Margaret J. Wheatley

Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Without aggression, it becomes possible to think well, to be curious about differences, and to enjoy each other's company.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

We would do well to ponder the realization that love is the most potent source of power.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Space is the basic ingredient of the universe; there is more of it than anything else.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

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

— Margaret J. Wheatley

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

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Thinking is always dangerous to the status quo. [...] The moment you start thinking, you'll want to change something.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

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

— Margaret J. Wheatley

And time for reflection with colleagues is for me a lifesaver; it is not just a nice thing to do if you…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Everyone in a complex system has a slightly different interpretation. The more interpretations we gather, the easier it becomes to gain a…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

“The river never drinks its own water. The tree never tastes its own fruit. The field never consumes its own harvest. They…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

The future cannot be determined. It can only be experienced as it is occurring. Life doesn't know what it will be until…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Surrendering to life offers some wonderful realizations. We learn we're capable of being in this dance, of working with whatever happens. We…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

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

— Margaret J. Wheatley

When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

There are many benefits to this process of listening. The first is that good listeners are created as people feel listened to.…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

We can no longer stand at the end of something we visualized in detail and plan backwards from that future. Instead we…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Our growing addiction to the Internet is impairing precious human capacities such as memory, concentration, pattern recognition, meaning-making, and intimacy. We are…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

For example, I was discussing the use of email and how impersonal it can be, how people will now email someone across…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Many of us have created lives that give very little support for experimentation. We believe that answers already exist out there, independent…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Our willingness to acknowledge that we only see half the picture creates the conditions that make us more attractive to others. The…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Self-production: the characteristic of living systems to continuously renew themselves and to regulate this process in such a way that the integrity…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

When error holds so much power, play disappears. Creativity ceases.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Life doesn't move in straight lines, and neither does a good conversation.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

I believe that our very survival depends upon us becoming better systems thinkers.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Listening is a reciprocal process - we become more attentive to others if they have attended to us.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

For us, someone who is willing to step forward and help is much more courageous than someone who is merely fulfilling the…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

We know from science that nothing in the universe exists as an isolated or independent entity.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Most people associate command and control leadership with the military.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

I've wanted to see beyond the Western, mechanical view of the world and see what else might appear when the lens was…

— Margaret J. Wheatley

A world based on machine images is a world filled with boundaries. In a machine, every piece knows its place.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

To make a system stronger, we need to make stronger relationships.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Too many problem-solving sessions become battlegrounds where decisions are made based on power rather than intelligence.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Aggression only moves in one direction - it creates more aggression.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

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

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Aggression only breeds more aggression. It only creates more fear and anger.

— Margaret J. Wheatley

Disorder can play a critical role in giving birth to new, higher forms of order.

— Margaret J. Wheatley