I have gleaned so much wisdom from John Kotter’s scholarly writing over the years, and I also enjoy when someone can tell a compelling fable. In Our Iceberg Is Melting, I got the best of both of these!
John Kotter has written and taught extensively from Harvard Business School. His work on corporate culture, especially the area of changing corporate culture, is always spot-on. But sometimes people find academics a bit too “dry” to even read their work. So Dr. Kotter collaborated with Holger Rathgeber to create a fable that anyone can read.
In Our Iceberg Is Melting, we meet some penguins living on an iceberg that is about to break apart. Only one penguin recognizes the imminent danger at first, but this begins a series of conversations about the changes the penguin colony must confront. As you might imagine, there are some naysayers, some go-getters without a lot of information, some academics with a lot of information but not much drive, and a bunch of penguins who are totally apathetic. All in all, this accurately describes for too many organizations!
Buried in this fable is a treasure-trove of helpful ideas for how to successfully navigate change in whatever organization you may be involved. If you are a part of a leadership team, reading this book together will, I am certain, open the door for some meaningful and productive conversations. It’s a book that can be read in just an afternoon, but the conversations and treasure mining will take weeks!
I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to stay ahead of needed corporate changes.
Craig T. Owens 