Leading Change below Zero

Our Iceberg Is Melting is a fable written by Harvard Professor John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber.  The book is cleverly illustrated.  The two write an entertaining yet challenging story about a colony of Emperor Penguins and how they dealt with change and succeeding under any conditions.  The fable is based on the research of Kotter that resulted in an eight-step process for successful change.  His book Leading Change is on the bookshelf of most executives. 

As most people know, change is not easy and the same is true for Penguins.  Yet, Kotter's eight-step process provides a framework for change resulting in a happy-ending to Our Iceberg Is Melting. 

You will find yourself cheering for the team of Penguins who are responsible for leading change, which at times seems obvious and easy.  However, don't be fooled it takes a serious Penguin to lead change and in the end it took all their imagination and resolve.  Much like us.

The moral of the story is "you would be amazed at how many melting or vulnerable to melting iceberg problems exist in our rapidly changing world."  As with most icebergs, we tend to see only the tip.  The good news is it takes only one Penguin to look below the surface and see what is happening.  The bad news is it will take a team of Penguins to move the colony.  Kotter's eight-step process tells you how you can do it without leaving a Penguin behind.