Tom Peters, Yoga, and a Non-Linear World

Tom Peters has long been a favorite of mine, even in my pre-yogi days. Today, his blog is very accessible, he utilizes a very transparent style, and lets you in on what he is doing, thinking, and who he is talking to.

I just read this post on "100 Ways to Succeed #95: NON-LINEARITY RULES."

The post is about having leadership teams 'be' non-linear, start to think non-linearly, and to understand that most things do not happen linearly.

I have no tidy "tip" here, but rather an extraordinary plea that you implicitly put "non-linear" thinking atop your and your leadership team's agenda—permanently. This may mean hiring poets and astrologers and putting homeless folks on your advisory board. It may mean sabbaticals or yoga, sabbaticals and yoga.

In fact, the Yogic Edge in business includes this perspective. As we learn yoga, we learn the art of being in the present moment, breathing with our experience. This is vital for 'dancing' with non-linear life. One learns to respond 'in the moment' most effectively by practice, and that practice can be done on a mat, in meditation, and through study.

One other thought. This post by Tom got me to thinking how important it is for managers to learn the deeper aspects of yoga, not just the physical asana practice. It is here, in the philosophical learning that managers will really prepare themselves for 'battle with the non-linear'!