Kotter presents a compelling case about the need for a sense of urgency in competitive and high-performance organizations. In creating this sense of urgency, when it does not occur naturally, it’s critical to distinguish true urgency from complacency and false urgency. True urgency has distinguishing characteristics that make it different from complacency and false urgency. […]

Chapter 8: Keeping Urgency Up high urgency has potential for high-performance sustained urgency must be constantly recreated must be conscious effort or deeply ingrained in culture unambiguous success yields complacency urgency up, success; urgency down, a mess people can become frustrated, “why won’t they let up?” the problem with short term successes example of getting […]

Chapter 7: Tactic 4, Dealing with NoNos NoNo from Our Iceberg Is Melting the NoNo problem NoNos are not skeptics very dangerous to change Comparison table NoNo v Skeptic (148-149) past experiences desired data use of data how active or passive bottom line Don’t waste time trying to co-opt a NoNo they will hem and […]

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 […]

Chapter 5: Tactic Two, Behave With Urgency Every Day Respond fast, move now Ninan, manager in Indian outsourcing firm Discusses market and competition frequenty Shows urgency in actions, not just words The norm, un-urgent behavior the norm in hospital administration boss must model behavior clear the decks delegation cutting the cruft emphasis on high-value projects/meetings […]

Chapter 4: tactic one, bring the outside in “organizations…tend to be too internally oriented” (63) listen to customer facing employees trust that they’re intelligent respect ask questions, listen use the power of video shows naked human emotion “show them, don’t tell them” don’t always shield people from troubling data reasons for resisting disclosure believe people […]

Chapter 3: Increasing True Urgency business case how and why a business case fails pitfalls in solely intellectual buy-in aim for the heart better at affecting behavior MLK used rhetoric to affect hearts Tactics that aim at the heart human experiences effective experiences, seeing, feeling tailored emotional reaction unexplained experiences lead to increasing the bar […]

Chapter 2: Complacency and False Urgency Complacency feeling self ignorance origin? perceived success how do they think? do not acknowledge complacency feel? content with status quo? behave? “do not alertly look for new opportunities or hazards facing their organizations” (21) false urgency different than complacency driven by anxiety, anger, and fear wasted time passive aggression […]

Chapter 1: It All Starts With a Sense of Urgency complacency, false sense of urgency cultivating a true sense of urgency table comparing complacency, false urgency, and true urgency in following dimensions roots think feel behavior constant change in business, and the lack of true urgency starting with urgency a sense of urgency guiding team […]