Great leaders understand that historical success tends to produce stable and inwardly focused organizations, and these outfits, in turn, reinforce a feeling of contentment with the status quo.
John P. KotterRead
Overcoming complacency is crucial at the start of any change process, and it often requires a little bit of surprise, something that grabs attention at more than an intellectual level. You need to surprise people with something that disturbs their view that everything is perfect.
Interpretation
Overcoming complacency is essential for initiating change, often needing an unexpected element to shift perspectives.
This quote emphasizes that recognizing and overcoming complacency is vital at the onset of any change initiative. It suggests that simply understanding the need for change is not enough; there must be a surprising element that disrupts the status quo and challenges people's belief that everything is fine, thereby motivating them to embrace the necessary transformation.
In practice
In a team meeting where we are discussing new strategies, I might quote this to inspire colleagues to reconsider their comfort zones.
Great leaders understand that historical success tends to produce stable and inwardly focused organizations, and these outfits, in turn, reinforce a feeling of contentment with the status quo.
We are always creating new tools and techniques to help people, but the fundamental framework is remarkably resilient, which means it must have something to do with the nature of organizations or human nature.
Managers are trained to make incremental, programmatic improvements. They aren't trained to lead large-scale change.
Because management deals mostly with the status quo and leadership deals mostly with change, in the next century we are going to have to try to become much more skilled at creating leaders.
Outsiders have the intuitive ability to continually view problems in fresh ways and to identify ineffective practices and traditions.
Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves.
How can I begin anything new with all of yesterday in me?
If you want to change who you are, begin by changing the size of your dream. Even if you are broke, it does not cost you anything to dream of being rich. Many poor people are poor because they have given up on dreaming.
Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
When women thrive, economies thrive.
What you saw was the people of New York having a debate, talking through these issues. It was contentious. It was emotional. But ultimately, they made a decision to recognize civil marriage. And I think that's exactly how things should work.
We are - each and every one of us - unlearning misogyny. It's going to take some time. But be aware and active of your prejudices. Notice when they kick in and resist. Fight to stay soft and open. Step back and squint hard.
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