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A Sense of Urgency by Kotter, Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Tactic Three, Find Opportunity in Crises

  • many want to avoid crises, but may be opportunity
  • “burning platform” (120)
  • avoid and control crises but watch out
    • damage control impt but tends to remove opp for creating urgency
  • use a crisis to create urgency, but watch out
    • crises provide opp to affect organizational morale, heart and head
    • Example, Irene Goodwin, mkt mgr, used crisis to affect departmental change
      • Plan for the crisis, including reactions and effects
  • create a crisis–maybe
    • write-down of airline balance sheet holdings
    • charismatic CEO
    • stretch goals
    • change needed to resolve it must not be simple
    • crisis yields real business problems
  • know and avoid 4 dangerous mistakes
    • assuming crises will create sense of urgency
    • angry backlash due to feelings of manipulation
    • passively awaiting crises
    • underestimating consequences of disaster
  • the bottom line
    • principles to create true urgency
      • crises as opportunities
      • crises do not automaticall reduce complacency
      • crises reducing complacency must be “visible, unambiguous, related to real business problems, ” and not easily solvable.
      • be proactive in reaction, plans for action, and swift implementation
      • focus on hearts at least as much as minds
      • don’t passively wait for crises
      • careful losing control and being manipulative
      • work with people higher in the org

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