John P. Kotter
John P. Kotter
coping
Leadership is about coping with change
world growing ifs
In an ever changing world, you never learn it all, even if you keep growing into your 90s.
smart successful helping-others
This is true even in organizations that are very focused on analysis and quantitative measurement, even among people who think of themselves as smart in an MBA sense. In highly successful change efforts, people find ways to help others see the problems or solutions in ways that influence emotions, not just thought.
drama ideas brain
Neurologists say that our brains are programmed much more for stories than for abstract ideas. Tales with a little drama are remembered far longer than any slide crammed with analytics.
motivation thinking feelings
Motivation is not a thinking word; it's a feeling word.
issues innovation vision
No vision issue today is bigger than the question of efficiency versus some combination of innovation and customer service.
mind underestimate never-stop-dreaming
Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.
underestimate force status-quo
Never underestimate the magnitude of the power of the forces that reinforce the status quo.
smart intelligent two
In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one, of course, is role-modeling it yourself. Number two is when people take intelligent, smart risks and yet it doesn't work out, not shooting them. And number three, being honest with yourself. If the culture you have is radically different from an experiment and take-risk culture, then you have a big change you going to have to make—and no little gimmicks are going to do it for you.
complacency products
Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success
leadership running mean
Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better.
world fuzzy tools
Analytical tools have their limitations in a turbulent world. These tools work best when parameters are known, assumptions are minimal, and the future is not fuzzy.
appearing attack awkward human less likely people seem speaker speaking
We worry about appearing awkward in a presentation. But up to a point, most people seem to feel more comfortable with less-than-perfect speaking abilities. It makes the speaker more human - and more vulnerable, meaning he is less likely to attack our decisions or beliefs.
audience behind careful hard lights low pay senses shield signal time
Low lights signal to our senses that the workday may be over and it's time for sleep, making it hard for an audience to pay careful attention. When we stand behind a big wooden podium, it can feel as if there's a shield between us and the audience.