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Leading Together

Jazz Needs Scales. Your Team Needs Structure.

Published 3 months ago • 1 min read

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Hi Reader,

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I’ve been sitting with this quote from Steve Denning lately. It’s one I keep coming back to and one I find many of the teams we work with need to hear:

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“There are those who believe that creativity is about getting rid of structure, systems, and processes and letting a thousand flowers bloom. I believe structure is necessary because structure and creativity have the same parentage. It is structure that enables creativity... Without structure, there is nothing for creativity to get leverage upon.”

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Too often, we talk about structure like it’s the enemy of creativity or something that boxes us in, holds us back, or limits the full expression of our ideas.

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But what if we’ve been thinking about it wrong?

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​What if structure isn’t what stifles creativity, but rather what makes it possible in the first place?

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Twelve notes in the musical scale.
Twenty-six letters in the alphabet.
A handful of atoms and a few primary colors.

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Infinite beauty.
Boundless expression.
All built on structure.

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Whether you're leading a team, building a company, or trying to find your rhythm in a new role, the reality is this: clarity, structure, and intentional systems don’t hold you back. They free you up.

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Because it’s in structure that creativity finds its foothold- something solid to push off from, to gain momentum, to move with purpose.

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Of course, not just any structure will do.

The key is thoughtfully developing the right structure, one that reflects your values, supports your strategy, and empowers your team to become more cohesive.

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So if you’ve been feeling stuck, scattered, or stretched too thin…
Maybe the answer isn’t less structure.
​Maybe it’s finding the right one.

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P.S. If you’re working to build a more intentional structure for your team or organization, we’d love to help. Check out our framework or reply to this email to start the conversation.

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—Shaun

Upcoming Events & Opportunities:

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1123 Locust St. , St. Louis, MO 63101
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Leading Together

with 6 Levers

Leading Together is for senior leadership teams who want to become more cohesive and high performing. In each newsletter, 6 Levers co-founders Shaun Lee and Joe Olwig break down real-world case studies and share insights from their work with executive teams across industries. You’ll hear the patterns behind what makes leadership teams thrive—and what holds them back. Most importantly, every newsletter shares practical applications you can apply with your team.

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