John P. Kotter Quotes

Most people don't lead their own lives - they accept their lives

Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome.

In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one, of course, is role-modeling it yourself. Number two is when people take intelligent, smart risks and yet it doesn't work out, not shooting them. And number three, being honest with yourself. If the culture you have is radically different from an experiment and take-risk culture, then you have a big change you going to have to make—and no little gimmicks are going to do it for you.

A higher rate of urgency does not imply ever-present panic, anxiety, or fear. It means a state in which complacency is virtually absent.

No vision issue today is bigger than the question of efficiency versus some combination of innovation and customer service.

Tradition is a very powerful force.

Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower.