Leading at the Edge of Chaos

"The more volatile the market, the quicker an organization's success formula becomes obsolete."

"We will soon look back on what today appear to be unmanageable levels of instability, and they will look relatively calm."

"Nimbleness is no more than the means by which an organization is able to accomplish its true objective, which is to make the adjustments necessary to stay aligned with its market."

"You must be supported by a cadre of managers, supervisors, and employees who are able and willing to go beyond the guidance you can provide."

"At the point where order and chaos most closely resemble one another, there exists the greatest possibility for broadening the human capacity to adapt to instability and uncertainty."

"The passage from order to chaos is a binary distinction."

"A new paradigm of perpetual unrest has emerged."

"Human Due Diligence brings to the people side of change the same demanding meticulousness and painstaking thoroughness normally associated with financial due diligence."

"Human Due Diligence is grounded in a specific structure for understanding the dynamics of change and in a high level of discipline to follow its principles and tenets."

"The number of cutting-edge concepts and techniques that are floating along the corporate hallways should not be confused with how much fundamental change is really taking place."

"The typical cat-and-mouse game of information exchange that has taken place historically between senior officers and analysts is about to be raised to its next logical level."

"Today's executives need to be aware of the various leadership styles available in order to decide which one (or combination) would be best to apply to their organization."

"In order to build a sustainable competitive advantage, your challenge is to maximize the resilience of those around you while continuing to refine your own skills."

"All operational paradigms have two alternative trajectories: one reflects the natural course of events, and the other reflects leadership's intentional efforts to influence a paradigm's self life."

"Nimble companies continually reinforce for employees that the organization is competing in volatile, extremely inconsistent, risky markets."

"Pain and remedy are two prerequisites for successful organizational change."

"People pass through seven main stages whenever they perceive a change as negative from the beginning."

"Empowered employees are those whose input is considered valuable enough to influence the outcome of key decisions, but who are not in a position to make the final decisions themselves."

"Structured flexibility is an effort to practically apply the value both ends represent."

"As the level of turbulence in the global, political, and economic environment increases, Nimbleness will become even more critical for future success."