The first skill, quantum seeing, is based on the leadership premise that managers function and make decisions within the context of a subjective organizational environment. Both quantum theory and contemporary research in human perception suggest that over 80 percent of what is seen in the external world is a function of internal assumptions and beliefs. Yet managers, for the most part, continue to manage themselves and their organizations with little regard for the subjectiveness of external reality. The word reality is derived from the Latin words for think (revi) and thing (res). Reality, or at least the individual experience thereof, is directly related to those things that individuals think about. Zukav (1979, p.310) summed it up this way:

Hence, managers' beliefs reinforce their perceptions and their perceptions reinforce their beliefs. Consequently, individuals in managerial roles often function in a paradigm that is based on a continuous cycle of repetitiveness, seeing the world as they have always seen it and making their decisions within a relatively narrow band of possibilities, not because opportunities are limited, but because perceptions always are. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to change one' perceptions. These are learned early and they are controlled primarily at an unconscious level of awareness. However, managers can learn to become more aware of their intentions and as they learn to change these intentions, their perceptions shift accordingly and leadership is enhanced.

Csikszentmihalyi (1990, p. 27) believes that intention is the psychological process with which reality is constructed. Intentions cause managers to pay attention to certain stimuli while totally ignoring a plethora of other perceptual possibilities. The skill of quantum seeing enables managers to consciously select their intentions, thus aligning their perceptions with their desires. For example, if an executive sets a clear intention to improve inventory costs, he/she will begin to notice (attend to) information that normally would not have been perceived. The manager may begin to discuss the matter more thoroughly with other individuals in the firm, seeking out suggestions for improvement. He/she may consult with suppliers as to how they can assist with the matter. Production runs may be carefully reviewed for possible improvement. Just-in-time inventory techniques may be studied and considered for implementation. An inventory consultant may be hired to provide advice. The manager may visit other noncompetitive business firms to search out new ideas. Professional publications may be reviewed for new techniques and procedures. Transportation networks and services may be more carefully analyzed. This information was, of course, already available to the executive. It was, however, perceptually ignored until a conscious intention was made that shifted attention. Clear intention serves as a magnifying glass. It provides a new lens through which managers can make new perceptual choices – choices that otherwise would have been missed, thus creating lost opportunities.

Business organizations would be quite different if managers were all able to create intentionally, fully conscious of the role that intention plays in all that is seen and experienced. Well-known techniques like affirmations, dream boards and mind maps can serve as reminders of intentions. As leaders use these verbal and visual aids, they become increasingly more conscious of their intentions and their attentions spontaneously follow. At the organizational level, this skill is a reminder of the need to have all stakeholders involved in visioning and planning processes (Näsi, 1995, pp. 21-4). If employees are not involved, they are likely to be perceptually incapable of seeing and, hence, of creating new possibilities. Instead, they remain committed to their current mindsets, unable to make the perceptual choices required for successful execution.

Unfortunately, many managers still rely primarily on logical, linear, black and white thinking skills. Rosch (McNeill and Freiberger, 1994, p. 85) believes that the obsession with binary thinking originates in the structure of the brain. Over the centuries, the human brain has added layers, evolving from the early reptilian, to the limbic, to the much more recent neocortex (outer layer of the brain). The two lower brain centers are actually incapable of conceptualizing multiple options. So even though the neocortex can create and choose among unlimited options, much of the time individuals still operate out of lower brain centers, categorizing and organizing information with minimal cognitive effort. Our logical, linear educational systems and either-or organizational decision-making processes reinforce this neurological propensity. Consequently, most adults generally demonstrate less than 10 percent of the creativity of a typical child.

If managers are to think "out of the box," it is apparent that logical, rational, binary thought processes are inadequate. Logical thinking has made little headway in solving the enormous challenges facing business organizations today. After all, many organizational issues are paradoxical, and pose questions that cannot be answered by rational, binary thinking. For example, how can managers balance the responsibility to stockholders with responsibility to employees, customers, and the environment? How can short-term operating goals be achieved while maintaining a long-term focus? Or, how can errors be decreased while improving speed? The ability to think paradoxically will no doubt be a key to creating highly innovative solutions to these questions and addressing a myriad of other organizational challenges in the future (Näsi, 1995, pp. 20-1).

In order to think paradoxically, leaders must awaken the capacities of the right hemisphere of the brain – the side of the brain that thinks in images not words and is, therefore, not bound by verbal language and logic. The right brain can gather up seemingly unrelated ideas and arrange them into highly creative idea constellations, thereby bypassing the left brain' propensity for binary thinking. The right brain has another important creative advantage. It can process millions of visual images in microseconds, and solve problems exponentially faster than the clock-bound left hemisphere. Each time a manager chooses to visualize versus think in words, he/she literally disconnects from the linear passage of time. Thus, through the process of imagistic thinking the manager can escape the tyranny of time and enter a realm where seemingly opposite options can effortlessly superimpose themselves into highly creative solutions. The skill of quantum thinking provides an ongoing stream of highly innovative, often illogical ideas that help the managerial leader transcend the box of binary thinking. The ability of an organization to thrive, and perhaps even survive, demands that this skill be recognized and developed.

This research confirms what many individuals already know intuitively. Negative emotions exhaust and positive emotions energize. Knowing this to be true does not, however, solve the pervasive epidemic of stress, conflict and burnout that is common throughout the business world today (Nurmi and Darling, 1997, pp. 157-65). Fast-paced schedules drain one' energy. Stress-filled jobs exhaust people. Interpersonal differences create conflict. Individuals desire health and vitality; but, too often experience tiredness and disease. The skill of quantum feeling enables the business executive to feel good internally, regardless of what happens externally. As this skill is recognized and implemented, the manager learns how to change the physics of his/her body by changing the feelings of the heart (Dyer, 1998, pp. 211-13). Such an individual becomes increasingly aware of the perceptual choice point between an external stimulus and a subsequent internal response; and begins to recognize that one' energy is never depleted by other people or events, but rather by one' perceptual choices and reactions thereto.

The Institute of HeartMath research also suggests that today' manager can maintain higher levels of energy and vitality simply by choosing to focus on the positive aspects of his/her experiences (Childre, 1996, p. 70). Seeing "negative" events from a positive perspective does require one to think paradoxically. If a person suddenly finds him/herself unemployed, it is only logical to catastrophize. However, if that person does so, he/she will only see those perceptual clues that support negative thinking. They will see bills accumulating. They will see unemployed people everywhere they turn. On the other hand, if they can view the situation in an "atypical way," seeing it with appreciation, they can begin to see the hidden opportunities. Focusing on the positive aspects, the heart' electromagnetic waves become coherent and the brain' waves spontaneously follow (physicists call this entrainment). From this more coherent state of mind, one sees opportunities that would have been missed had the individual remained in a state of negativity. The opportunities would have been there all along; but the person' emotionally-induced cognitive incoherence simply made them perceptually unavailable.

When managers nurture and develop high-energy paradigms, organizational change programs will make a much greater difference in productivity and job satisfaction. Organizational redesign efforts and empowerment processes are necessary but not sufficient. It' the new-wine-in-old-wineskins phenomenon or, in more contemporary language, the second-marriage-same-spouse syndrome. Without an internal shift in consciousness and a new set of emotional choice skills, managers keep following the old patterns in their organizations – committed to the old paradigms – regardless of the new opportunities available to them. The skill of quantum feeling enables leaders to change the constructs of their minds. This skill will have an enormous impact on issues such as motivation, burnout, stress, and job satisfaction. Organizational life will change significantly when individuals, and particularly those in managerial roles, release their collective dependence on external rewards and take full personal responsibility for bringing purpose, passion and vitality to their business firms.

The universe is basically a set of signals or a field of information. It is much more like a great thought than the great machine metaphor of the Newtonian paradigm. Quantum knowing is the ability to connect in non-sensory ways with information in this quantum field of potentiality. William James used the term "radical empiricism" to describe the process of direct knowing – knowing beyond sensory input (Taylor, 1994, p. 353). Houston (1982, p. 195) explains this ability by using the metaphor of superconductivity as follows:

In this superconductive state, one' ability to access previously unknown information increases appreciably. The individual discovers a capacity for wisdom that may be infinite. He/she becomes one with the quantum field. It is difficult, yet intriguing, to imagine an organization with managerial leaders who know how to intuitively access the cosmic database. Research suggests that many executives do acknowledge a strong reliance on intuition, but few make their intuitive abilities public and even fewer attempt to propagate and integrate intuitive knowing into daily organizational development activities and practices. However, the overwhelming amount of available data mandates that leaders in management explore and experiment with new ways of knowing. There is simply too much information to process in traditional, analytical ways.

Langer (McCarthy, 1994, p. 28) has developed a theory of mindful decision making. Langer' research suggests that gathering information does not necessarily lead to better decisions. In fact, organizations are typically focused on an impossible goal – reducing uncertainty through data collection. This is futile because even the amount of information that could be gathered about the simplest of decisions, such as developing a new product or selecting a supplier, can involve limitless research. Rather than focusing on gathering information, Langer' theory focuses on staying aware (mindfulness). She points out that a belief in certainty is actually a huge disadvantage in management and leadership. Certainty leads to mindlessness. When someone is certain, he/she typically ceases to pay attention. On the other hand, uncertainty keeps individuals attentive both to the external conditions and to one' internal intuitions. Mindfulness keeps the manager' connection to the quantum field of infinite information open.

As managerial leaders begin to incorporate the space for mindfulness into their daily work routines, they will nurture whole-brain organizations – organizations that fully utilize both sides of the brain, valuing intuitive knowing as much as rational analysis. Some day managers will look back at concepts such as empowerment or open book management with amusement. After all, how can one person empower another if everyone has access to the same cosmic database? As more and more managers learn to use the skill of quantum knowing, they will help create true learning organizations – organizations in which all the stakeholders deeply value learning from the inside out, thereby recognizing the importance of intuitive ideas.

Even though Einstein never accepted the principle of nonseparability, today this principle is a fundamental concept in quantum theory. Its technological applications will soon create quantum computers in which all the components respond instantaneously to a change in the state of one component. The potential capacity of quantum computers is truly significant. They will be capable of performing all possible computations simultaneously (quantum parallelism). Strings of hydrogen atoms will hold bits of information rather than arrays of transistors. Atomic encoding will enable a quantum computer to simulate the behavior of any quantum system using quantum processes such as superimposition and nonlocal correlation. According to a recent Scientific American article, "a 40-bit quantum computer could recreate in little more than, say, 100 steps, a quantum system that would take a classical computer, having a trillion bits, years to simulate" (Lloyd, 1995, p. 144).

Action at a distance (nonlocal causation) is about to transform life as it is presently known through astounding technological advances; but more importantly, this same principle has the potential to shift a manager' view of him/herself and relationships to other individuals and to the universe. Gribbin (1984, p. 229) explains why:

Everything in the universe is a part of a correlated, complex whole in which each part influences and is influenced by every other part. Quantum acting is the ability to act with concern for the whole – the whole self, the whole organization, the whole society, and the whole planet. This skill can be used to design lives of impeccable action – lives that focus on intentions that are good for both self and for the larger system. Using the skill of quantum acting leads the manager to choose to make responsible choices. Responsible choice also mandates a commitment to making managerial choices ever more conscious. Each conscious choice that a manager makes not only influences the probability of future choices; it also, because of interpersonal quantum interconnectedness, affects the future choices of others as well. Thus, organizations and workplaces are designed one choice at a time. When managerial leaders choose acts of kindness, compassion, or integrity, they are, in the words of Zohar (1990, p. 184), "loading the quantum dice" and increasing the probability that others inside and outside of the organization will choose to act accordingly. Each individual self is in nonlocal correlation with every other self, and each of one' decisions influences the entire system. Managers help to nurture win-win relationships in organizations when they lose their sense of us versus them and realize that we are all us (Dyer, 1995, p. 69).

The quantum principle of nonseparability puts a new perspective on social responsibility in decision making. If everything in the universe is intricately interconnected, what a person does must in some way have a reverse effect on that individual, the doer. Therefore, if one wants prosperity in life or in an organization, that individual begins by giving and serving. This is based upon the principle that a person' rewards come from the services he/she first gives (Waitley, 1995, pp. 240-1). In a correlated universe, the more that is given, the more one receives. So-called socially responsible behaviors (e.g. treating all stakeholders respectfully or taking good care of environmental resources) are in actuality merely common sense. As leaders begin to use the skill of quantum acting, they discover that organizations can, indeed, do well while also doing good.

The sixth skill, quantum trusting, is derived from chaos theory. Chaos theory provides a new way of viewing change and the turbulence that accompanies it. This theory demonstrates that chaos is inherent in the evolutionary process. It is the catalyst that creates the disequilibrium necessary for system evolution. Chaos is the progenitor of all progress. Without the chaos, and commensurate conflict brought about by change, life stagnates and entropy ensues (Darling and Fogliasso, 1997, pp. 1-2).

Prigogine discovered the positive role that chaos plays in the universe (Prigogine and Stengers, 1984, p. 13). He differentiates between active and passive chaos. Passive chaos occurs when a closed system reaches equilibrium and its elements move around in a random fashion. Active chaos occurs in an open system that is in a state of disequilibrium. In such a system, environmental feedback serves as a catalyst, disrupting the system and moving that system to higher levels of order and coherency.

The system' new direction appears to be the result of chance and uncertainty. However, a growing number of scientists believe that an invisible ordering principle is at work. Bohm' concept of subatomic particles with "quantum potential" suggests that directions received from the primary order, the quantum field, influence an electron' behavior (Briggs and Peat, 1989, p.183). Bohm acknowledges that this potential has such complexity that any attempts at prediction are futile. One' inability to make predictions does not mean that a system' evolution is totally random. It simply means that it cannot be explained.

Bohm' concept of an invisible ordering principle applies to the subatomic world of quantum phenomena. Chaos theory, based on classical physics and applicable to the macroscopic world, has a similar concept, the strange attractor. This is a computer term used to trace the evolution of a chaotic system. As chaos theory would predict, a computerized system in chaos behaves in a totally unpredictable manner. However, over time even the most chaotic systems never go beyond certain phase space boundaries, the boundary of the strange attractor.

Strange attractors provide visual images of a world in which structure emerges out of chaos. Structured chaos is a remarkable paradox. It suggests that managers function in a universe that is both orderly and chaotic, a world that displays structure without clockwork regularity – potentiality without predictability. Wheatley and Kellner-Rogers (1996, p. 35) reflect on what this might mean for today' managerial leaders. They write: "If order is for free, we don't have to be the organizers. We don't have to design the world. We don't have to structure existence…Organization wants to happen."

For many, these ideas are deeply appealing. Most managers become exhausted from their attempts to predict and control. They suspect that there really is a simpler way. Yet, they continuously find themselves face-to-face with the ego' fears. Quantum trusting is the ability to trust the natural process. This skill enables managers to ride the rapids of change, fully participating in the adventure without having to control the course; deeply aware that it is easiest to ride a raft in the direction it is headed. As a leader appropriately uses this skill, he/she begins to focus on the mystery of existence, rather than on mastery over it; becoming less intent on manipulating existence and more intent on simply appreciating it. In other words, he/she helps to free the organization to spontaneously evolve without the excessive interference that is brought on when the manager' ego becomes unnecessarily involved.

Using the skill of quantum trusting is especially challenging in traditional organizations where enormous value is placed on prediction and control. There are, however, many new organizational processes like Owen' open space technology (Owen, 1997, p.32), which demonstrate in quantifiable ways the ability of a group of people to quickly self-organize in meaningful and productive ways. Not only are the outcomes of such processes impressive, participants almost always prefer this open design to more traditionally structured options.

Open space technology is only one example of what Hock would call a chaordic organization (Waldrop, 1996, p. 75). As leaders individually and collectively begin to use the skill of quantum trusting, many more examples of self-organizing practices will emerge. Championing these practices requires leaders to confront their own internal demons of dependency and control. It takes clear intention, strong commitment, and daily practice to take the road less traveled. Such individuals must be willing to step into the chaotic abyss.