“The only plan that is missing, it often seems, is the one for things as they actually happen” (pg 1).
“Organizations consist of a group of diverse specialists who, under great duress, make fast, irreversible decisions, are highly interdependent, are dedicated to creation and novelty, and act with little certainty where it’s all going to end up” (pg 2).
"{We} learn by leaping in and taking action before {we} have a well conceived plan” (pg 6).
“The goal of improvisation is to be mindful and creative, making up ideas on the spot that respond to what’s happening in the moment, but the road to mindful adapting leads through copying and imitating because, as every jazz player learns, there are times when your only choice is to fall back on the patterns you learned through mindless habit” (pg 7).
“In order for musicians and leaders to “strive a groove,” they must suspend some degree of control and surrender to the flow” (pg 8).
“Sometimes leadership means letting go of the dream of certainty, leaping in, acting first, and reflecting later on the impact of the action” (pg 11).
“If you’re not making a mistake, it’s a mistake” (pg 43).
“The teams reporting more errors were actually the ones with the strongest cultures and best leadership” (pg 53).
“When those with status are distant and intimidating, those beneath them are more likely to save face by hiding or ignoring errors” (pg 53).
“Organizations that fail to learn from errors become vulnerable to predictable surprises” (pg 54).
“I realized that things are going well when I’m the last one to know” (pg 59).
“To become a full human being, we must commit to action, practice new skills, and put ourselves at risk of public failure. Only through such full engagement is a meaningful life possible” (pg 62).
Jamming happens spontaneously, whenever two or three or (best-case scenario) a dozen or more are joined in common purpose, common practice, and common desire to raise the bar for everyone involved” (pg 102).
“Hanging out in homogenous groups not only reinforced existing views but pushed people to more extreme opinions” (pg 111).
“Lead, follow, or get out of the way” (pg 119).
“He listens to what everyone is playing and then plays what is missing” (pg 122).
“If everyone ties to be a star and does not engage in supporting the evolution of the soloist’s ideas, the result is bad jazz” (pg 125).
“It takes a lot of self-confidence not to say everything that you know” (pg 129).
“Why be dumb when you don’t have to be?” (pg 130).
“Leadership effectiveness is judged not by authority or how far up the pyramid people sit, but by how well they work with the resources at their disposal, no matter how limited, and how effectively they help free their own potential . . . and that of others” (137).
“It is often the very competence and patterns of success that have blinded these organizations and led to their downfall” (pg 140).
“You’re never in a secure position. You’re never at a point where you have it all sewn up. You have to choose to be secure like a stone, or insecure but able to flow” (pg 142).
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