“Existence is a constant battle between order and chaos. Left to its own devices, the universe would decay and destroys itself. It takes work to put things back in order.” — Yonder 3. A novel of the West
Leadership is never neutral. At every level, leaders are tasked with bringing order to the chaos around them, whether that chaos is organizational confusion, team conflict, shifting markets, or personal doubt.
The difference between those who succeed and those who falter often comes down to the skills and habits they have invested in long before the storm arrives.
Why Skilled Leaders Prevail
A crisis doesn’t create character; it reveals it.
Leaders who thrive in chaos are those who have invested the time and effort in preparation, studying, practicing, and refining their craft over time. They know that leadership is not a title, but a discipline that requires continual development.
David Herdlinger, founder of KASH Box Coaching—and one of my earliest coaches—captured this truth in his model of four leadership pillars:
Knowledge
Attitudes
Skills
Habits
Together, these four create the foundation of effective leadership. But like the battle between order and chaos, these pillars are never static. They require constant attention, renewal, and growth.
A Coaching Lesson That Changed Me
A notable moment with David occurred when he asked a question that made me pause.
“Do you love yourself?” he asked.
I hesitated. He was silent. David, a master of the pause, simply waited. Finally, I admitted, “Probably not.”
That moment changed me. David helped me see that before I could truly love others, I had to learn to love myself. And before I could lead others, I had to learn to lead myself.
It was a breakthrough in self-awareness. No amount of technical skill or positional authority could replace the inner work of leading from within. Leadership, I realized, is an inside-out journey.
The KASH Box in Practice
Today, I’m working with a leader who excels in only one of the four KASH pillars. He is skilled in a technical area, but his attitudes and leadership habits have not kept pace.
The result? Teams experience friction, communication breaks down, and the natural pull of chaos begins to overtake order.
It’s a vivid reminder: if just one pillar is neglected, the weight of leadership eventually collapses onto the others. Effective leadership requires balance and growth across all four.
Coaching: The Hallmark of Leaders
One of the hallmarks of truly effective leaders is their commitment to coaching—both receiving and providing it.
Great leaders seek out coaches to sharpen their own KASH pillars. At the same time, they coach others to ensure that knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits cascade throughout the organization.
Coaching transforms chaos into learning. It provides feedback loops that reinforce discipline, accountability, and resilience. Leaders who embrace coaching don’t just manage order; they create other leaders who can carry order into every corner of the organization.
Order vs. Chaos in Leadership
Chaos is inevitable. Markets fluctuate, staff turnover occurs, crises emerge, and personal struggles surface.
Order is optional. Leaders must choose to create structure, alignment, and momentum where none exists.
The best leaders accept that chaos is not an enemy to be eliminated but a reality to be managed. They build resilience by strengthening their KASH foundations:
Deepening their knowledge and skills
Maintaining a growth-oriented attitude
Cultivating habits of discipline, communication, and reflection
Embedding coaching as a way of life
Final Thought
Leadership is the ongoing act of standing between order and chaos and choosing, day after day, to build order.
The leaders who succeed are those who recognize that excellence is never “finished”; it is practiced. By investing in knowledge, skills, attitudes, habits, and effective coaching, leaders develop the capacity not only to survive the battle with chaos but also to shape it into an opportunity.
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