We often call a person or organization leading edge because their ideas seem ahead of their time. The phrase can become a badge. It can also distract us from the place where a new idea has to do its work.
The edge is the next situation that has not yet been met. A team has a decision no prior rule settles. A relationship asks for a conversation we have avoided. A practice encounters a fact its familiar vocabulary does not explain.
At that point, repeating what once worked is not enough. We can use what we know, ask what is different now, and make a choice that will have to answer to its consequences. The choice may be modest. It may still open a direction that was unavailable before it was made.
A reputation for innovation belongs to the past. The leading edge is wherever we are willing to test an idea against the life directly in front of us.

The leading edge of a practice is found in the next situation that has not yet been met, rather than in a reputation for being advanced.

We often call a person or organization leading edge because their ideas seem ahead of their time. The phrase can become a badge. It can also distract us from the place where a new idea has to do its work.

The edge is the next situation that has not yet been met. A team has a decision no prior rule settles. A relationship asks for a conversation we have avoided. A practice encounters a fact its familiar vocabulary does not explain.

At that point, repeating what once worked is not enough. We can use what we know, ask what is different now, and make a choice that will have to answer to its consequences. The choice may be modest. It may still open a direction that was unavailable before it was made.

A reputation for innovation belongs to the past. The leading edge is wherever we are willing to test an idea against the life directly in front of us.

The Leading Edge Is the Next Unmade Choice