Mr Kotter Quotes

#1. Leadership produces change. That is its primary function

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#3. 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.

John P. Kotter

#4. Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#9. Without a sense of urgency , people ... won't make needed sacrafices. Instead they cling to the status quo and resist.' - Quoting John Kotter

Adam M. Grant

#10. 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.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#12. 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.

John P. Kotter

#13. 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.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#18. 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.

John P. Kotter

#19. 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.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#21. Tradition is a very powerful force.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#23. The heart of change is in the emotions.

John P. Kotter

#24. 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.

John P. Kotter

#25. Leadership is about coping with change

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#27. 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.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter

#29. 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.

John P. Kotter

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

John P. Kotter