Cover via Amazon

I may be the last person in the business world to read John Kotter's Our Iceberg is Melting. I usually avoid parables and fables couched as business books. But I was asked to read the book as part of an ongoing transformation at one of the non-profits we consult with on a regular basis. And I am a convert to how the book can be very useful to start-ups, successful companies, non-profits and even your own life.

Why did I change my mind?

First, it's short and to the point. My wife read the book to me in a recent drive from our home in Maine to a meeting in Boston, about a one and one-half hour drive.  Yes, my wife reads to me often in the car.  We both enjoy it. We both found the book entertaining and educational at the same time.  We often stopped reading and guessed at how some of the main "characters" (the penguins) would behave in various situations. We ended up having a lively discussion at dinner before the meeting about the messages in the book.  No business book has ever created so much interest and dialogue for us.

Second, it's all about involvement and communications, stupid. One of the major failings I see in companies and relationships is the inability to draw affected people into a decision process and using everyone's input to craft a solution. The book describes in detail both how to do this and what issues one may encounter in the process. No one likes change. Period. And Kotter speaks in detail how best to get people to accept and even embrace change.

Third, we all better listen to the lessons. Our world is constantly changing as is our relationships with our friends and loved ones.  Embracing the ability to change and having a process to adapt is crucial to our survival. Remember that we are all here because our ancestors were the ones that embraced change and survived. We need to keep learning that lesson in our organizations and personal lives.

Finally, we have the opportunity to change. I don't care how rich you are and can avoid change, or how you think you might be isolated from the huge changes that our going on in our world. You aren't. Stupid as it may sound, there is opportunity in crisis. In the world of start-ups, for example, all the old paradigms on building a successful company are obsolete. Take the current opportunity to change as your chance to redefine your business model before it is too late.

For $12 or so on Amazon, this is the cheapest advice you can get on how to be successful in life and business.