The busier you are, the more you need to find a better way to do things. A few years back I had a conversation with the quality director of Rover Cars in the UK - at that time they had just won the UK quality award. That's a perfect example of organizational learning. We always start from the individual, and then the family and then the workplace, and then the country. So Senge's theory follows this line of thinking.
People always have the misconception that learning can come later.
But there are some organizations that are learning - and learning fast. Of course over the next century, indeed the next decade, we will see an even more rapid pace of change. This means that learning has to be accomplished far faster if organizations are to tap into opportunities or fight off threats from other fast-learning organizations. Those that do not realize the imperatives of organizational learning will see themselves overtaken - those that do will be the cream of the competition. I am not saying leaders have to do everything, but at a critical moment, or when there is a critical task, they have to set the example and demonstrate commitment.