“Our Iceberg is melting” – Vincentian Family coping with change

On the surface, John Kotter’s Our Iceberg Is Melting is a simple story of a colony of penguins facing a dilemma. But contained within the story and the characters is a powerful message about the fear of change and how to motivate people to face the future and take action.

Vincent was very much on target when he wrote “The Company is not now what it once was nor is it what it will be.” At least one branch of the Vincentian Family has used the book as a basis for regional discussions. Perhaps others might find it helpful.

The author writes on his website, “Individuals and organizations alike have used Our Iceberg Is Melting to help them understand what types of change they face, how change can be resisted against at first, and, finally, what to do in order to get people (or penguins) to support needed changes quickly. The book has won rave reviews from executives and leaders around the world, and many of them have already used the story to help build momentum for change inside their own organizations.

“To help you understand the story a little bit better, we’d like to introduce you to some of the characters in the book below. The characters are all part of the same colony, yet each of them has their own unique perspective. You may recognize them as being like people in your organization, or even yourself!

Visit the author’s site and roll over the images to hear the penguins describe their approaches.