My scribblings this month are based on the book by John Kotter “Our iceberg is melting” which is about a colony of penguins which hadn’t realised that their whole world was going to change or disappear before their eyes, or slip away under their flippers. (Please note I had written this before the John Lewis advert!)
During my 8+ years of coaching I have noticed both individuals and companies have patterns of behaviour which can get in the way of acting smarter and consequently increase confusion and stress. Too many Boardrooms can be about politics and people’s own sense of importance. John Kotter’s book describes this so simply that everybody can see the issues and pitfalls and hopefully can change that pattern of behaviour.
So how is your iceberg? Is it starting to melt?
In your case, the iceberg may be your products which are antiquated, succession management which hasn’t been tackled, or perhaps your business model which isn’t going to continuing floating in the next decade e.g. Woolworths!
Once you have identified a need for change (Continuous monitoring and getting different perspectives required) a sense of urgency is needed and then the right leadership needs to be put together. Identify “NoNos” (negative people who won’t want change) and exclude them. The leadership team needs credibility, communications ability, authority and analytical skills plus a sense of urgency.
What is your new strategy going to be and keep it simple?
Communicate to all parties and clearly show them the need for change.
Empower people to act and remove barriers for them.
Produce short term wins and don’t let up and keep “NoNos” out of it
Create a new culture and ensure people stick to the new traditions.
When I became MD of a distressed insurance brokerage in 2001, I used this model without knowing it!
If you want to know more, buy John Kotter’s book “Our Iceberg is melting”. It only takes about 2 hours to read or visit his website www.johnkotter.com.
If you want a coach who has been there and worn the T-shirt, please get in touch with me neil@nvwsolutions.co.uk.
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