make that transparent on the respective guide pages.
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Updated: 25 July 2026
