April 2000

October 2001

Innovation Tips

…ideas to help you foster collaborative innovation

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Leadership and Collaborative Genius

“In our constantly changing, global, highly technological society, collaboration is a necessity. The Lone Ranger, the incarnation of the individual problem-solver, is dead. In his place, we have a new model for creative achievement: the Great Group.”

—Warren Bennis and Patricia Biederman (Organizing Genius).

Great Groups occur where collaborative genius thrives and

collaborative genius thrives where leadership is adept. Lao Tse’s adage that the best leaders will leave the people feeling as if they did it themselves applies here. The leaders who direct Great Groups do so by bringing the best out of those doing the work—not by telling them what to do. This form of leadership is more art than science and bears careful examination. Great Groups across various industries, from Lockheed’s Skunk Works, to the Disney team that produced Snow White, to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, to the IDEO product design teams, give us clues about the art of leading a Great Group. At least eight attributes of leadership seem to be consistently present in those who lead Great Groups:

1. They inspire the loyalty of their coworkers.

They often possess solid integrity and will fiercely defend the well being of their groups against disruptive influences.

2. They are often passionate about the work.

They are frequently the most enthusiastically committed members of the team.

3. They are masters at navigating the flow of ideas and work.

These leaders don’t micromanage or establish a lot of rules; they orchestrate, facilitate and cross-pollinate. They let the passion inherent in these groups emerge and flourish. They find ways for people to apply their energy where they are most gifted.

4. They are adept at drawing out the best in others.

People readily give their all to these groups and often feel challenged to deliver 110%. These leaders typically gather the best talent they can find and then remind them of their exceptional abilities. They raise the bar of performance and encourage the group to take on outlandish goals.

5. They are collaborative.

They seldom make big decisions without involving others, especially those who might be affected by the decision. The bigger the decision, the more people they will often involve. They rely on the insights and perspectives of their coworkers to develop key decisions and to build consensus.

6. They carry a vision of the whole.

They often carry a complete mental picture of the work of the whole enterprise and they know how the work of every individual relates to it.

7. They are attentive to the value of each individual.

All the members of the group, regardless of their roles, understand that they are significant and their contributions valued.

Adept leadership is essential to the success of Great Groups. Sometimes that leadership is shared or rotated through the group; sometimes one individual serves as the permanent leader. Either way, simple principals of leadership seem to apply: facilitate rather than manage; convey a vision of the whole; engender trust; elicit the best from each member of the group; and, perhaps most importantly, let your own passion and enthusiasm for the work flourish.

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