High anxiety, defensive behaviors, and emotional blame are all common reactions to the word "feedback." Yet, if we are striving for excellence, how do we improve and make real time corrections if we are not open to continuous learning?

Prevalent in modern education is the cognitive theory, based on Gestalt psychology, that “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Twenty-first century leadership requires this same kind of thinking. We need individuals, or groups, coming together to create something bigger than they could create on their own; bringing groups together and leveraging their collective knowledge, relationships and resources for bigger and better mutual outcomes That is, we need collaborative leadership that adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

We all know that an organization needs strong leadership to get the most out of employees. In fact, the relationship between leaders and their teams is foundational for all workplace performance. That’s why companies invest millions each year in training for managers to communicate better, set effective goals, and measure results. Yet, even when managers do these things well, many still miss the mark on unleashing the tremendous talent that is in their team. Why is that? Is breakthrough performance really reserved for just the rare few exceptional leaders among us? What do they know that the rest of us don’t?