Mario Sepúlveda fed his coworkers a tuna-based broth that he had cooked in a pot made out of an oil filter from a work truck.¹ Cooking more than 2,000 feet under the earth’s surface, he was one of 33 Chilean men who were trapped when the mine they were working in collapsed on August 5, 2010. The miners had only enough food to sustain 10 people for two days. Given the natural instinct to survive, the miners might have started fighting over the food and hoarding it. But Sepúlveda stepped in and helped manage the supply. His efforts ensured that everyone shared the food fairly and that the supply would last as long as possible—boosting the men’s chances of survival. His upbeat personality further helped keep the miners’ hopes up, even as their ordeal dragged on. Sepúlveda’s actions made him a leader among his starving coworkers.

However, Sepúlveda wasn’t the only leader in the group. In order for the men to make it through the ordeal, they were going to have to work together and share various responsibilities. The miners’ shift foreman, Luis Urzúa, retained his formal role as leader. Compared to the outgoing Sepúlveda, Urzúa was mild mannered and soft-spoken. But with over two decades of mining experience and a background as an amateur soccer coach, Urzúa had knowledge and skills the other miners respected. He set up systems to help the group endure and to organize structure. For instance, he established daily meetings in which the men voted on how to ration the food; how to send information to rescuers; and who was best suited to handle which work duties, such as removing loose rocks from the ceiling before they could fall and injure the men.

Additional leaders emerged by taking responsibility for other aspects of the group’s welfare. Mario Gómez set up a makeshift chapel in the mine. Victor Segovia started a written record of the men’s daily duties and challenges. Yonni Barrios—who had taken a nursing course—provided medical attention. Thanks to this sharing of leadership duties, no one person had to bear the total responsibility for all the group’s needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual.

The miners’ hopes soared on the 17th day after the accident, when a drill probe broke through the cavern wall. At last, they could easily communicate with rescuers and get sufficient oxygen and food until their evacuation. It took another 52 days to get them out. But in the end, all the miners survived—in large part because several people were willing to step up and offer various forms of leadership to the group.

In the collapsed mine, Luis Urzúa was the group’s formal leader as shift foreman. But it was the sharing of leadership roles and responsibilities among several of the men that helped the group survive extremely challenging circumstances. When it comes to small group communication, we define leadership as the ability to influence and direct others to meet group goals. Even when a group has a designated leader—like Urzúa—other members can still provide leadership within the group. That’s because the ability to influence and direct stems from communication behaviors—which anyone in a group can either initiate him- or herself or foster in others. Since no one person can provide a group with everything it needs, in all situations, other group members—like Mario Sepúlveda—must also step up as leaders. Known as shared leadership, each group member has the capacity to influence and direct the group in achieving its goals (Pearce & Conger, 2002).

Developing your leadership capacity is certainly important for being a competent designated leader, but small groups benefit when all members possess and exercise leadership skills. In this chapter, you’ll learn: