How can we continue to inspire our people? What will it take to empower them? The answer: co-creative leadership.

The command-and-control style of leadership makes employees feel afraid to suggest creative ideas and solutions. Their out-of-touch tactics are part of the reason why people feel stuck. And if people do not feel seen, heard, understood and free to be their creative selves then the outcome is clear: They will leave.

As the American academic and management consultant Mary Parker Follett is reported to have once said, “Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led. The most essential work of the leader is to create more leaders.”

Mary Parker Follet saw the future of what culture and leadership could be — in the late 1800s. Like someone from the future, planting seeds of wisdom well before its time, she became a personal consultant to President Teddy Roosevelt, and her ideas have heavily influenced the growth of future-oriented businesses. She saw the potential for a new type of leadership.

How can leaders make a difference in people’s lives?

It’s a great time to start over, to reconsider our work relationships and foster a more people-centric work culture. An organization doesn’t need to have a massive strategy or a new program to do it. Leadership development starts with two core priorities: to guide leaders to shape culture and to identify co-creators already in your culture.

Guide Leaders to Shape Culture.

Coaching leaders is a great way to see the reality of your current culture, understand their shortcomings and identify leadership upgrade opportunities. Influence leaders to show up differently and be more intentional. They can give their team a different experience. Here are some ways to do this:

Share an inspiring vision.

Give people a deep sense of purpose — a cause to believe in, work that’s worth pursuing every day. Something that gets them up in the morning. Can you articulate the principles of this future culture? This is your aim as an organization. Your goal is to provide enough clarity for the future that people can see their place in it. Instead of pushing an agenda, pull people in with a shared purpose. A vision so inspiring that people will want to help shape it. Your leaders must embody this vision and not just present it as talking points.

Set the right tone with leadership.

If people are the main drivers of a business, then leaders need to be measured by their effectiveness in terms of people skills and their influence of team and culture. Not just based on financial performance. Create leadership development plans based on the vision and values of the ideal culture of the future. It is crucial to move on from leaders who are not willing to change or those who are not committed to this plan. They could do more harm than good, especially leaders who treat people poorly and who are toxic in the current culture. Coach your leaders to become coaches for their teams.

Identify co-creators already in your culture.

Give people permission to build and to help shape the future. Experiences, products, and services that change lives, that can even change the world. Give them permission to imagine new possibilities and test them out at work. Live up to Albert Einstein’s claim that “imagination is more important than knowledge.”

This is how we can start to inspire people. In a fragmented work culture, collaboration and co-creation helps people feel more connected. Here are some ways to show them the kind of trust that empowers workplace transformation:

Create space for people to build with others.

Give them permission to go for it. Start building together. Too many companies have gotten stuck in the siloed way of doing work. All functional, business units, expert models focused on doing work separate from each other. This isn’t our future, and it won’t inspire people to stay or to do their best work. Cut the red tape and shut down any bureaucratic nonsense. By doing so, creative ideas and solutions will emerge. The more you build together as teams you will start to identify natural leaders who gravitate toward co-creation.

Co-Create the future culture with them.

People want to be part of a culture where they matter, and where they can build things that matter. Where time slows down as they get in the zone. Unlock co-creation in meetings. Create better work systems together. Not every solution requires a hefty budget or new technology. The key is often better leadership, creative expressions and working together with intention.

A Co-Creative Leadership Template

We’ve all experienced leadership firsthand, the good, the bad and the ugly. Some people have horror stories of the pain managers have caused. Thoughtless, harsh things they’ve said. Cruel treatment. Feeling controlled. And yet, many of us have had leaders who’ve inspired us. What did they do differently?

When it comes down to it, co-creation is simple. It starts with a new mindset and the courage to try new things with others. It’s about building a different future together. We see examples of this in places where people are open to changing their mind, where every voice matters and where the culture inspires people to become a force for good.

Here are a few example scenarios that show the contrast of co-creative leadership.

Performance management:

• Reactive Leadership: “Let’s talk about your performance. Here’s what you did well. Here’s what you’re not doing well.”
• Proactive Leadership: “We appreciate your hard work on that project. We can see your progress. What areas do you want to focus on for improvement?”
• Co-Creative Leadership: “What can I do better as your leader? How can we work together and collaborate better? What obstacles are in your way that I can help remove?”

Meetings:

• Reactive Leadership: “Here’s my agenda for today. I need this from each of you by next Monday. Last month numbers came in. Seriously? Do you know how this makes me look to upper management?”
• Proactive Leadership: “Thank you all for ending the month strong. How can we continue to improve this particular process? Next week let’s keep the conversation open and work toward this goal.”
• Co-Creative Leadership: “How’s everybody doing today? Let’s take a few minutes and hear from everyone as they check in. What are the biggest challenges you’re facing right now? How can we best support each other to be successful? Let’s build on what we’ve learned, and where we’re headed next. Remember, this is a co-creative conversation. What should we work on next?”

Productivity:

• Reactive Leadership: “Alright. We just need to get this done. I don’t care what it takes! It doesn’t seem like this group is putting in the time. We need to do a better job at executing.”
• Proactive Leadership: “If we focused on achieving one new thing this month, what would it be? How can you achieve it?
• Co-Creative Leadership: “What would make you feel the most inspired to do your best work? How can we describe that in a simple, yet powerful way?”

 Change management:

• Reactive Leadership: “Get over it. It’s time to change.”
• Proactive Leadership: “I understand that change is hard, but I hope we’ve given you all the support you need. What can you do to improve the situation, and how can I help?”
• Co-Creative Leadership: “If you were leading this company, what would you do differently?… I love that. How can we bring those solutions to life together?”

Co-creative leadership is a path forward, innovating the world of work and paving the way for new mindsets, behaviors, habits and patterns tied to better leadership practices. Organizations must focus their energy and resources toward the culture of their future.

This change won’t happen with traditional teaching methods or top-down learning. Culture is embodied. It shows up in how we live our values. We can design work experiences to amplify this desired culture.

By living and leading co-creatively we won’t be confused or distracted by the allures of short-term stock prices, titles or organizational power. Rather, our strength will emerge from inside us, with life-changing and world-changing energy. We will be recognized for who we are at our core, as we co-create with others. And the results will naturally flow. Co-creative leadership inspires others to be co-creators.