September 4, 2025

Leadership is always viewed and evaluated within the context of its time. Exceptional leaders choose to act in alignment with their foundational core of values, purpose, motivation, and mindset, utilizing the evolving capacities of their skills in the context of their time.

Contextual leadership is the practice of making leadership decisions and leading teams based on a clear understanding as possible of all the relevant factors and contexts that surround a situation. In John Maxwell’s words, it’s about “getting the total picture”—gathering as many important factors as needed to fully understand a scenario so you can make the right decision and lead effectively. Margaret Wheatley’s work emphasizes that leadership is not a fixed model but is always dependent on the context, requiring leaders to be responsive and adaptable to the unique conditions and complexities of their environment, viewing organizations as living, interconnected systems rather than machines to be controlled.” Wheatley’s perspective is that a leader must constantly observe and respond to the specific context of their organization, focusing on nurturing the conditions for growth and connection rather than imposing a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach. Maxwell would say that these leaders “See more than others see, who sees farther than others see and who sees before others do .”Today in a “leadersad “world, leaders face a multitude of challenges and must use their leadership capacities to address multiple challenges. A significant challenge for leaders in these times is to develop a collective capacity to leverage their organization’s diverse talents and energies for sustainable impact.

The choice of building collective capacity is crucial both within and outside their organization. It requires two definite decisions. The first choice is to understand, accept and emabrace they are the not the all knowing ,sole solution people in their organization . This requires leaders to tap into their learning capacity and emotional intelligence, as Dr. Tim Elmore says in the 8 Paradoxes of Effective Leadership, they assume the roles of both a curious student and an inspiring teacher. Second, leaders who choose to tap into these leadership capacities, as well as the capacities for communication and coaching, develop connections in uncertain times. John Maxwell’s idea is that great leaders possess the ability to “see more than others see” and “see before others see.” This means they have a vision for the future, can discern the bigger picture, and understand situations more quickly than the average person, enabling them to lead their teams to success by recognizing opportunities before others do. The leader who chooses to tap into collective capacity will leverage a diverse array of talents and skills within groups to benefit the community beyond their organizational structure, in the context of the times.

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Bringing people together through collective capacity is a foundational capacity for effective leaders. Collective capacity refers to the leader or leadership team’s choice and ability to inspire and support the group’s shared ability to solve problems, pursue a vision, and respond adaptively—a concept championed by experts like John Maxwell, Mark Miller, and McKinsey & Company. Leaders who build and sustain collective capacity foster environments where every member feels valued, empowered, and inspired to contribute toward common objectives.

This Thursday’s leadership insight is the first of a three-part series on collective capacity. This part will define what collective capacity means, outline the conditions required for sustainable, effective collective capacity, and discuss five leadership practices to build collective capacity.

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Defining Collective Capacity

John Maxwell describes capacity as “infinite and never complete”—it’s about viewing individual and team potential as limitless when people are united for a purpose. Mark Miller expands this by emphasizing leaders who uplift, enable, and develop others, fostering an environment marked by shared goals, mutual trust, and togetherness. The Collective Leadership Institute asserts that collective capacity means collaboratively leading change and innovation, surpassing the effectiveness of any single leader. The Harvard Business Review defines collective capacity as “Collective capacity in a leadership context refers to the shared ability of a group to work collaboratively and as teams toward common objectives, leveraging the strengths, skills, and perspectives of all members, rather than relying solely on the expertise or authority of one individual. It is not simply the sum of individual skills, but the dynamic and relational resource that emerges when people coordinate efforts, make decisions together, and hold each other accountable for shared results.”

McKinsey highlights collective leadership factories, where organizations systematically develop hundreds of leaders by embedding leadership programs, sharing responsibilities, and leveraging cohort-based learning. For practical implementation, developing collective capacity means intentionally fostering relationships, shared norms, and collaborative processes that empower everyone to contribute to the organization’s success.

The best description of collective capacity may well be in the African Proverb below.

“If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go together.”

African Proverb

The proverb “If you want to go fast, go by yourself. If you want to go far, go together” powerfully describes collective capacity because it highlights the difference between individual achievement and the amplified, sustainable impact possible through shared effort and collaboration.

How the Proverb describes Collective Capacity

1. Going Fast Alone (Individual Capacity): Moving quickly by oneself may solve immediate problems or achieve short-term wins. However, it’s limited to the knowledge, possible blind spots, perspective, and stamina of a single person.
2. Going Far Together (Collective Capacity): Achieving enduring, complex, or transformational goals requires combining the strengths, knowledge, and creativity of many, which is the essence of collective capacity. This approach is sustainable because it leverages diverse perspectives, experiences, and talents.

Five essential factors of effective, sustainable collective capacity

Leadership experts and organizational research agree on several essential ingredients for building and sustaining collective capacity:

1. Diversity & Inclusion: Diverse teams have greater capacity for innovation and resilience; leaders should intentionally build teams with varied backgrounds and perspectives.
2. Communicate a clear, Inspiring Vision: Leaders articulate and continually communicate a compelling vision that unites and motivates team members, making the collective pursuit meaningful.
3. Consistent, continual communication, trust & accountability: Open communication and psychological safety allow people to share ideas, disagree, learn from mistakes, and hold each other accountable without fear.
4. Distributed Leadership: Power and leadership responsibilities are shared, fostering autonomy and encouraging innovative contributions from all team members. These intentional practices build bench strength and leadership development.
5. Continuous learning and adaptability. Leaders invest in ongoing development, ensuring teams can respond effectively to rapid change and new challenges. Leaders demonstrate humility by listening, asking, and learning to create connections, engagement, and learning.

Five essential leadership practices to build collective capacity.

1. Cultivate Diversity

Recruit, engage, and develop team members with varied skills, experiences, and perspectives. Maxwell emphasizes the value of heterogeneous teams in facing challenges and expanding influence. Google’s Project Aristotle demonstrated the value of diverse teams.

2. Set and Share a Clear Vision

Communicate a future state that inspires collective effort. Mark Miller notes that a shared, aspirational vision drives commitment and collaboration.

3. Foster Psychological Safety and Trust

Establish an environment where members feel safe expressing ideas and concerns. McKinsey finds trust as a linchpin for team effectiveness.

4. Empower Team Decision-Making

Practice distributed leadership by giving teams autonomy to make decisions. This strengthens ownership, accountability, and innovation.

5. Commit to Continuous Learning

Invest in leadership development, coaching, and peer learning. “Leadership factories” like those described by McKinsey multiply the number of effective team leaders, build bench strength, and grow future leaders

Building and sustaining the collective capacity to bring people together is the hallmark of high-impact leadership, a positive, sustainable culture, and success in any organization. By embracing diversity, sharing vision, empowering teams, fostering trust, and committing to continual growth, leaders create organizations and communities poised to thrive in a changing world.

The Leadership Question for you then ;

Which of the five practices can you choose to implement today?

Are you building collective capacity in your organization?