A Sense of Urgency

John Kotter is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on leadership and change. Author of such bestsellers as "Leading Change" and "Our Iceberg Is Melting" this volume came into being after he reflected on the question "What is the single biggest error people make when they try to change?"

Deciding the answer to be "...that they did not create a high enough sense of urgency among people to set the stage for making a challenging leap into some new direction" he investigated further by systematically asking managers a set of questions that led him to formulate the strategy outlined in this book.

Utilising case studies and interviews, the strategy is based around winning hearts and minds and involves four tactics that, if developed correctly, will increase needed urgency. Once the urgency is in place he then explains how to keep it going and then plan for the future.

This is a fairly interesting but extremely well written book. The inclusion of the case studies turn what could have been a dry management theory into a relevant and easily applicable plan of action. Showing how organisations have suffered through complacency and illustrating what could have been done to avoid the suffering is a useful tool that may be plotted against your own organisation.

My only criticism would be that it feels a little padded out in places, as if the ideas didn't really need expressing on their own but in one of the books that are quoted throughout. ( )