Just the Right Amount of Genius
Being on a work team of extremely smart, motivated, creative people sounds ideal, right? But if it isn’t carefully managed, it could be a recipe for disaster instead.
Conflict overwhelms genius
A recent article in the New York Times reported that Meta put together a dream team of the brightest minds in artificial intelligence work. And, the group was a total failure—filled with conflict, rampant jealousy, backstabbing, and huge ego clashes that prevented them from accomplishing much of anything.
Saved by emotional intelligence!
What really makes for a creative, productive, harmonious team? You need an expert facilitator with high emotional intelligence who can bring out the best in everyone. Stanford psychologist . Jamil Zaki, in an article in HBR , calls them super facilitators. According to him, Super-facilitators integrate diverse expertise, promote equitable contributions, and cultivate trust among teammates, generating collective intelligence—a group’s ability to solve problems together.
Super facilitators need some of the same skills as conflict transformation experts. To be successful, they need to:
- Read the emotional temperature in the room and of each individual, using empathy and observational skills.
- Ask questions and listen deeply to the answers and incorporate them into the solutions.
- Demonstrate respect for each member of the team and their expertise, by letting them take the lead in the area they know best.
- Make sure all these experts equal time and attention to explain their part.
- Value each person’s contribution as important if the group is to make the best decisions together.
Although quite different from more traditional, hierarchical meetings, this empathic, collaborative style of facilitation is a learnable skill and brings much better results.
Collective genius is truly more effective than any individual alone, no matter how brilliant, and has the added benefit of building group cohesion, trust, and capacity.
I have witnessed and participated in many meetings that were exercises in ego battles, futility and frustration. But when I have participated or supported teams that found their way to collective intelligence, it is transformative and leads to more successful outcomes!
Related blog and other articles:
Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator
Meta’s dream team too smart for its own good?
Lorraine Segal has helped over 2000 leaders and others in organizations and corporations communicate more clearly, transform conflicts, and let go of resentments. The goal: to create a more harmonious and productive workplace. Through her business, Conflict Remedy, Lorraine creates customized training and coaching programs for non-profit organizations, corporations, and government agencies and Sonoma State University. She was recently named one of the top 15 coaches in Santa Rosa by Influence Digest. She is a contributing author to the book, Stand Up, Speak Out Against Workplace Bullying. Her latest project, a memoir called: Angels and Earthworms, an unexpected journey to love, joy, and miracles, is about her transformation from miserable self-doubt to self-acceptance, true love, spiritual awareness, and right livelihood. Find out more about the memoir here. Contact Lorraine through ConflictRemedy to request a free consultation for you and your organization or to sign up for her conflict remedy newsletter and blog.
© 2026 Lorraine Segal ConflictRemedy.com