One of the great errors organizations make is shutting down what is a natural, life-enhancing process-chaos. We are terrified of chaos. As a manager, it signals failure. But if you move out of control and into an appreciation of natural order, you understand that the only way a system changes is when it is far from equilibrium, when it moves from the 'quiet' we treasure and is confronted with the choice to die or reorganize. And you can't reorganize to a higher level unless you risk the perils of the path through chaos.

Thinking is the place where intelligent actions begin. We pause long enough to look more carefully at a situation, to see more of its character, to think about why it's happening, to notice how it's affecting us and others

In virtually every organization, regardless of mission and function, people are frustrated by problems that seem unsolvable.

Probably the most visible example of unintended consequences, is what happens every time humans try to change the natural ecology of a place.

I believe that the capacity that any organization needs is for leadership to appear anywhere it is needed, when it is needed.

Most people associate command and control leadership with the military.

We have created trouble for ourselves in organizations by confusing control with order.