Best 56 quotes of John P. Kotter on MyQuotes

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.

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

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.

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

Leadership produces change. That is its primary function

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Never underestimate the power of a good story.

Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The heart of change is in the emotions.

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.

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.

Tradition is a very powerful force.

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