Activating the Power of the Collective at the SHRM Linkage Institute 2025

The image of an independent executive leading change alone against impossible odds is ingrained in business culture. That's why so many leadership guides focus on personal development and individual achievement. However, the opening keynotes at the SHRM Linkage Institute 2025 discussed the importance of leaders reaching beyond their own talents and harnessing "the power of the collective" to achieve greater outcomes.

"Decades of research have shown that no leader is self-made," said SHRM Linkage CEO Tamla Oates-Forney. "There is an African proverb that really rings true for a time such as this: If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together."

Tapping into the power of the collective requires a strategic approach to understanding both the challenges leaders face and the resources at their disposal. SHRM Linkage Institute speakers shared three key insights into how leaders can better assess and access the power of their collectives.

Assembling Your Collective: A Practical Approach

The first step is to demystify what a collective is: A tangible network of individuals who make you and your organization better. This group extends beyond your direct reports to include mentors, collaborators, peers, and even people from other organizations and industries — anyone who can contribute to your growth and success. 

Building this network requires intentionality. Start by identifying individuals you admire or who have skills that complement your own. Oates-Forney warned that it's easy to "over-engineer" these relationships. "Your relationship with your collective shouldn't be overly formal or transactional," she said. "Your bond with your collective should be a mutual, organic connection where you give as much as you receive."

Fostering Engagement: The Foundation of Collective Strength 

Once assembled, a collective's power is unlocked through genuine engagement. This requires leaders to create an environment of psychological safety and transparency. Your work with your collective needs to be rooted in shared passion and purpose, as well as aligned with your organizational goals. "To me, purposeful leadership is when we match our personal why to an organization's what," said Oates-Forney.

Effective leaders create these bonds by being honest, open, and transparent. They actively seek wisdom, advice, and recommendations from their teams, ensuring every member knows they matter. This is not about relinquishing authority but about strengthening it by distributing ownership and accountability. "When team members are engaged in accomplishing a shared goal, their commitment deepens, and their collective output multiplies," said Oates-Forney.

"Make seeking input a standard practice. In team meetings, create dedicated time for open discussion and actively solicit advice on key challenges," Oates-Forney suggested. Communicate your thought process behind decisions, even when you can't build consensus. "This transparency builds the trust necessary for a collective to thrive, and allows leaders to learn through disagreement," said SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor. Jr., SHRM-SCP. 

"We need to practice empathy, especially when you don't agree with someone," Oates-Forney said. "Whether I ultimately agree with you at the end of the conversation or not, I've seen you, I've heard you, and I see your perspective. You become a better and happier person when you can do that." 

Solving the Impossible: The Collective in Action

The true test of a collective is its ability to tackle challenges that seem insurmountable. The story of Mick Ebeling and his organization, Not Impossible Labs, provides a powerful case study in what collectives can achieve. 

The organization began with Ebeling's personal project to help an artist with a degenerative disease learn to draw again. Ebeling didn't have the technical knowledge needed to solve this problem alone, but he did have a rich network of collaborators he could call on to help solve the problem. Together, Ebeling and his collective created the "EyeWriter" device, which allows users to write and draw using only their eye movements.

The EyeWriter was meant to be a one-off project, but after the invention attracted media attention, Ebeling began to wonder if the process was repeatable. He developed what he calls the "Help One, Help Many" model, which starts by identifying a single person's need, and then finds a way to scale that solution to solve a broader problem. 

Not Impossible Labs has since employed this approach, along with a host of collaborators, to develop tools addressing issues as diverse as creating prosthetic limbs in war-torn areas, reducing food insecurity, and removing landmines.

Ebeling attributed these successes to "beautiful, limitless naivete" and a willingness to disregard the status quo. However, the underlying mechanism of his achievements is always the power of the collective, he said. Having a collective to rely on alleviates imposter syndrome and reduces the need to feel like you, as the leader, have all the answers, he added. 

Identify a small, specific, and persistent problem within your team or organization. Assemble a small, cross-functional group to solve it. This focused effort can generate a quick win, build momentum, and demonstrate the power of collaborative problem-solving, creating a blueprint for tackling larger, more complex issues. These quick wins bring in additional collaborators who can further accelerate change. "Energy and the collective brilliance is what actually gets us across the line," he said.