When Representative Tristan Toleno began his Shared Leadership Journey, little did he know that he would apply his learning as a Vermont State Legislator. For more than nine years, Tristan has represented his community of Brattleboro as a state legislator in the Vermont House of Representatives. He has served in many committees and four years as an Assistant Majority Leader, including two years in the role known as “The Whip.” 

Tristan also works as a key partner with us. We are grateful for his contribution to our client team - offering coaching, business model strategy, systems wisdom training, and operations strategy - and within our team as our COO/CFO - where he supports our product strategy and internal financial management. 

Tristan has always had a passion for solving complex problems. As an entrepreneur and community organizer, Tristan knew business could be a vehicle for personal and community transformation—and believes the same about government. His main reason for entering local politics was to help find solutions to complex social challenges, from healthy eating habits to environmental sustainability. Politics also offered Tristan a new leadership challenge. 

One of the most difficult parts of being an elected official is that leaders need to understand all of the issues that affect their constituents. 

"We have to become experts on a wide range of topics," Tristan reflects. "Frankly, as a citizen legislature that works 16 weeks a year, there is no way that we can be masters of everything. We need each other." 

This fundamental understanding of interdependency impacts how Tristan approaches his legislative role. The Shared Leadership Framework™ gave him the tools to operate in such a unique environment. 

"A caucus is a shared leadership system," says Tristan. "Success relies on the ability to reach an understanding with colleagues and see their perspective even if you don't completely agree. The goal is to find the places where differences of opinion start to converge." 

The Shared Leadership Framework™ guides Tristan as a north star through legislator team challenges and has also been the source of some of his most rewarding moments. Here is one of those stories from when he served as the Whip: 

In July 2018, the Vermont legislature decriminalized possession of marijuana. However, the path to this achievement was not a simple one. Moments before the first scheduled bill vote, several key legislators changed their positions. Despite their previous commitment, many got cold feet right before the vote. Rather than lose the bill for the year, it was sent back to the committee to buy more time to find consensus. Tristan was not ready to give up and spent many weeks working with his colleagues to navigate this vote together.

Known for his ability to rally others around a common goal and get the necessary votes to pass a bill, Tristan relied on his shared leadership skills to bring this one through the gate. He worked to understand and acknowledge the worries and pressures which were behind the positions of his colleagues leaning towards the opposition. For many of them, this vote was one of the hardest they had to navigate, as it exposed them to being held responsible for the outcomes of recreational drug use in a new way. It was polarizing in a way that often separated them from their constituents, friends, and family.  Tristan’s shared leadership approach was to meet them in their discomfort and support them as humans first and then engage in genuine dialogue. "We gave each other space and time to work through the relationship pressures, which led many legislators to change their votes," says Tristan. 

Tristan remembers one colleague who felt particularly isolated because of her steadfast commitment to opposition to the bill as the right position for her community. She knew that the majority of her caucus would vote in support and she felt targeted for her opposition by advocates within the caucus. Though they disagreed, Tristan prioritized taking time to listen and to hear her concerns. Soon after the final vote, she tracked him down to affirm his work to make space for her voice and everyone’s contribution mattered to her. 

Tristan recalls: "She appreciated that I didn't belittle her when she didn't give in to the majority pressure and that I allowed her to be seen and felt as fully human before her legislator role."   

Eight weeks later, the bill passed. No major language had changed. Tristan's commitment to relating first as humans before role, status, or expertise improved trust and led to a strong legislative approach to this issue. 

“The classic understanding of the role of the Whip is that it is part of a status and power-based system to get people to do what leadership wants. Instead, I decided to practice one of the core PIllars of Inclusion of The Shared Leadership Framework™️-- leading first with our humanity, what exists at the core of us -- before relating through roles, status, and expertise. I honored the anxiety, the worries, the frustrations, that legislators were holding during a really tough vote,” explains Tristan. “Even though I didn't get her vote, I never made her feel diminished because I wasn't using my power over her to try to make her feel small or make her do what I wanted.”

Vermont was the first state to approach legalization through a legislative process, rather than by referendum. Because of this, the bill reflects Vermonters values and thoughtfulness in a way a referendum never could. Tristan's multi-sector and holistic approach to shared leadership inspires us!  He knows that anywhere teams function, The Shared Leadership Framework™ can be practiced. 

What is The Shared Leadership Framework™️? Designed to cultivate healthier relationships and teams, The Shared Leadership Framework™ is comprised of a set of premises, pillars, and principles that influence behaviors, actions, operations, policies, and systems. They can be practiced alone or together, at work and home, across all sectors. 

Are you ready to build a vibrant organization? Whether you are just developing your team or hope to revive innovation and employee engagement, our Shared Leadership Framework™️ can take you there. Get in touch—we're excited to hear from you!