I really like a hot almond milk latte in the morning. I often get it with breakfast at my JAM, but sometimes I pick one up at Scooter’s (I love when they say, "Scoot on around"). Either way, the minute I receive my latte, something begins to happen. It begins to cool off. The coffee …
I really like a hot almond milk latte in the morning. I often get it with breakfast at my JAM, but sometimes I pick one up at Scooter’s (I love when they say, “Scoot on around”). Either way, the minute I receive my latte, something begins to happen. It begins to cool off.
The coffee is hotter than the surrounding air (even in summer), and heat naturally moves from the hotter coffee to the cooler surrounding air. The transfer of energy is slowed by the container. A paper cup doesn’t slow it much. My Simple Modern mug slows it a lot. But over time, the latte becomes the same temperature as the surrounding air.
This is the Second Law of Thermodynamics in action. Energy flows from a higher concentration to a lower one until equilibrium is reached. The universe is utterly indifferent to my preference for hot coffee. Without continuous energy input, everything moves toward equilibrium, toward sameness, toward a state where nothing interesting can happen.
Chaos, in the thermodynamic sense, isn’t random disorder. It’s the inevitable drift toward equilibrium. The universe has a powerful bias toward blending, toward averaging out, and toward making everything unremarkable. The universe doesn’t care about your mission statement.
Every organization has its own “temperature”: passion and energy from being on mission together, creative tension that drives innovation, and urgency that makes important work happen. These are high-energy states, and, like my latte, they want to cool off.
Without intentional energy input, your team’s passion drifts toward apathy; your culture’s distinctiveness blends into mediocrity; your urgency settles into complacency. Not because anyone decides this should happen, but because equilibrium is the path of least resistance.
What makes this dangerous is that equilibrium feels comfortable. When everything reaches the same temperature, there’s no more uncomfortable heat differential. No tension, no friction. It feels like peace, but it’s actually organizational death. Nothing interesting happens at equilibrium. Just sameness.
The insulation matters. My Simple Modern mug slows heat loss significantly compared to a paper cup. In organizations, insulation comes from systems, rhythms, and structures that preserve energy and intention. Regular communication that keeps mission fresh. Consistent recognition that reinforces what matters. Rituals that celebrate identity. These slow the drift toward equilibrium considerably, but they aren’t enough on their on.
Eventually, even in the best mug, my latte reaches room temperature. The only way to maintain a higher energy state is continuous energy input. For coffee, that’s the heating element. For organizations, that’s leadership.
You’re constantly fighting entropy—continuously adding energy to keep the organization from drifting toward equilibrium. You’re bringing heat when everyone else would be comfortable letting things cool down to average. And you can’t do it halfway or sporadically. The energy must be consistent, intentional, and distributed throughout the system.
However, you can’t be the only source of energy. The best leaders create conditions where energy is generated throughout the system. They develop other leaders who also add heat. They build cultures where passion spreads naturally. Think about a single candle trying to heat a room versus a properly designed heating system. Both add energy, but only one distributes it strategically.
The Second Law tells us you cannot maintain order without continuous energy input. Your culture won’t stay distinctive by accident. Your team’s passion won’t sustain itself. Your organization’s momentum won’t continue on its own. But it also tells us something hopeful: energy matters. The work you do to maintain mission clarity, to celebrate wins, to reinforce values, to cast vision, and to encourage hearts isn’t wasted.
My latte will eventually reach room temperature. It’s inevitable. But with the right container and energy input, I can enjoy it hot for the entire breakfast. That’s not defeating thermodynamics; it’s working intelligently within its constraints.
Leaders can’t defeat organizational entropy either. But we can insulate well with strong systems. We can add energy consistently through our presence and example. We can build systems that distribute energy throughout the organization. We can create cultures where people understand that maintaining what matters requires everyone to keep adding heat.
The universe wants your organization to cool down to average, your culture to blend into sameness, and your team’s passion to settle into comfortable apathy. Not out of malice—just because it’s natural. Your job is to understand this force and work against it intentionally and strategically. Understanding the chaos in your organization’s “cup of coffee”—and building something remarkable in spite of it—is true leadership and the Bison Way.
