Organization. Business. Growth. Transformation. If you've picked up this book, there's a very good chance that those words mean something to you. But what exactly do they mean? Have you ever stopped to think deeply about what those terms represent? And do they mean the same thing to you as they do to the other people you're working with? If you want to embark on a transformational journey together—to engage in crucial conversations that will carry you forward—it's essential to be aligned around the core concepts, frameworks, and ideas that will shape that journey.

What is an organization? What is a business? And what does it mean for organizations and businesses to grow and transform? Each of these questions opens up a rich set of meanings, metaphors, and models that can help a team or an organization get on the same page about what they are a part of and where they are going. These are questions to which I've given a great deal of thought and consideration. The Growth River Operating System and the Seven Crucial Conversations are all built upon a specific way of thinking about organizations, a unique model for understanding businesses, and a particular perspective on how they grow and develop. Understanding these foundational concepts will set the stage for the journey and frame the conversations to come.

Language is foundational, which is why I spend so much time in this book defining terms and explaining foundational ideas. The terms, models, and metaphors that we use to visualize systems and situations have a profound impact on how we approach them. They shape our expectations of what's possible and the solutions available to us. Languages are the building blocks of human systems, and our ability to collaborate and organize in sophisticated ways around a shared purpose depends entirely upon our ability to communicate. I always say, organizations evolve at the speed of conversation, but we can't even have a conversation—let alone engage deeply in crucial conversations that lead to transformation—if we don't speak the same language. And too often, we may think we're speaking the same language, but actually have very different ideas about what the words we're using mean. That's a major contributor to the frustrating experience of the Swirl.

Throughout this book, you'll see the Growth River definitions of terms called out, with precise interpretations of words and phrases you may never have stopped to think closely about before. (A compendium of terms is also included in the Glossary.) But certain foundational ideas require deeper consideration and discussion: Organization. Business. Growth. Transformation. That's what we'll be doing in this part of the book. As leaders take the time to be more deliberate about how they use these terms, they bring much-needed clarity and direction to the organization's journey, creating a shared narrative. As team members begin to have a truly common language that describes their interactions and endeavors, as well as revealing new possibilities, they find themselves more easily able to align around their shared purpose and direction. So let's take the time to ask these questions: What is an organization? What is a business? And what does it mean for organizations and businesses to grow and transform?