John P. Kotter Quotations

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.

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.

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.

A higher rate of urgency does not imply ever-present panic, anxiety, or fear. It means a state in which complacency is virtually absent.

Great leaders understand that historical success tends to produce stable and inwardly focused organizations, and these outfits, in turn, reinforce a feeling of contentment with the status quo.

Many years ago, I think I got my first insight on how an incredibly diverse team can work together and do astonishing things, and not just misunderstand each other and fight.

Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there.

Because management deals mostly with the status quo and leadership deals mostly with change, in the next century we are going to have to try to become much more skilled at creating leaders.

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.

The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.

In an ever changing world, you never learn it all, even if you keep growing into your 90s.

Managers are trained to make incremental, programmatic improvements. They aren't trained to lead large-scale change.

The vast majority of large scale change efforts fail. Which means that the probability that you have actually experienced a failure, and your people know that and are pessimistic, therefore, about trying something again, is very high.

The world has 6 billion people and counting. We need to help 500 million people become better leaders so that billions can benefit.

I'm impatient. Typically people think they know all about change and don't need help. Their approach tends to be more management-oriented than leadership-oriented. It's very frustrating.

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.

We are always creating new tools and techniques to help people, but the fundamental framework is remarkably resilient, which means it must have something to do with the nature of organizations or human nature.

Kotter International is about leading large-scale change, not just managing it.

We started Kotter International to improve leaders' ability to deal with big, important transformations in organizations - and in their lives.

Valued achievements connect to people at a deeper level—and a deeper level can change behavior that is generally very difficult to change.

The heart of change is in the emotions.

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.

Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success

No vision issue today is bigger than the question of efficiency versus some combination of innovation and customer service.

Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.

One of the most powerful forms of information is feedback on our own actions.

Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best - and change - from hearing stories that strike a chord within us ... Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves.

We keep a change in place by helping to create a new, supportive, and sufficiently strong organizational culture.

We see, we feel, we change.

Great vision communication usually means heartfelt messages are coming from real human beings.

Commercial organisations that operate responsibly have benefitted by increased revenues of 682% compared to 166% for those that don't

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.

Motivation is not a thinking word; it's a feeling word.

Tradition is a very powerful force.

Most people don't lead their own lives - they accept their lives

Leadership is different from management, but not for the reasons most people think.

Outsiders have the intuitive ability to continually view problems in fresh ways and to identify ineffective practices and traditions.

Leadership is about coping with change

A leader needs enough understanding to fashion an intelligent strategy.

Without conviction that you can make change happen, you will not act, even if you see the vision. Your feelings will hold you back.

People are more inclined to be drawn in if their leader has a compelling vision. Great leaders help people get in touch with their own aspirations and then will help them forge those aspirations into a personal vision.

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.

We know that leadership is very much related to change. As the pace of change accelerates, there is naturally a greater need for effective leadership.

Great leaders motivate large groups of individuals to improve the human condition.

Never underestimate the power of a good story.

What's really driving the boom in coaching, is this: as we move from 30 miles an hour to 70 to 120 to 180......as we go from driving straight down the road to making right turns and left turns to abandoning cars and getting motorcycles...the whole game changes, and a lot of people are trying to keep up, learn how not to fall.

Overcoming complacency is crucial at the start of any change process, and it often requires a little bit of surprise, something that grabs attention at more than an intellectual level. You need to surprise people with something that disturbs their view that everything is perfect.

Never underestimate the magnitude of the power of the forces that reinforce the status quo.

Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.

People change what they do less because they are given an analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are shown a truth that influences their feelings.

In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes the way we do things around here.

In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.

A culture truly changes only when a new way of operating has been shown to succeed over some minimum period of time.

Most US corporations today are over-managed and under-led. They need to develop their capacity to exercise leadership.

Great communicators have an appreciation for positioning. They understand the people they're trying to reach and what they can and can't hear. They send their message in through an open door rather than trying to push it through a wall.

Leadership produces change. That is its primary function

We learn best - and change - from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.

Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome.

Anyone in a large organization who thinks major change is impossible should probably get out.

Good communication is not just data transfer. You need to show people something that addresses their anxieties, that accepts their anger, that is credible in a very gut-level sense, and that evokes faith in the vision.

Changing behavior is less a matter of giving people analysis to influence their thoughts than helping them to see a truth to influence their feelings.

Motivation and inspiration energize people, not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over one's life, and the ability to live up to one's ideals. Such feelings touch us deeply and elicit a powerful response.

Without credible communication, and a lot of it, the hearts and minds of others are never captured.

Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles.

Producing major change in an organization is not just about signing up one charismatic leader. You need a group - a team - to be able to drive the change. One person, even a terrific charismatic leader, is never strong enough to make all this happen.

One of the most common ways to overcome resistance to change is to educate people about it beforehand. Communication of ideas helps people see the need for and the logic of a change. The education process can involve one-on-one discussions, presentations to groups, or memos and reports.

Leadership is about setting a direction. It's about creating a vision, empowering and inspiring people to want to achieve the vision, and enabling them to do so with energy and speed through an effective strategy. In its most basic sense, leadership is about mobilizing a group of people to jump into a better future.

The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.