121: Nobody Is Smarter Than Everybody

In his book Nobody Is Smarter Than Everybody: Why Self-Managing Teams Make Better Decisions and Deliver Extraordinary Results, Rod Collins builds on the premise that “the digital revolution is far more than a technology revolution. It is also a sociological revolution that has generated an unprecedented capacity for mass collaboration and created new possibilities in how humans work together.” Under his leadership as the Chief Operating Executive of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program, one of the nation's largest and most successful business alliances, the company experienced its greatest five-year growth period in its 60-year history. Realizing that his title gave him no actual authority over the actions of the various member organizations, Rod developed and evolved a process to draw from their collective wisdom in ways that generated incredible performance improvements. In this episode, Rod and host Brian Gorman explore the organizational implications of the evidence that “no one is smarter than everyone.”

Rod Collins is an author, keynote speaker, and leadership coach. He is a leading expert and thought leader on the future of business transformation. Rod’s books, blogs, and speeches inspire through their use of storytelling and leading-edge ideas.

Brian Gorman is a speaker, author, podcast host and founder and lead coach at TransformingLives.Coach. He identifies as a maverick coach, guiding those who are forging the way as leaders in the 21st century. You can email Brian ([e-mail]) and learn more about his work on his website TransformingLives.Coach.