1 min read

Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups with Colin M. Fisher / Part Two

Chris Comeaux : Jan 23, 2026 8:56:16 AM

Leadership Colin M. Fisher The Collective Edge Power of Groups PART TWO

Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups with Colin M. Fisher / Part Two

In PART One of this conversation, organizational behavior scholar Colin M. Fisher dismantles the myth of the lone genius and introduces a powerful reframing: performance is rarely about individual brilliance and almost always about the groups people belong to. Fisher explains how social norms, group dynamics, and collective context shape behavior far more than talent alone—and why leaders routinely overlook the group as the primary driver of outcomes.
Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups with Colin M. Fisher / PART ONE

Building on that foundation, PART TWO goes deeper into the practical implications for leaders. Fisher challenges the assumption that teams naturally outperform individuals, showing instead that groups often underperform because organizations are designed to measure, reward, and manage individual performance—not collective work. As a result, leaders spend enormous energy coaching and troubleshooting teams that were never properly designed in the first place.

A central focus of this episode is the idea of relaunching a team. Fisher outlines how leaders can reset struggling or inherited teams by clarifying shared goals, reestablishing healthy norms, and intentionally defining roles around each person’s strengths—or “superpowers.” These relaunch moments create psychological safety, rebuild trust, and shift teams from internal friction toward shared ownership and problem-solving.

The conversation also explores how leaders can surface hidden norms, reduce polarization, and cultivate a collective identity that transcends personal, professional, and even political differences. By anchoring teams around shared purpose and true interdependence, leaders can replace “me versus you” dynamics with a more productive mindset of “us versus the problem.”

The episode closes with a defining leadership insight: real progress happens when leaders stop asking how to fix individuals and start asking how to strengthen the group. Taking a collective perspective—consistently and intentionally—is one of the most powerful ways to unlock better performance, healthier cultures, and more resilient teams.