Our Iceberg Is MeltingBy

John Kotter & Holger Rathgeber

o Place: Antarctica . Near Cape Washington.

o Time: Two months to the end of the Antarctic Summer.

o Setting: an old big iceberg by the sea in a place that is rich with food.

oThis iceberg has been the home for a colony of 268 Emperor

penguin birds.

oThey has been living there for as far as any of the penguins can

remember, no one in the colony could imagine living any where else.

This is our home, our fathers’ home and our

grandfathers’ home and will always be our

home.

This is our home, our fathers’ home and our

grandfathers’ home and will always be our

home.

o Every one in the colony learned to depend on each other they

often behaved like a big family.

o The birds were all much alike spending most of their time hunting

in the sea and socializing with relatives and friends, except for

one bird that was curious and observant, that was Fred.

o Fred socialized little and spend more time

watching the sea and observing.

o Fred had a briefcase full of observation,

ideas and conclusions.

o From his observations Fred concluded that the iceberg was

melting and it is going to break apart in the forthcoming

freezing winter.

o He discovered that the iceberg was melting from the inside

forming channels and caves that is filled with water, in the

winter water inside those caves will freeze and expand

pressuring the iceberg and eventually breaking it apart.

The Problem

o Fred knew he had to do something but he was not one of the

leaders or even related to one, and he remembered what

happened to his fellow penguin Harold when he tried to

suggest that their home is becoming fragile, he was treated

differently ever since.

o Fred knew he had to contact one of the ten

penguins in the leadership council, so he decided to

choose Alice.

o Alice was a tough practical bird she was the kind

that made things done.

oFred took Alice to dive

down the water and

showed her what he discovered.

This was not good. I must talk to all the leaders, but I

will need your assistance.

This was not good. I must talk to all the leaders, but I

will need your assistance.

oFred was relieved that he was

no longer the only penguin that

felt sense of urgency, but the

bad thing he did not yet find

any solution.

I will prepare presentation to convince them

I will prepare presentation to convince them

o Alice contacted all member of the leadership council, few

showed interest, but Alice was able to convince Louis – the

head penguin- to invite Fred to the next council meeting.

o Fred thought of the approach that could convince the council,

and he decided to make a model of the iceberg.

The council

Louis the head penguin and the most

respected one.

No No He was accustomed to being blamed

for being wrong in his

weather forecast .

Alice, tough, practical,

close to the colony and get things

done .

Buddy, handsome, slightest bit ambitious.

Can you guarantee that his data and conclusions are 100% accurate?

Can you guarantee that his data and conclusions are 100% accurate?

Honestly no. But if our iceberg break into pieces in winter,

wouldn’t many of us die?

Honestly no. But if our iceberg break into pieces in winter,

wouldn’t many of us die?

Imagine parents who lost their

children come and ask “How could this happened?” “What were you doing?” “Why didn’t you foresee the crisis”?

Imagine parents who lost their

children come and ask “How could this happened?” “What were you doing?” “Why didn’t you foresee the crisis”?

If Fred is right, we will have only two

months till winter to prepare things. I

must order an assembly.

If Fred is right, we will have only two

months till winter to prepare things. I

must order an assembly.

oMost of the members objected the assembly

saying it will cause panic, we must keep it a

secret till we are sure.

oFred suggested an idea, he brought a glass

bottle fill it with water, close it tightly and put

it in the ice and said if the bottle by tomorrow

freezes and exploded our iceberg will, and all

agreed.

oBy the next day their worst

nightmare came true.

So enough with the talk.

Let’s do something

The iceberg is

melting?

Oh Boy…

Oh Boy…

What will happened

to me?

Stop Complaining and start to

THINK!

1 : Create the sense of Urgency

2 : Pull Together the Guiding Team

Louis choose the guiding team and got them aligned together.

1- Louis: Head penguin, wise, patient and respected by all the

birds.

2- Alice: Practical, aggressive and make things done and treats

every one the same.

3- Buddy: Handsome, well trusted.

4- Fred: Younger, curios and creative.

5- Professor: Logical, well read and

analytical.

Look up there! The bird. It can’t fly forever. It

must have home on the ground .

Look up there! The bird. It can’t fly forever. It

must have home on the ground .

It could be very lost, but it does not seem to be afraid. What if moving

from one place to another was just the way

it lives?

It could be very lost, but it does not seem to be afraid. What if moving

from one place to another was just the way

it lives?

Nomadic life

Nomadic life

We wouldn’t try to fix melting icebergs. We would just face up

the fact that what sustains us cannot go on forever.

We wouldn’t try to fix melting icebergs. We would just face up

the fact that what sustains us cannot go on forever. 3 : Develop Change Vision and Strategy

We will move and

moveWe will not stick to a

piece of ice.

4:communicate the vision.

Louise called a General Assembly again to inform the new strategy.

Louise called a General Assembly again to inform the new strategy.

Communicate the vision relentlessly.

A scout team should go and look for another

iceberg. Take your men and find a good place.

A scout team should go and look for another

iceberg. Take your men and find a good place. Louis and the guiding team made some steps:

1- Formed the first scouts team from a

selected group of penguins.

2-dealt with all bothering lobbyist in a straight

and direct way by assigning the professor to

keep track of No No.

3- A major problem occurred “ The scouts

team will be busy exploring who will get them

food” as penguins shared food with only their

children.

Other problem occurred, No No’s opposite publicity spread fear among

the youngsters and they started to have nightmares about

killer whales eating them.

The team came out with two great ideas:

1- Buddy talked with the kindergarten teacher and convinced her with

her important role and she empowered the youngsters with heroic

tales about helping others in changing circumstances.

2- Sally Ann the kindergarten's teacher came up with the heroes day

celebration that include performance and a band, the ticket for the day

is two fishes for the adult, they set the date on the scouts return day.

5:empower others to Act.

Life was boring. This is FUN.

Life was boring. This is FUN.

I must help.I must help.

Jane will be proud of me.

Jane will be proud of me.

oStrong, Bright, and highly enthusiastic scouts jumped into the water and search for a new iceberg that is good enough for them to move to.

6 : Produce Short Term Win

oAfter the scouts returned home safe they told amazing stories about swimming long distances and new icebergs they had seen.

7 : Don’t Let Up, Press Harder and Faster After the First Success.

The next day, wasting no time, the

second wave of scouts were out to

find the right iceberg which will be a

safe home, have tall snow wall to

protect from icy storm, close to

fishing sites, and the food gathering

process for the scouts became a new

culture..

A perfect iceberg was found. Later the colony moved to the new home. The year after, they were moving again to find a better iceberg. Nomadic become their new culture.

8 : Create a New Culture

Fred become Head of

the Scout

Louise retired

becoming only a

grandfather raising his many niece and nephews

Alice took over

Louise job as

the Head of the Council

Buddy was

offered many

jobs, but turn them down

and stay with

family

No one believe NoNo

anymore. His

weather forecast

job is handed

to Professor

These are the Change

Management Process

These are the Change

Management Process

Create a Sense of Urgency

Pull Together

the Guiding

Team

Develop the

Change Vision & Strategy

Communicate for

Understanding & Buy-in

Empower Others to

Act

Produce Short-term Wins

Create a new

Culture

That’s the end of the story, but what about you, is your iceberg is melting?