I have just returned from the International Leadership Association (ILA) conference in Prague, Czech Republic, and heard there the most remarkable story of shared leadership. Monika Macdonagh Pajerov, President of YES for Europe and an activist during the Velvet Revolution, presented a clear and concise account of the leadership process in one of the most remarkable national transformations in recent history.
Anyone visiting the Czech Republic, and its beautiful capital city, Prague, is struck by the enormous positive transformation that has occurred in the 20 years since the nation overcame the oppressive communist regime through a bloodless revolution. Monika's account of the Velvet Revolution demonstrated that rather than a movement organized around a single individual or group of individuals, this transformation came about by the collective efforts of a number of people - students, university faculty, and trade workers - who individually and collectively took it upon themselves to work to overthrow the communist regime.
Our conference began with a video welcome from the first post-revolution president, Vaclav Havel - who was a playwright! He became the focal point for many members of the revolution, but as he suggested in his talk, "I never considered myself a leader." He was instead one of many who shared the leadership work.
It is the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, with celebrations continuing in Prague during the week. To see Prague and the Czech Republic today, it is hard to believe that a mere 20 years ago it was a country repressed by a communist dictatorship. This transformation occurred through the collective efforts of many leaders - many of whom did not have any formal titles or roles.
In their groundbreaking book on shared leadership, Craig Pearce and Jay Conger and their colleagues have many examples of shared leadership and discuss the concept. However, I think the Velvet Revolution represents the perfect example of a transformation that succeeded due to the collective efforts of many people who took it upon themselves to be leaders.
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