John P. Kotter Quotes

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Leadership produces change. That is its primary function

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success

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.

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

Leadership is about coping with change

We see, we feel, we change.

The heart of change is in the emotions.

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

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

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

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

Never underestimate the power of a good story.

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

A leader needs enough understanding to fashion an intelligent strategy.

Tradition is a very powerful force.

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

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.

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

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.

Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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