Rather than shouldering the full burden of managing crisis and chaos, effective leadership admits realities, looks to the unknown… and the greater group… for inspiration…and reflects relevance!

Check out this clip for a magical illustration of effective facilitation...and securing buy in...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXE0v0bJoE&feature=related

Convincing clients that understanding and providing answers to complex organizational challenges lies in exactly the same approach to simplistic issues has always been difficult.

Over the years I have relied more on more on mathematical proof (ironic as I am a complete math idiot) as a persuasive tool that chaos, change and evolution are an integral part of life and should be accepted & managed rather than avoided… Quests for certainty are futile!

In particular the work of Benoit Mandelbrot and his Fractal Geometry of Nature (see the Mandelbrot Set) theories that illustrate chaotic enormity contains smaller version of the same phenomenon… “Fractal property of self-similarity applies to the entire set, and not just to its parts.”

The Morphogenesis work of Alan Turing, one of my most inspirational role-models, identifies a simple math equation that illustrates how chaos has its origins in order. Boris Belousov similarly explored and identified the co-existence of chaos in uniformity.
The Belousov-Zhabotinky reaction demonstrates that “under the influence of stimuli, patterns develop in what would otherwise be a perfectly quiescent medium.” Working in the 1950’s, both men’s findings were at the time rejected by conservative scientific mainstream as out to lunch!

Edward Lorenz’s Butterfly Effect, describes how an initial random event, in normal conditions, can result in chaotic results. Chaos in turn will return to initial conditions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEw8xpb1aRA