Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
We see, we feel, we change.
Tradition is a very powerful force.
Leadership is about coping with change
The heart of change is in the emotions.
Innovation is kind of a sub-piece of change.
Never underestimate the power of a good story.
In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.
Motivation is not a thinking word; it's a feeling word.
Leadership produces change. That is its primary function
Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.
Most people don't lead their own lives - they accept their lives
A leader needs enough understanding to fashion an intelligent strategy.
Complacency is almost always the product of success or perceived success
One of the most powerful forms of information is feedback on our own actions.
Kotter International is about leading large-scale change, not just managing it.
We learn best - and change - from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.
Great leaders motivate large groups of individuals to improve the human condition.
Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there.
Leadership is different from management, but not for the reasons most people think.
In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes the way we do things around here.
If people think the boss is manipulating them to get them to work harder, it backfires.
In an ever changing world, you never learn it all, even if you keep growing into your 90s.
Never underestimate the magnitude of the power of the forces that reinforce the status quo.
Anyone in a large organization who thinks major change is impossible should probably get out.
Great vision communication usually means heartfelt messages are coming from real human beings.
Urgency is unbelievably important when you're talking about, not little changes, but big changes.
Without credible communication, and a lot of it, the hearts and minds of others are never captured.
Globalization is going to bring us closer and closer together across nations and technology you can't stop.
If you're overbooked, you can't manage pressing problems or even recognize they're pressing until too late.
True urgent leadership doesn't drain people. It does the opposite. It energizes them. It makes them feel excited.
We keep a change in place by helping to create a new, supportive, and sufficiently strong organizational culture.
A culture truly changes only when a new way of operating has been shown to succeed over some minimum period of time.
Managers are trained to make incremental, programmatic improvements. They aren't trained to lead large-scale change.
Most US corporations today are over-managed and under-led. They need to develop their capacity to exercise leadership.
Sometimes it doesn't hurt to talk around a little and see what lights people's eyes up and what makes them cloud over.
Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome.
Every organization goes through a lifecycle where they eventually lose their initial speed or agility at a strategic level.
No vision issue today is bigger than the question of efficiency versus some combination of innovation and customer service.
Congress is full of people who get reelected and reelected. How can you have urgency when there are all of those safe seats?
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.
The world has 6 billion people and counting. We need to help 500 million people become better leaders so that billions can benefit.
Without conviction that you can make change happen, you will not act, even if you see the vision. Your feelings will hold you back.
Outsiders have the intuitive ability to continually view problems in fresh ways and to identify ineffective practices and traditions.
Commercial organisations that operate responsibly have benefitted by increased revenues of 682% compared to 166% for those that don't
A higher rate of urgency does not imply ever-present panic, anxiety, or fear. It means a state in which complacency is virtually absent.
Valued achievements connect to people at a deeper level—and a deeper level can change behavior that is generally very difficult to change.
The central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. The core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people.
We started Kotter International to improve leaders' ability to deal with big, important transformations in organizations - and in their lives.
Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles.