Leading Change

Have not finished reading but is very interesting. Keeps you focused. A book you do not want to put down. This was for a religious class at Purpose Institute.

ALthough I was highly motivated to listen to the text for a graduate course while driving -a multi task attempt-
it was hypnotic and almost put me to sleep. It was sooooo boring, it required herculean effort to focus and listen to it.

I'd like to review the book, but STILL have not received it. No word from the seller.....

If you enjoy reading laundry lists, this is for you. I bought the audio version to listen to while communting, finally gave up in self-defense -- I was falling asleep at the wheel. Problems with this are: lack of real-life examples; pedantic, didactic style.

For better and more readable/listenable advice on implementing change, check out: "Good to Great" by Jim Collins; "Execution" by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan; "Who Says Elephants Can't Dance" by Lou Gerstner; "Winning" by Jack Welch.

One of the hardest things to find is a book that links leadership to change in a practical, step-by-step, balanced way. Most books on the subject focus primarily on one or the other.

Based on his experience with major corporations as a Harvard Business School professor, Kotter's eight-stage process is clear, logical, and consistent with modern change management theory.

I use this book and a related article in a seminar on change management to provide the students with one way to initiate and manage change that is particularly effective in large organizations. I say that because this book assumes that entrenched managers will not budge unless there is a sense of urgency or the leader creates one.

There are other, more charismatic and visionary, ways to initiate change that work exceptionally well in cases where the leader and the culture are more collaborative, but Kotter's approach is one of the best for initiating change when something has to give in order for it to happen.

If you find yourself in a situation where vested interests simply refuse to cooperate, Leading Change is the book for you.

Robert E. Levasseur, Ph.D., author of "Leadership and Change in the 21st Century"