Leadership’s cult of personality is dead. Here’s what we should be doing instead

Many people believe there will never be another Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos because they embody a rare mix of vision and high energy that can’t be replicated. In truth, however, the idea of a “singular genius” is a myth. Their prowess did not come from a solo wellspring. It was developed by and flourished with the power of collective intelligence. There are many people behind these and other prominent thought leaders who speak at conferences, dominate social media and collectively gain the world’s attention (for better or worse).

At a time when enterprises are being bombarded by new challenges, businesses can’t afford to rest on one leader’s individual knowledge and opinion. According to a report by Gartner, 65% of the business decisions being made today are more complex than they were two years ago—more connected, more contextual, and more continuous. More than half (53%) of respondents also said that there is a higher expectation to explain or justify their decisions. One person alone cannot overcome these complexities.

Harnessing the power of groups to solve business problems will be one of the most powerful tools to drive innovation and growth in the enterprise. No one person can go it alone, regardless of their talent, creativity, or personality. To succeed moving forward, leaders must rely on the collective intelligence of others, bolstered by actionable insights to enable data-driven decision-making. This requires leaders to embrace diversity (of thought and people), reengineer business processes, and update data workflows to pull more people in.

POWERFUL COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE = DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (OF PEOPLE AND THOUGHT)

The evolving culture of the business community is leaning toward greater inclusion. Collective intelligence is not just about bringing people into the room—it’s about bringing people into the organization, and many in are taking notice.

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