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

Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than have the organization work well.

Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.

Successful organizations, including the Military, have learned that the higher the risk, the more necessary it is to engage everyone's commitment and intelligence.

Nothing has given me more hope recently than to observe how simple conversations give birth to actions that can change lives and restore our faith in the future. There is no more powerful way to initiate significant social change than to start a conversation. When a group of people discover that they share a common concern, that's when the process of change begins.

I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can actually learn together, using our experiences

Power in organizations is the capacity generated by relationships. It is an energy that comes into existence through relationships.