Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions

Why write a business fable about penguins to champion change management? In the author Q&A section of “Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions,” John Kotter explains:“I’ve been studying for a long time how people learn. And I think it is pretty clear that our brains are hardwired for stories. A good story is easy to absorb and remember, especially if it has emotional components.” He notes that interesting animal stories have “some basic points in them that, because they stick around in your mind, can actually change what we do.”Coauthor Holger Rathgeber adds, “The whole thing started when I was asked to spend two to three hours with a large audience of managers and executives focusing on John’s Eight Steps from his ‘Leading Change’ book. It was clear to me that a PowerPoint presentation wasn’t a good way to do this. So I created a very rough plot about a colony of penguins sitting on an iceberg that is melting.”You’ll love the humor—because you’ve likely heard similar suggestions in recent team meetings! What should the penguins do about their melting iceberg? “Another bird suggested they find a perfect iceberg. No melting, no exposed caves, no fissures, just wonderful in every way so that their children and grandchildren would never, ever have to face a crisis like this again. Perhaps if they appointed a perfect-iceberg committee?”We've served on those committees, right? (LOL!)This book prompted me to reflect on presentations, speeches, and sermons I’ve heard recently. Unfortunately, there were more PowerPoints than stories. I’m wondering if the first century’s technology had included PowerPoints, would Jesus have used that tool—or would he have continued to use parables? (I’m guessing parables.)

I just finished this book a few hours. It took about 2 hours or so to get through 160ish pages.If you are familiar with John Kotter’s eight steps to change, then you’ll quickly identify how this fable incorporates those eight steps. To be clear, this a story about penguins and the change process they go through to convince their colony that they must move. It is NOT a how-to guide. It does not really discuss theory. There’s some content at the end that discusses what the penguin went through and how it relate to the eight steps of change.If you are a practitioner, this book provides examples that you can use to communicate the change process to individuals that make not be familiar or are struggling to understand.If you are unfamiliar with how change works in an organization and don’t want to read a bunch about theory, this book will give you very light insight into what that process looks like in an easy-to-read, sometimes funny, format.I have no reason to give this book anything less than a five star rating as it perfectly executes what it set out to do.

This book offers an interesting perspective on leading change within your organization. Many practical tips presented through the eyes of penguins.

Filled with humor, it will keep you entertained the whole way through. The book is like a children’s book, with pictures on pages and large text. However, it provides key points that anyone can use for change leadership. All in a way that is easy to digest.

I really liked this book. Especially the storyline that goes with the lesson. It never got boring and I always looked forward to my reading time.

Excellent book for facing change:I work as a psychiatrist with persons with intellectual developmental disorder(IDD) (earlier called mental handicap) and their families. The chief challenge of my work is to bring a positive approach to training efforts by the parents. As parents with a ‘special child’ parents face many challenges in bringing up and in planning for the child’s future. This responsibility is not what parents wanted, when the child was born into their family. The needs of ‘special child’ requires parents to think completely differently about a number of areas like day to day care, training the child, schooling, health care, planning for the future etc. It is these challenges that require you to take up the challenges and find new ways of succeed.The central theme of my work, is to EMPOWER YOUR CHILD AND YOUR FAMILY TO FACE THE CHALLENGES.It is in this context, that the book ‘Our iceberg is melting’ has a special meaning to you and your family.Most parents pass through life denying the ‘special’ needs of your child. From the book, parents learn to accept the situation, by accepting your child’s ‘special’ needs that they can be of greatest help to him/her.The book introduces the 8 principles of problem solving, which is useful to parents in a slightly modified form, as below.1. Recognise the special needs of your child and importance of training2. Pull together all members of your family3. Develop a vision for your child and a Strategy4. Reach out professionals for help and support5. Acquire skills to train your child6. Plan for Short-term gains7. Don't give up8. Make effort continuous and regular.

Cumple con todo lo publicado en la descripción.

This is a really good book to give a group that needs help coping with change.

Wouldn't want to say too much about this book in case I spoil it but it's an excellent narrative on the need for change and the need for it to be managed effectively and well. And done with a bit of humour involving............ penguins.Helped inspire me to write a dissertation on Change Management in the workplace

An amazing story to understand change management process

Great book and perfectly new