Creating the NOW Attitude “Our Iceberg is Melting” Model Prepared by: James J. Messina, Ph.D.

Handling the Unexpected “Our Iceberg is Melting” model Importance of sense of urgency Ways to instill the sense of urgency Obstacles of complacency

“Our Iceberg Is Melting” A story about an iceberg colony whose future is uncertain

“Our Iceberg Is Melting” Fred finds problem and needs to instill sense of urgency

“Our Iceberg Is Melting” Fred needs to inform colony of potential problem and possible solutions

“Our Iceberg Is Melting” Fred seeks help of others to overcome complacency of the group

NoNo

The 80-20 Principle 20 % Doers vs. 80 % Non-doers (NoNo) Doers Responsible for the survival of life Must always face negative criticisms of non-doers Non-doers (NoNo) Complacent, comfortable & stubborn Usually the ones to point the finger of blame first – “Why me?”, “It’s not fair.” or “It won’t work.” Need to move more people into the Doers

Major Obstacles of Complacency The absence of a major crisis Too many visible resources Low standards of performance Organizational structure that focuses employees on narrow functional goals Internal measurements that focus on the wrong performance indexes

More Major Obstacles of Complacency Human nature of denial Too much happy talk from upper management Lack of sufficient performance feedback from external sources Kill the messenger culture

Instilling the Sense of Urgency How do YOU put the wheel in motion? How do YOU get the NOW attitude?

YOU MUST DISRUPT THE STATUS QUO MENTALITY

How to disrupt the Status Quo Create a Crisis Eliminate examples of excess Set revenue, productivity & customer satisfaction so high that they can not be meet by present business practice Increase department’s responsibility for overall business performance Send more data about customer satisfaction to employees

More on: How to disrupt the Status Quo Insist on confronting unsatisfied relationships immediately Use consultants in manager meetings to drive honest discussions & use of more relevant data Stop happy talk when not appropriate Bombard people with information on future opportunities/rewards & organization’s current inability to pursue those opportunities

- Lawrence Miller “The achievement of excellence can only occur if the organization promotes a culture of creative dissatisfaction.”

Do YOU Have What it Takes to Create the “NOW” Attitude ?

Eight Step Process to Successful Change by John Kotter Set the Stage 1. Create a sense of Urgency 2. Pull together the guiding team Decide What to Do 3. Develop the change vision and strategy

Eight Step Process to Successful Change by John Kotter Make it Happen 4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy in 5. Empower others to act 6. Produce short-term wins 7. Don’t let up Make it Stick 8. Create a new culture

Summary Why is it important for YOU to have a sense of urgency in the face of change? What are the obstacles that can stop YOU in the process of change? Do YOU understand the ways to instill the sense of urgency?

References John P. Kotter and Holger Rathgeber (2005). Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Suceeding Under Any Conditions. New York: St. Martin’s Press. John P. Kotter (1996). Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen (2002). The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Our Iceberg is Melting website: http://www.ouricebergismelting.com/