Our Iceberg Is Melting By John Kotter & Holger Rathgeber
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?