Extrapolating from ecosystems to human systems, David Hurst likens the life cycle of organizations to those of forests. Open space is exploited by rapid growth, followed by conservation (putting out fires), and finally fires clear out the built-up dead wood and exploitation begins again with equal access for all. Hurst argues that truly great leaders create crises in their organizations, clearing out the undergrowth periodically before the marketplace can clear out the entire forest. Hurst ranges from Neutron Jack Welch to Japan after WWII through Basque cooperatives to a model of fractal organizations in this virtuoso performance.