Leading Change
Before talking about leading change, let’s go back to 1996, just 12 years ago:
- Google wasn’t here yet, it was founded on 1998. Ok, you could go and search with Altavista.
- The Internet had less than a million web sites (as of this writing according to Netcraft reports 182 million).
- Internet explorer launched version 3.0
- Netscape Navigator was the defacto standard.
- Bill Clinton was the President of USA.
- The MP3 Portable players where not even here, the first one was sold in 1998, with 64 MB, RAM.
- Pendrives didn’t exist.
- The “Asian Crisis” has not yet happened (it was in 1998).
As you can see, a lot has changed since 1996, and probably a lot more will change in the next 12 years. Ok, let’s go now to “Leading Change”.
In 1996Â distinguished Harvard Professor John P. Kotter, publishes Leading Change
While I was reading several things and events crossed my mind. Since 1996 I’ve been working in three different companies. I’ve been through 3 major “changes” in the last companies, I’ve seen failure and success, and this book has given me a “framework” to explain both of them. A good framework, helps you to explain and “better understand” your reality, and in the end empowers you.
These are the activities that the Kotter’s plan has:
- Establish a sense of urgency.
- Create a Guiding Coalition.
- Develop a Vision and Strategy.
- Communicate the Change Vision.
- Empower broad based action.
- Generate Short Term Wins.
- Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change.
- Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture.Â
These are headliners only, but you get a good idea of each one. If you make a checklist with these activities and take a look at it, you’ll see you can clearly explain why changes in your organization have succeeded or not.Â
I think the book is best suited for people with 5 or more years of experience, I’m saying this because in order for you to grasp the impact and relevance of the information Kotter gives us, you should have gone through one or two or these “change processes”, no matter if they failed or succeded, you can explain why in both cases. Â
I can only say that this is a great book and should at least be required reading for every aspiring manager / leader. By the way, the book emphasizes the need for leaders in order for changes to succeed. That’s my friends, where we all wanna be leaders fit in.Â
Remember: Be Alert, Be A Leader. 
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