Responding to the crisis in leadership at community colleges, scholars and practitioners alike have called for a new style of leadership capable of adapting and responding easily to an uncertain political and social climate. Although community colleges are rooted historically in a hierarchical leadership mode, there seems to be broad consensus today that collective leadership is more effective. In specific cases, faculty at community colleges have identified hierarchical leadership structures at their institutions as ineffectual and in need of change. However, despite the fact that community college faculty are uniquely qualified for and desire leadership roles in a collective model, divisions between the faculty and the administration restrict their leadership potential. Initiating a participatory leadership model requires new approaches and involves various steps, including: (1) building trust in a collective model, and between the various constituencies represented in such a model; (2) developing methods for information sharing between faculty, administrators, boards of trustees; (3) forging dynamic interactions between the two coexisting lines of administration and decision-making (i.e., management and academic), enabling primary members of each to cross-participate; (4) preserving faculty development in the face of budget problems by providing resources to enhance professional growth in specific disciplines, general education and management; (5) utilizing technology in order to "create" time for faculty and administrators to engage in collective leadership efforts; and (6) instituting concrete systems of recognition and reward for faculty involvement. Includes 17 references. (JMC)