Interesting observations. To counter-balance them, let me offer a few reasons why leaders don’t collaborate.

Time – If decision making is done via discussion/collaboration, it takes an ungodly amount of time. The most frustrating thing in the world is when something has to be done by 4:00 and at 3 someone wants to debate it.

Responsibility – Collaborators can walk away if a decision goes badly. They have their salaries, their vacation time and the anonymity of being a team member. The leader has their name and reputation on the line. For example, think of the Bulls in the ’90s. There were three leaders, M. Jordan, S. Pippen and P. Jackson. Yes there are people you know and they were absolutely necessary to succeed, but they were not in the decision making core. They were team members, not leaders.

Human nature – If you take the risk and go through the agony of starting your own business, it’s because you want to do something your own way. If you want to be a leader, by all means do so. Know however that if you do, you have to have contextual understanding, ability, responsibility and the power. Those have to balance.

Here’s a dirty little secret. It is much easier to earn $250,000 a year being a shrewd and capable team member who looks for the right opportunities and moves intelligently. However, if you want to break $350,000 a year, you probably have to take some pretty big risks and spend a couple years earning much much less.

Ability is a key word. It has two parts. One, native intelligence and talents. Two, external or contextual opportunities. i.e. environmental opportunities, financial freedom, path to develop contacts and outside infrastructure (legal frameworks, financing frameworks, distribution channels etc.).

And, of course, luck.

It is so much easier and for most people more profitable to find someone who has combined all these things and put together a business that is profitable than it is to have to do it all yourself. There was one Michael Jordan and he probably had forty team members over the course of his championships. It’s much easier to be the team member than the leader.

Perhaps a “get over yourself” campaign is in order here! Thanks as always for sharing your insights and enthusiasm! -Art

Thanks for a great, thought provoking, irritatingly true post! Now…back to work!

I do think you have a point. However, in defense of leaders, collaboration is a tough sell. Our entire economy, and the culture of our organizations has been set up for competition. How can we expect leaders to collaborate when they are surrounded by sports and war metaphors and their colleagues are out to “kill the competition”?

Sad that a leader who wants to collaborate really has a tough road ahead. Nonetheless, I’m a firm believer that this will change, and collaboration will (have to) become the norm in order for our organizations to thrive.