Leading from Interdependence, Not Heroics
In April, Potentials began a series of twelve successive articles in which each of the twelve leadership qualities identified by Bhavna Dalal, MCC, is examined.
These qualities are:
- They have a strong belief in themselves
• They have a strong sense of purpose
• They are present
• They have strong expertise in their domain
• They are constant strategic learners
• They network without an agenda
• They forgive and let go
• They believe they deserve it
• They know they cannot do it alone
• They take care of themselves
• They have an appetite for risk
• They are self-aware
In the following article, we respond to Dalal’s ninth assertion: They know they cannot do it alone. Dalal’s explanation says, “They mentor, nurture, and take care of their people. They build collaborative environments conducive to innovation.”
What Dalal says here is accurate.
Excellent leaders mentor, nurture, and take care of their people. Excellent leaders build collaborative environments conducive to innovation. And—there is more to leaders knowing they cannot do it alone.
Actually, no one can possibly “do it alone.” No one.
Think of a five-year-old child who has just learned to ride a bicycle. When you see the child riding around the neighborhood, it might appear that they are riding alone. But in reality, they could not be doing what they are doing without the contributions of many other human beings: the person who taught them balance, the one who ran alongside at first, the person who purchased or repaired the bicycle, the engineers who designed it, the roads that were built, the norms that keep traffic (mostly) at bay. What looks like independence is, in truth, the visible outcome of deep interdependence.
We all live in constant, perpetual interdependence—whether or not we acknowledge it.
The same is true for those serving in leadership roles. Leaders did not get where they are alone. They do not do their work alone. And here’s the crucial distinction: excellent leaders know this. They do not merely benefit from interdependence; they lead from it.
To see why this matters, it helps to examine two very different concepts of leadership.
The first is one we see often in society: the knight-in-shining-armor portrait. This fictional leader sweeps in with strength and certainty, bringing with him (and yes, it is almost always imagined as a “him,” and usually a white him) a comprehensive vision that will address all problems. This leader is decisive, superior, and singular. Everyone else complies. All people need to do is follow orders.
This model is appealing because it promises a quick fix. Many leaders aspire to it because they believe this is what leadership is supposed to look like. They come to believe they are responsible for everything—and therefore that everything that goes wrong is their fault. And because they are responsible for everything, they must fix everything.
This kind of leadership is not only exhausting; it is impossible.
Why? Because no leader can do it alone.
The second concept describes the excellent leader more accurately: the leader as curator of containers that allow for transformation.
This leader knows—deep in their bones—that they are not doing it alone and cannot do it alone. They understand their role not as hero, savior, or sole problem-solver, but as someone who tends the conditions in which good work can happen. They lead in conscious interdependence.
Rather than exercising control, this leader creates space. Rather than hoarding agency, they distribute it. Their work is to cultivate environments where alignment can emerge, where people bring their full intelligence and creativity, where collaboration is not forced but invited, and where new possibilities can take shape.
Excellent leaders empower the agency of every person in service of the whole. They listen as much as they speak. They make room for voices that differ from their own. They recognize that innovation rarely comes from the center alone—it arises at the intersections, in the relationships, and in the shared work of people who feel seen, trusted, and valued.
Leading in this way requires humility. It requires ongoing self-reflection. And it requires a willingness to see leadership not as a role one occupies, but as a system one shapes.
From an organizational development perspective, this is where leadership moves from personality-driven to capacity-building. Excellent leaders understand that their work is not to be the smartest person in the room, but to design and steward systems—structures, rhythms, conversations, and norms—that allow people to contribute meaningfully and work well together over time. They pay attention to how decisions are made, how information flows, how conflict is handled, and how learning is integrated into everyday work.
When leaders know they cannot do it alone, they stop over-functioning and start strengthening the system. They invest in relationships. They create psychological safety. They invite shared ownership. They make it possible for the organization to adapt, rather than depend on any single individual.
This kind of leadership is not accidental. It is cultivated. It is practiced. And it is sustained through reflection, feedback, and partnership.
The good news is this: no one develops this kind of leadership alone, either. We grow into it through communities of practice, through mentors and colleagues, through noticing where we are still trying to “ride the bike alone” and choosing, instead, to trust the web of interdependence that makes meaningful work possible.
Excellent leaders know they cannot do it alone—and because they know this, they build organizations that don’t have to rely on heroic effort to thrive.
Reflective Questions for Leaders
- What leaders can you name who helped you be where you are today? What did they do that made a difference?
- Where in your leadership are you still operating as if it all depends on you?
- What systems, structures, or habits in your organization currently support collaboration—and which ones unintentionally undermine it?
- How do you intentionally cultivate conditions where others’ agency, insight, and creativity can emerge?
- If leadership is less about having the answers and more about curating the container, what might you do differently this month?
