Building Your
Leadership Team
Module 3
Empowering your
Program Development Team
and Sharing Leadership
Building Your Leadership Team
The “academics” of shared
leadership…..
Shared Leadership
A group functions more effectively when all its
members accept responsibility for the work
and life of the group.. … this shared sense of
responsibility is known as
shared leadership.
Comparison
Classical and Shared Leadership

Classical
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Displayed by a person’s
position in a group or
hierarchy. .
Leadership evaluated by
whether the leader solves
problems.
Leaders provide solutions
and answers.

Shared
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Identified by the quality of
people’s interactions rather
than their position.
Leadership evaluated by
how people are working
together.
All members work to
enhance the process and to
make it more fulfilling.
Comparison – continued

Classical
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Shared
Distinct differences
between leaders and
followers: character, skill,
etc…
Communication is often
formal.

People are inter-dependent;
all are active participants in
process of leadership.

Can often rely on secrecy,
deception and payoffs.

Communication is crucial
with a stress on
conversation.
Values democratic
processes, honesty and
shared ethics.
Drawn from material in Gloria Nemerowicz and Eugene Rosi (1997) Education for
Leadership and Social Responsibility
Developing
Shared Leadership

For such leadership to develop we need to pay special
attention to three things. We need to encourage:
(Gastil 1997)

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Ownership. Problems and issues need to become a
responsibility of all with proper chances for people to share
and participate.
Learning. An emphasis on learning and development is
necessary so that people can share, understand and contribute
to what’s going on.
Sharing. Open, respectful and informed conversation is
central.
Moving Towards Shared Leadership

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There is a Team in place
Team members are familiar with the program’s goals
and community issues
Team members are aware of the needs of the
community
Team members are engaged
Team members feel ownership
So, what now???? How does the Team proceed???
No Set Rules of
Leadership and Management

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There can be a “gradient of authority”
You can appoint rather than elect
You have options; make it work for you
Think of it as a partnership
This is Your PDT!!!
Make it work for you!!
You are in charge!!
Top 5 Group Problems
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Lack of participation
Lack of leadership
Lack of planning
Lack of interest in programs
Disorderly meetings
Developing Your PDT’s Operating
Guidelines
Review PDT Operating Guidelines
on the CAES Intranet at:
http://www.caes.uga.edu/intranet/
coextopr/progdevelop/index.html#
leadership

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Name of PDT
Philosophy/Purpose
Membership

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Meetings
Officers
Attendance Requirements
Possible Leadership Structure

Chair
Presides at PDT meetings
 Appoints working groups / issue teams (if necessary)
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Vice Chair
Presides in the absence of the Chair
 Fulfill other leadership roles as needed

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Secretary
Record minutes of PDT meetings; distribute to
members
 Manage Team correspondence

A Good Leader or Coach ...
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Knows subject matter
Approachable and personable
Willing to delegate
Goal oriented
Enthusiastic
Tough
Has standards
A Good Leader or Coach ...
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Organized
Non-judgmental
Interested in team
Communicator and good listener
Role model
Patient
Motivator
A Good Leader...
Delegates
AND
Motivates
Delegation

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Have the confidence to turn things over
Delegate significant parts
Be an ‘enabler’ not a ‘doer’
They don’t have to do it just like you!
Still requires management
Delegation does not
eliminate work;
it changes it.
In the examples of Shared
Leadership that follow …
Every member of the agent’s PDT is
actively engaged in the delivery of
Extension programs and the agent’s Plan of
Work.
 The agent has a core group with a vested
interest in accomplishing the goals of the
team.

In the examples of Shared
Leadership that follow …
Each PDT member has a personal stake in
the success of the Extension program.
 This success is dependent on EVERYONE!

 The
Agent
 The PDT Leadership
 The PDT Members
 The Volunteers
What MIGHT Shared Leadership
look like for a FACS PDT?
The Goal
An FACS Agent’s Program Development
Team is to work together to plan, implement
and evaluate a specific program.
Everyone has a role to play!
Shared Leadership in FACS
Tasks
Responsible Person(s)
Design Lesson Plan
Develop program
agenda
Suggest speakers
Secure speakers
Agent and/or specialists
All PDT members
Secure location
All PDT members
Agent with cooperation of
members
Member in communication with
agent
Shared Leadership in FACS (continued)
Tasks
Responsible
Person(s)
Marketing – venues and materials
Process evaluation
Outcome evaluation
Tasks related to the actual program:
Set up, clean up, registration,
refreshments/meals, parking,
welcome, introduction of speakers,
speakers gifts, etc…
All PDT members
All PDT members
Agent, as lead
Members take on
specific tasks and
recruit volunteers
What MIGHT Shared Leadership
look like for a 4-H PDT?
The Goal
A 4-H Agent wants the 4-H PDT to aid in the
planning, development and delivery of 4-H
club meetings in the schools.
Everyone has a role to play!
Shared Leadership in 4-H
Tasks
Responsible Person(s)
Plan curriculum/write
lesson plans
Meet with schools/set
4-H meeting schedule
Prepare handouts/
newsletters/
announcements
Agent / 4-H staff / PDT members
Agent / 4-H staff
PDT members
(in consultation with 4-H staff)
Shared Leadership in 4-H (continued)
Tasks
Responsible Person(s)
Prepare slide show/
other visuals & secure
needed equipment
Prepare awards/
recognition for
members/clubs
Conduct Meetings
PDT members
(in consultation with 4-H staff)
Club meeting followup/reporting
PDT members
(in consultation with 4-H staff)
Agent / 4-H staff / Trained
Volunteers
PDT members
(in consultation with 4-H staff)
What MIGHT Shared Leadership
look like for an A&NR PDT?
The Goal
An A&NR Agent, particularly knowledgeable
about a certain commodity (i.e., horticulture),
wants the A&NR PDT to address needs and
programming related to another area (i.e., beef
cattle production) in which the agent is not as
strong.
Everyone has a role to play!
Shared Leadership in A&NR
Tasks
Responsible
Person(s)
Talk with local producers; assess
needs and seek program ideas
Identify speakers for programs /
meetings
Research speakers; determine
educational programs for PDT
meetings; plan R.E.P.E. Agenda
Edit ‘Livestock Newsletter’ from
UGA resources – 2 times/year
PDT members
Agent / PDT members
Agent / PDT members
Agent
Shared Leadership in A&NR (continued)
Tasks
Responsible
Person(s)
Secure sponsorship for meetings
Shop for food/supplies; cook meal
Interact with producer meeting
attendees to critique meeting; share
feedback with all PDT members
Organize annual beef cattle tour for
producers - funding; transportation;
tour stops; hosts; etc…
PDT members
Agent / PDT members
PDT members
Agent / PDT members
For your PDT to be
ULTIMATELY SUCCESSFUL …
COMMUNICATION
is
CRITICAL
Critical Lines of Communication
Agent
PDT
Officers
PDT
Members
All parties are inter-dependent
 Promotes honesty, openness, ownership
 Everyone has a stake

Critical Lines of Communication
Agent
PDT Chair
Virtual constant contact
 Builds trust
 Strengthens bond
 Facilitates decision-making
 Should essentially become
“new best friends”

Critical Lines of Communication
PDT Vice Chair
PDT Chair
PDT Secretary
No gaps in meeting coverage
 Timely correspondence
 Distributes ‘routine’ tasks usually
handled by Agent

Communication
Points to Consider
 What
information do members of the
Team need to have?
 How do Team members want to receive
information?
 When do Team members need to
receive information?
Characteristics of Good
Team Communication
 Concise
– Keep communication simple
and brief
 Meaningful – Present what is relevant
to the goals and the work of the team
 Timely – Report information that is
relevant to the current agenda
 Context – Be clear as to the
importance
Characteristics of Good
Team Communication (continued)
 Relevant
to Responsibilities – Share
information which helps the team
members do their job
 Best Available – Provide the best
available indicators and data for the
situation
 Summary Graphics – Convert text to
graphs to illustrate the message
For your PDT to be
ULTIMATELY SUCCESSFUL …
ROLES
must be
CLEARLY DEFINED
What is the ROLE of the PDT?
The PDT is an asset, a tool, available to the
agent for improving the quality of the
overall program development process
 The PDT is an group of dedicated, trusted
supporters who value the work Cooperative
Extension does, and who want to increase
Extension’s capacity to do that work
 In ALL cases, the PDT is responsible to the
agent and under the direction of the agent

What is the ROLE of the Agent?
The agent is ultimately responsible for every
aspect of programming
 The agent is responsible for monitoring the
actions and effectiveness of the PDT
 The agent is the final authority in ALL
matters which affect and/or impact
Cooperative Extension programming

DO’s and DON’T’s of Shared Leadership
DO:
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Share the workload
Keep the group on task
Maintain overall authority for the group
Provide your group with adequate
information to make decisions
Encourage open, respectful conversation
Allow the team members to develop plans to
meet goals
DO’s and DON’T’s of Shared Leadership
DO:
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Keep the group focused on team goal
Assign members to specific tasks
Divide your team in small task groups
Allow the group to work through creating its
direction
Encourage participation and sharing by
everyone
DO’s and DON’T’s of Shared Leadership
DON’T:
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Over exert your influence or opinions
Dominate the group process; let the group
function
Suppress ideas or opinions
Show favoritism toward certain members
Criticize the ideas of others
DO’s and DON’T’s of Shared Leadership
DON’T:
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Withhold information the group needs for
solving problems
Ignore group personality problems
Allow the group to be dependent on you
Fail to communicate effectively
Allow strong personalities to dominate the
group
Extension Leadership System (ELS) Team
4-H Program Development
Coordinators
Marilyn Poole – NE District
Lori Purcell – NW District
Laura Perry Johnson – SW District
Teresa Harvey – SE District
A&NR Program Development
Coordinators
Norman McGlohon – NE District
Sheldon Hammond – NW District
Ken Lewis – SW District
Phil Torrance – SE District
FACS Program Development Specialists
Janet Valente – NW & SW District
Laurie Cantrell – NE & SE District
Jeff Christie – Coordinator