Why Modern Leaders Must Stop Trying to Be the Smartest in the Room

Modern leaders create environments where everyone contributes.

For most of history, leadership carried one constant assumption: the leader is superior to the people being led. From cave chiefs with clubs to kings with crowns, generals with armies, and CEOs with corner offices — authority came from strength, wealth, or title.

But in today’s fast-moving world of knowledge work, globalization, and constant disruption, that model is breaking down. Leaders who succeed now don’t define themselves by superiority — they involve others and enable shared success.

_______________________________________

Echoes of History

For millennia, leadership was rooted in superiority. Survival meant following the strongest. Legitimacy meant obeying those with divine right. Order meant saluting rank.

Even in modern corporations, the assumption lingered: the boss knew more, decided more, and was expected to have the answers. Leaders commanded, followers obeyed, and different opinions were discouraged.

________________________________________

Why That No Longer Works

Today, knowledge workers often know more about their area of expertise than their managers do. Global teams bring diverse perspectives that outstrip any one person’s view. Technology changes faster than hierarchies can keep up.

In this world, leaders can’t possibly out-know their teams. And employees — especially the next generation — expect to be heard, not commanded.

The old logic of superiority — “I am smarter than you” — doesn’t align with these realities. A leader who still acts like a king, general, or all-knowing CEO risks alienating the very people who drive performance.

________________________________________

The McCormick Example

History offers early proof that facilitation beats superiority. In the 1930s, Charles P. McCormick inherited a struggling spice company. Rather than tighten control, he raised wages, reduced hours, and invited employees into decision-making through his “Multiple Management” system. Over the next 16 years, more than 7,000 employee suggestions flowed in—many adopted, leading to innovations in packaging, machinery, and quality control.

Within a year, the company returned to profitability after four years of losses. By the 1980s, McCormick’s junior boards had become a model for leadership development, empowering employees to take ownership and preparing future leaders. Long before the term "stakeholder-centered leadership existed", McCormick demonstrated what happens when leaders move from superiority to facilitation.

The lesson: engaging employees unleashes potential.

________________________________________

The Shift to Facilitation

Marshall Goldsmith often reminds leaders: “That was then. This is now.” The old model of command-and-control leadership is collapsing, not because it was “wrong,” but because the world has changed.

Leaders today thrive not by knowing more, but by creating environments where knowledge flows freely. They succeed not by command and control, but by asking better questions, involving more voices, and helping others find solutions.

In short:

• Yesterday’s leader was the smartest person in the room.

• Today’s leader makes the room smarter.

  
  

This shift can be uncomfortable for those raised in traditional hierarchies, but it is essential for organizations that want to innovate, adapt, and grow.

________________________________________

Practical Application: Three Shifts Leaders Can Make Today

1.           Choose Awareness

o   Notice where old habits still shape your leadership. Do you rely on title or rank to get things done? Do you default to giving directives rather than asking questions? Awareness is the first step to change.

2.           Invite Input

o   Follow McCormick’s example and ask for ideas from those closest to the work. Even a simple question like, “What would make this 10% better?” can surface insights that transform outcomes.

3.           Signal Facilitation

o   Replace one directive this week with a genuine question. Instead of “Here’s what we’ll do,” try “What do you think would work best here?” The act of asking — and listening — signals that you value others’ contributions.

Small shifts like these can create ripple effects that transform how teams see their leaders and how organizations achieve results.

________________________________________

Conclusion

The assumption of superiority defined leadership for thousands of years. But the world has changed. Knowledge workers, globalization, and rapid technological advances demand a new kind of leadership.

The leaders who win today are not those who cling to superiority, but those who facilitate success — asking, listening, and involving others.

In the end, the greatest measure of a leader is not how high they stand above others, but how well they unleash the potential of those around them.

This article is part of a collaboration between Dan Sitner (Clear Purpose Coaching) and Bill Sommers (Learning Omnivores) exploring how leadership must evolve for today’s world.