- 10 Apr 2014
- Research & Ideas
Book Excerpt--‘Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World’
Management and leadership are not the same thing. But which is more important to a growing, innovative organization? An excerpt from John Kotter's new book, Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Open for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 06 Oct 2010
- Research & Ideas
John Kotter: Four Ways to Kill a Good Idea
Every visionary knows the frustration of pitching a great idea, only to see it killed by naysayers, say HBS professor emeritus John P. Kotter and University of British Columbia professor Lorne A. Whitehead. In an excerpt from their new book, Buy-IN: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down, the authors reveal strategies used by your critics—and how to defend against them. Key concepts include: Fear mongering involves creating infectious anxiety, scaring others into believing that a good idea is far too risky to pursue. Death by delay entails stalling an idea with never-ending questions, straw polls, and meetings—until the idea eventually loses momentum and peters out. Confusion consists of peppering a conversation with a stream of irrelevant facts and convoluted questions, making it nearly impossible for the innovator to keep the discussion on track. Ridicule is a direct attack on the character of the person who proposed the idea, creating indirect doubts about the idea itself. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 29 Jun 2009
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpening Your Skills: Leading Change
Nothing like a global recession to test your change-management skills. We dig deep into the Working Knowledge vault to learn about building a business in a down economy, motivating the troops, and other current topics. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 08 Oct 2008
- Research & Ideas
Book Excerpt: A Sense of Urgency
Urgency can be a positive force in companies, says leadership expert and HBS professor emeritus John P. Kotter. His new book, A Sense of Urgency (Harvard Business Press), makes that conviction clear. Our excerpt describes how leaders might skillfully transform a crisis into an organizational motivator for the better. Key concepts include: Always think of crises as potential opportunities, and not only dreadful problems that automatically must be delegated to the damage control specialists. Plans and actions should always focus on others' hearts as much or more than their minds. If you are at a middle or low level in an organization and see how a crisis can be used as an opportunity, identify and then work with an open-minded and approachable person who can take the lead. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 29 Jul 2002
- Research & Ideas
Get Off the Dime!
If you want large-scale change in your organization, you must change people's behaviors, say authors John Kotter and Dan Cohen. In an excerpt from their new book, The Heart of Change: Real Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations, the authors outline the importance of imparting urgency to the troops. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Apr 2001
- Research & Ideas
What Makes a Good Leader?
Leadership comes in many shapes and sizes, and often from entirely unexpected quarters. In this excerpt from the HBS Bulletin, five HBS professors weigh in with their views on leadership in action. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 01 Nov 1999
- Lessons from the Classroom
What’s Next & So What? Leading in the 21st Century
Efficient, restructured, and reengineered organizations may have been good enough to succeed in the 20th century, say John Kotter and Gary Hamel, but organizations that want to compete in the next century need to develop the leadership and innovation to change the marketplace. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
John Kotter’s Plan to Accelerate Your Business
In the fast-paced modern economy, businesses can no longer rely on just one organizational design, argues John Kotter in a new book, Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Why we need two "operating systems." PLUS Book excerpt. Closed for comment; 6 Comment(s) posted.