Daniel Coyle

Embrace messiness, I think.

That's one thing about ecosystems and gardens.

If you're a gardener, you get dirty.

Everything around you gets a little dirty.

And that's not a bad thing, actually.

I don't think you would trust or appreciate a gardener who looked like he was from a laboratory somewhere.

having that embrace of imperfection which actually just helps create cohesion and trust and understanding all the research would absolutely support that it's these moments of embracing the mess that create the cohesion that great groups embody but i'm drawn to your term and i've heard it it might interest you that i heard it at one of the baseball teams i was visiting just the other day they said we need to think like gardeners we need our coaches to think like gardeners we need our managers to think like gardeners because

The fact is we're a living thing, we're a living ecosystem and living ecosystems need that kind of nurturing, attentive actions and a deep sense of connection.

What makes a garden grow is the connection to that same earth.

And for us human beings, that means meaning.

That means community.

And so all the stories that we have, I think, in business, in sports, in technology, when you really scratch the surface of a lot of success stories, what you find is a thriving community.

They're growing new people all the time.

They're trying new stuff.

They're adapting.

They're making a little mess sometimes.

They're not perfect.

And their leadership is not serving, as you say.

Their leadership is creating conditions.

And sometimes that condition is complete and hands-off.