The “one-person solution” problem

An initial exploration into figuring things out together 

Even the latest version of Superman depicts teamwork as the solution – the Man of Steel cannot succeed by himself (it is worth seeing the movie, I won’t spoil it here).

That is just “the movies” and it still seems clear that every segment of American society is obsessed with the idea that one person, or one person’s idea, will be the thing that makes the difference.

Political parties, corporations, non-profit organizations, houses of worship – most groups of people believe profoundly that the next election of the right representative, the next hire of the right leader or specialist, the next great idea from that gifted specialist or consultant, will be the thing that finally makes the difference we all need.

And we hold fast to this in the face of all the evidence that good, effective, sustained, and transforming efforts require serious collaboration, partnership, and most importantly, the willingness to subject our ideas to improvement by the team.

We all get it – this is entirely understandable. We work so hard to try to make a living, to try and make progress, to keep it all together, and then someone shows up who offers us a spark, a glimpse, a hope for a solution that will make it all better. This might feel like such a relief. This person’s idea comes from their brilliance, their life-experience, their proven track record, and we should trust that if we all follow their wise advice or sterling example that everything will finally work out. It would all be so much easier if there were just one formula for success that would make everything easier.

Reality will eventually catch up to us and show us the error of our ways. The “one-person solution”, or a similar challenge, the “one-answer solution”, will eventually come up against situations that don’t fit into its singular categories. We will have to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to move forward in our unique situation not anticipated by the great person or the great idea.

We want to be able to follow in the steps of our societal heroes and it turns out we ignore how important were the factors of luck, serendipity, or the fortuitous team that coalesced around those people. Some of the greatest investors admit that their greatness depended on the beginning and endings of the arbitrary periods of their evaluations. Our most celebrated entrepreneurs have processes that can’t be easily replicated. No analysis or self-help guide will turn us into Warren Buffet or Steve Jobs. We want proven solutions and still can’t follow the exact pathways of success that others have forged because the intangibles are too many to reproduce.  

Students of contemporary success have codified a science of innovation worth looking into and like most well thought-out fields of study, using its recommendations requires work and attention and more effort and learning. In other words, the formula for success requires engaged work with others, both experts and collaborators, in continually figuring it out, applying it, assessing it, and then going back to the drawing board to start the cycle again.

And as I learned in talking about this with Jude Freirich, not only does following a one-person solution often lead us into short-lived moments of success, but it also leads to the acceptance of tyranny in our thinking. When we accept a singular guide for our actions, we take collaboration and participation out of the process and submit to following as a norm.

Effective teamwork requires accepting some hierarchy – I am not saying we should abandon this. I am saying that if we too completely accept a single source as lens through which we see everything, then that lens will dictate to us, habituate us to not thinking it through and making it work better, and let us off the hook for our responsibilities for our parts in improving the whole. Habituating ourselves to thoughtless participation is no good for anyone.

And this is part of the great hazard – it would be so much more comfortable if we could just follow a to-do list and be done for the day, the week, the year. If I could just opt out of trying to think it through and instead have the plan delivered to my personal screen every morning, then I could easily go along and check things off. That would be SO much easier.

Our families, our democracy, our workplaces, we all need more from one another. We need our participation in listening to each other, stopping and learning how we might be able to work with each other, and then workshopping it together.

If this sounds like an interesting idea, if this sounds like the work that might begin to make a difference for all of us, then please join in. Comment, chat with me, make suggestions, walk with me – let’s build connections that turn into collaborations that make the world better for all of us together.

Superman couldn’t triumph on his own this summer in the movies.

We can be heroic too, especially if we move past one-person solutions and into real collaboration.