Lead Together: The Bold, Brave, Intentional Path to Scaling Your Business by Brent Lowe, Susan Basterfield, and Travis Marsh (2020)
At tandi, we believe that scaling a business isn’t just about growth—it’s about doing it in a way that empowers people, strengthens culture, and aligns with purpose. Lead Together by Brent Lowe, Susan Basterfield, and Travis Marsh provides a refreshing approach to leadership, challenging traditional command-and-control models in favor of shared leadership, autonomy, and intentional collaboration.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the core ideas from Lead Together and share practical takeaways to help your organization scale in a way that fosters engagement, trust, and long-term success.
Core Ideas of the Book
The central idea of Lead Together is that scaling a business doesn’t have to come at the expense of culture, collaboration, or employee autonomy. The authors introduce a framework that encourages leaders to shift from leading alone to leading together, focusing on distributed decision-making, trust, and shared accountability.
1. Leadership is a Shared Responsibility
Traditional organizations rely on a few leaders at the top to make key decisions.
In Lead Together, leadership is distributed across teams, empowering employees to take ownership of decisions and contribute meaningfully.
This shift reduces bottlenecks, increases engagement, and fosters a culture of ownership.
💡 Key insight: Organizations scale more effectively when leadership is shared, rather than concentrated in a few individuals.
2. Build Trust Over Control
Many organizations rely on hierarchical control structures to ensure consistency.
Lead Together advocates for building deep trust, allowing teams to self-manage and take initiative.
Trust leads to higher motivation, better decision-making, and stronger team cohesion.
💡 Key insight: Leaders should focus on creating conditions where teams feel trusted and empowered, rather than enforcing rigid oversight.
3. Create Structures for Intentional Collaboration
While decentralization is key, it doesn’t mean a lack of structure.
Organizations should implement clear but flexible structures that support collaboration and alignment.
This includes decision-making frameworks, transparent communication systems, and shared agreements on accountability.
💡 Key insight: Scaling successfully requires intentional systems that balance autonomy with alignment.
4. Scale with Purpose, Not Just Growth
Many businesses scale with a focus on revenue and expansion, often at the expense of culture.
Lead Together encourages organizations to align growth with deeper purpose, ensuring that business success also leads to employee well-being and positive societal impact.
A purpose-driven approach keeps teams engaged and fosters long-term sustainability.
💡 Key insight: Purpose-driven scaling leads to more engaged teams and more resilient organizations.
5. Feedback and Reflection Drive Continuous Improvement
Traditional organizations often use annual performance reviews and top-down evaluations.
Lead Together encourages ongoing feedback loops that are peer-driven, transparent, and focused on growth.
Regular reflection helps teams adjust quickly and continuously improve.
💡 Key insight: Feedback should be ongoing, peer-driven, and focused on learning rather than judgment.
Practical Takeaways for Your Organization
The lessons from Lead Together offer a roadmap for scaling with trust, autonomy, and shared leadership. Here’s how you can apply these insights to your team:
1. Shift from Individual Leadership to Collective Leadership
Encourage leadership at all levels by distributing decision-making authority.
How to Start:
Introduce shared decision-making models where employees can contribute to key choices.
Create leadership development opportunities that help all team members build confidence in leading.
Recognize and reward collaborative leadership behaviors, not just individual achievements.
Benefit:
Teams take more ownership of their work and operate with greater autonomy.
2. Build a Culture of Trust and Psychological Safety
Replace hierarchical oversight with a foundation of trust that encourages autonomy.
How to Start:
Leaders should delegate meaningful decisions to teams and avoid micromanaging.
Establish clear agreements on accountability so teams feel safe taking ownership.
Encourage open and honest conversations about trust and how it can be strengthened.
Benefit:
Teams feel more engaged, motivated, and empowered to take initiative.
3. Implement Structures for Distributed Decision-Making
Decentralization works best when supported by clear and effective processes.
How to Start:
Use decision-making frameworks like the Advice Process, where individuals seek input before making key decisions.
Implement transparent information-sharing tools so everyone has access to the same data.
Create cross-functional working groups to handle strategic initiatives collaboratively.
Benefit:
Teams make faster, smarter decisions without waiting for top-down approval.
4. Align Growth with Purpose
Ensure that scaling the business doesn’t come at the cost of culture and values.
How to Start:
Reaffirm the company’s purpose and long-term vision, ensuring it remains the guiding force behind decisions.
Integrate values-based decision-making into hiring, performance evaluations, and strategic planning.
Regularly check in with employees to ensure alignment between personal and organizational purpose.
Benefit:
Employees feel connected to their work and motivated by a deeper mission.
5. Foster Continuous Feedback and Reflection
Move away from annual performance reviews and embrace continuous learning and adaptation.
How to Start:
Introduce regular peer-to-peer feedback sessions that focus on learning, not evaluation.
Schedule quarterly retrospectives to reflect on team dynamics and process improvements.
Encourage teams to iterate and refine ways of working, just like agile software development.
Benefit:
Teams adapt faster, improve continuously, and feel more engaged.
Conclusion: Scaling with Trust, Collaboration, and Purpose
At tandi, we’ve seen that the best organizations don’t scale by adding layers of hierarchy—they scale by distributing leadership, fostering trust, and aligning growth with purpose. The lessons from Lead Together provide a clear framework for building a more resilient, collaborative, and high-performing organization.
By shifting from individual leadership to shared leadership, building trust over control, and scaling with intention, you can create an environment where teams feel empowered, engaged, and ready to take on the challenges of growth.
If you enjoyed this summary, we encourage you to read the full book. More information about it can be found here. Find summaries about other great books in our Blog Series - A Journey of Inspiration.
