John Paul Kotter (b.1947) is an American management consultant and academic. He is a renowned thought leader and best-selling author in the fields of leadership and managerial behavior.
Born in San Diego, California, Kotter attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Currently an emeritus professor at the Harvard Business School, he is the founder of the management consulting firm Kotter International.
Kotter is the author of 20 books. His international bestseller Leading Change (1996) is considered an influential work in the field of change management. Among his earlier books, The General Managers (1982) looked at how general managers work and function, and A Force for Change (1990) argued that leadership and management differ.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by John Kotter
People are more inclined to be drawn in if their leader has a compelling vision. Great leaders help people get in touch with their own aspirations and then will help them forge those aspirations into a personal vision.
—John Kotter
Topics: Aspirations
Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.
—John Kotter
Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better.
—John Kotter
Topics: Reality, Leadership, Difficulty
Good communication does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn’t about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.
—John Kotter
Topics: Communication
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Daniel J. Boorstin American Historian
Randy Pausch American Computer Scientist
William Graham Sumner American Polymath
Lincoln Steffens American Journalist
S. I. Hayakawa Canadian-born American Academic
Germaine Greer Australia Academic
Warren Bennis American Management Consultant
Claude Bernard French Physiologist
William Blackstone English Judge
Peter Senge American Management Consultant