Solo Leadership Is Expensive. Here's What Works Instead

Solo leaders make fast decisions. They also miss what the team sees.

Dr Meredith Belbin wrote it in 1993: "We are living in a world of increasing uncertainty. One person can no longer comprehend everything or provide the direction that can cover all occasions." Thirty years later, most organisations still act as if one person should.

The solo leader makes decisions alone, expects alignment, and projects their own goals onto the team. It works when speed is everything. It fails everywhere else — because it limits what the team can see, narrows every decision to one perspective, and slowly kills the initiative of people who have something to contribute but are never asked.

What Collaborative Leadership Actually Means

Collaborative leadership is not endless discussion. It is not consensus by committee. It is a deliberate choice to use the team's combined strengths instead of relying on one person's.

A collaborative leader knows what each person does well and assigns work accordingly. They listen before taking a position — not because they lack conviction, but because they understand that their own view is incomplete. They share responsibility, which means the team owns both the successes and the problems. When accountability is shared, commitment rises. When it is hoarded at the top, so is the blame — and the team stops trying.

Why It Produces Better Results

A solo leader's speed comes at a cost. Decisions are faster but narrower. Blind spots go unchallenged. The team learns to wait for instructions rather than think for themselves. Over time, the leader burns out and the team atrophies.

A collaborative leader's approach is slower at the start but stronger at the finish. Different perspectives reduce errors before they happen. People who are trusted with real responsibility perform better than people who are told what to do. And when the environment changes — and it always does — a team that has practised thinking together adapts faster than one that has practised following.

Distributed leadership only works if the leader trusts the team enough to let go. Read Trust Is a Decision. Everything Else Follows.

For the full nine-role framework, read Belbin Team Roles: The Practitioner's Guide to What Teams Actually Need. For choosing the right assessment, read Behavioural Assessment vs. Personality Tests

The Practical Starting Point

Collaborative leadership starts with knowing the team. Not their job titles or their CVs — their behavioural strengths, their weaknesses, and what happens when those interact.

If you cannot answer these questions with confidence, the team is running on assumptions. And assumptions, in leadership, are the most expensive kind of guesswork.

See also: Is Leadership an Individual Responsibility — or a Type of Teamwork?

A team that has practised thinking together adapts faster than one that has practised following. The environment always changes. The question is whether your team will be ready or waiting. See your own profile →, then identify the two or three people whose strengths complement yours most. Lead with them, not in front of them.

Photo by Mats Soomre · #MomentsBySoomre · moments.soomre.com