In a world we cannot recognize, how do we find a way forward? In this world we do not understand, how do we know what to do? When so little is comprehensible, what is meaningful work? What is genuine contribution?

Bestselling author Margaret Wheatley has summoned us to be courageous leaders who strengthen community and rely on fully engaged people since her 1992 classic book, Leadership and the New Science, and eight subsequent books. In response to how quickly society is changing and the exponential increase in leadership challenges, this second edition of her latest bestseller is 80% new material.

How do we see clearly so that we can act wisely? Wheatley brings present reality into clear and troubling focus using multiple lenses of Western and Indigenous sciences, and the historic patterns of collapse in complex civilizations. With gentle but insistent guidance to face reality, she offers us the path and practices to be sane leaders who know how to evoke people's inherent generosity, creativity, and kindness.

Skillfully weaving science, history, exemplars, poetry, and quotes with stories and practices, Wheatley asks us to be Warriors for the Human Spirit, leaders and citizens who stay engaged, choose service over self, stand steadfast in the midst of crises, and offer our reliable presence of compassion and insight no matter what.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Opening: Finding Our Path of Contribution
• 1. The Arrow of Time: Everything Has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End
• 2. Identity: Living Systems Change to Preserve Themselves
• 3. Information: A Difference That Makes a Difference
• 4. Perception: What You See Is All You Get
• 5. Interconnectedness: Nothing Living Lives Alone
• 6. Emergence: Life Is Full of Surprises
• 7. Warriors for the Human Spirit: It’s Just Our Turn to Serve
• Appendix
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• About the Author

“…a rich exploration of ways to view our world and our place in it, a call to leaders to awaken to what is needed now and guidebook for how to move forward. Margaret Wheatley does not disappoint. She has once again written an important and timely book.”
-Shambhala Times

“I want to state up front my deep affection and appreciation for Margaret Wheatley. Wheatley's books aren't just facts and figures, they aren't simply a vision for a different world, they aren't manuals to guide action; they are pieces of art, meditations, journeys into deep places, cries for change, calls to action, yearnings for a better world. Her books are expansive, creative, generative, and deeply personal.”
-Philosophy of Coaching: An International Journal


“Years ahead of its time, this daring book will convince you that leaders must substitute their Newtonian mental model for a biological model in organizations of every size. . . .”
-The Wall Street Journal

“Using exciting breakthroughs in biology, chemistry, and especially quantum physics, Wheatley paints a brand-new picture of business management.”
-Library Journal

“. . . A thought-provoking work for practitioners and students who are serious about wanting to understand the forces impacting organizations and themselves, and who desire to move forward to achieve goals and objectives.”
-Choice