"It's Easier With Others" - Why Collective Wisdom Multiplies Team IQ
One of the principles at Clear Sky Center - where I live and have been involved over 20 years - is: "it's easier with others."
I regularly co-teach a course on this, and it is often funny when we first bring it up—people first look very dubious and go, "No, it's harder with others!"
It is indeed a journey to build the trust, communication and collaboration that is needed for us to access the full potential of this principle of “it’s easier with others”. But if we can lean into that work, it is incredible what extra resources can unfold.
Why Collective Matters
The problems and challenges we're facing in the world are immense and complex. No matter how smart any of us are, none of us are going to solve those individually. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, an angle, an insight.
If a team is not functioning well, its IQ level is actually much less than a single person. You’ve probably experienced this in some group meetings, where the discussions jump around all over the place, no one is saying what they are really thinking, and the decisions being made are obviously sub-optimal. The net result of such meetings can be significantly less intelligent than if we left it with a single individual!
With a high-functioning team—one operating on shared trust, good communication, and strong collaboration—its IQ becomes a multiplied factor of each of the team members. The team as a whole is way smarter, more creative and more wise, than any of the individuals involved. In a team like this, you can draw on those different collective positions and wisdoms.
And beyond the individual teams we may each be involved in, the power of this can be multiplied exponentially if we network and connect with other teams or organizations. If we can share our challenges, if we can support each other, whole new approaches can emerge.
And that's essential if we are going to work through big or complex challenges.
You're Not Alone
More than this, there is a huge emotional benefit to coming together. Even if another person has the same problem and hasn't found a solution, just knowing that they're also struggling with it is tremendous support.
When we're struggling, it can often feel like our problems are insurmountable. The feeling of being alone in that makes it so much harder.
But when we come together—when we build community with others doing this work—we accelerate progress and build capacity together.
WATCH THE conversation
If you're a visual learner, here's the video conversation with Christopher Lawley from the Conscious Transformation Collective in Calgary covering this theme.
What benefits have you seen from team and community?
Are there teams and communities you work with that have high level of trust, communication and collaboration? How have you experienced the collective intelligence and wisdom of that group?
Have you come together across networks to share and learn together, and if so what doors has that opened up?
I’d love to learn more - you’re welcome to get in touch or share in the comments below.
Join Us in Calgary
If you're in Calgary, I'd love to continue this conversation in person on December 4th. We'll explore these challenges together, and share stories and practical frameworks,. We're also building community with each other—so we can support one another in addressing the challenges we face in our own teams and organizations.
Building Conscious Community: From Resentment to Trust in Teams and Organizations
December 4, 2025 | 7:00-8:30 PM MT
Congress Coffee Company, Calgary
GET IN TOUCH
If you're leading a nonprofit struggling with trust and communication challenges, I'd welcome a conversation about how I might support your work. Get in touch.