"Putting two different brains, different skill sets together. On the big stuff, two heads are better than one." Is having two CEOs the future for a number of organisations?

Many in the development space and outside are opting for two bosses and shared decision making

Collective decision making and co-leaderships are rooted in feminist principles, but many organisations beyond this sector are opting for two bosses these days. Photo taken in Kapchorwa, eastern Uganda, in 2013. Amy Fallon.

Florence Riako Anam is Kenyan. Sbongile Nkosi is South African.

Flo and Sbo are both Black. Both African. Both women. And both are now running one of the largest and oldest networks for people living with HIV, inspired by a feminist style of leadership.

This is the way that many other organisations in the development space and outside it are working. Two bosses effectively, but it’s more than a job share as Alex Kent, co-CEO of Restless Development told me for this piece that I wrote for Devex last week. You can read it here.

While this work model is rooted in feminist principles, there’s many others outside the women’s rights space, for instance in education and disability justice, using it - and saying that they're getting results. Jenny Willmott, incidentally a good friend from Uganda and now co-CEO of STIR Education, spoke to me about this.

Among some of the benefits of a co-leadership are increased diversity in a workplace. Many who might not have put their hand up before are encouraged to, knowing that they will have support in the top job.

There’s also many outside the development space who have opted for this leadership model. The Green Party in the UK are using this. Still in the political sphere but in Australia, two women in Melbourne are aiming to stand for the seat of Higgins.

My story had received some good feedback.

Writing this piece makes me wonder should we do more things together and share more things? Besides there being strength in numbers, it may be more fun. (Well, maybe). It also made me reflect on how much the workforce has changed during my working life (only over two decades) alone let alone from my parents’ working life up until now. From digital nomads to “WFH” (working from home) to hybrid working (here’s a piece that I co-wrote last year from Cape Town) and more.

Am interested in hearing and telling more stories about how people are working very soon.

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