Marcel Schwantes: Building a Culture of Shared Leadership (Ep #263)
Episode recap:
Marcel explored the servant leadership principles and practices of shared leadership and decision. He presented a case study about former U.S. Navy Captain David Marquet’s successful transformation of a submarine crew by shifting to a leader-leader model that empowered team members to make decisions. Marcel emphasized the importance of competence and clarity when sharing leadership, while challenging the audience to consider how they can empower others to lead and offered follow-up discussions.
To dig deeper into a strategy-based discussion about shared leadership, book your free, 30-minute discovery call with Marcel here:
https://calendly.com/marcelschwantes/discovery-call?month=2025-08
Guest Bio:
Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, author, and acclaimed executive coach with a global following. Marcel delivers presentations, workshops, courses, and coaching programs about the human side of business and how cultures of care, connection, and belonging power companies to thrive and outperform the competition.
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Show Notes
Quotes:
- “Leaders sometimes push people like cattle, and a lot of companies still operate this way, right? But if you think about it, cattle have no say. They’re herded in one direction, pushed to where the cattle rancher wants them to go. And honestly, that’s not very empowering.”
- “When you share leadership, you’re not losing control. You’re actually multiplying it. You’re creating leaders at every level, and when people feel ownership, engagement and performance will go through the roof for you.”
- “That’s the power of releasing control—it turns employees into owners, and owners don’t need to be driven. They lead themselves.”
Takeaways:
- Ask your team “What would you do?” instead of giving direct orders, inviting them to share their insights and solutions.
- Redesign your next strategy meeting to be collaborative, giving team members space to shape and contribute to organizational direction.
- Map out your current organizational chart and identify where decision-making authority can be pushed closer to where actual work happens.
- Create a safe environment for team members to make decisions and learn from mistakes without fear of harsh punishment or criticism.
- Challenge yourself this week to intentionally give one team member an opportunity to lead a project or make a key decision.
Timestamps:
[00:00] Welcome and Introduction
[02:22] Why Driving Results Is Not Real Leadership
[04:12] Share Power and Release Control with Intention
[06:40] A Boss Who Led Without Pulling Rank
[08:19] Pushing Authority Down Unlocks Performance
[10:41] Competence and Clarity Come Before Delegation
[12:03] Three Ways to Start Sharing Leadership This Week
[13:39] Final Challenge and Invitation to Take Action
Conclusion:
Strong leadership means building trust, giving others the space to make decisions, and supporting a workplace where responsibility is shared. When people closest to the work are empowered to act, teams move faster and with more confidence. Clear goals and ongoing support help turn rigid structures into flexible, high-performing groups. Instead of control, the focus shifts to growth—both of the team and the individuals in it. Great leaders guide, but they also step back so others can step up.
The Book
Links/Resources:
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We would be delighted to accept your sponsorship for future episodes as we challenge current management thinking and practices and build skills around human leadership and human-centered work cultures. If interested, contact Marcel.
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