What follows is a snippet of dialogue from the Charlie Rose Show, Brain Series, which featured some of the world’s greatest minds on minds, discussing their breakthrough research on blindness. The episode on blindness included, Jean Bennett, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Eric Kandel, MD, moderated the panel.
“Jean was the first person to do this. This is a pioneering study.” Eric Kandel, PhD, Columbia University (brain science genius)
“Well, my team was the first to do this.” Jean Bennett, MD, PhD University School of Medicine (gene therapy pioneer, genius)
A Lesson about Teams from Women Leaders
Prior to that exchange, Bennett described gene therapy that was used to reverse blindness in puppies, and is now doing the same for children. “All of the children in this study can now lead normal lives” she reported. They can walk into school without holding their parent’s hand, read books and play sports.
Before the show ran a film clip showing a boy whose vision had been restored, Eric Kandel, PhD, Columbia University, praised Bennett, “Jean was the first person to do this.” Bennett responded, as if on instinct, “Well my team was the first to do this.”
Imagine what it might be like to work on a team under Jean Bennett’s humble leadership.
I love Bennett’s response. Humility and it’s partner in action, crediting the the team, is a lesson worth learning from women leaders. Many women leaders I’ve had the honor of knowing, share this trait. I hope Bennett never changes. I hope women leaders are never convinced to put the capital “I” in team. I hope, instead, that we transform the definition, and action, of leadership from the singular hero (Jack Welch, Steve Jobs) to the orchestrator of collective intelligence (Marin Alsop, Jean Bennett)
Leading Our Collective Potential
Beyond, and more important than my hope, is a requirement for leadership to tap the collective potential of all the minds at the table. The iconic Edison, singular genius, who delivers a profound impact on the world for centuries to come, is a heroic leader of the past. We know too much, in part because we used what Edison gave us. We’ve created, and discovered, more complex systems. We are faced with the challenges and opportunities these systems create. We have more complex problems to solve and more complex knowledge to consider. Rarely, if ever, does a single heroic leader, discover the answers. The genius of leadership, and the leaders of the future, won’t give us the light bulb. That day has passed. The current, and the future, calls for leaders who can maximize our collective potential.
More Jean Bennett’s, please.
Tune into next week’s post for the second trait worth learning from women leaders.