If you are looking for a quick read and simple steps to succeed in our ever-changing world, you want to read Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter.  In this fable, Fred, the curious and observant penguin, was alarmed by signs of a potentially dangerous problem threatening the home of an emperor penguin colony.  Not surprising, the others believed Fred was erratic and were resistant to change.  They refused to believe the potential of their iceberg melting and being uprooted to the unknown.  

Fred was determined to prove his case.  The colony was governed by a Leadership Council (sound familiar?).  Fred elected to convince Alice, one of the Council members, by taking her to the melting point.  After proving his point to Alice, he was invited to present at a Leadership Council meeting.  Fred was met with continued skepticism but did his homework and knew the best delivery method for obtaining buy in from the colony leadership.  Through an iceberg model and a glass bottle, Fred was successful in convincing the Council of the urgency of the situation.  

So now what? Keep reading to learn eight steps!

Step One - Create a Sense of Urgency.  The Leadership Council quickly called an assembly of the colony to share their findings and help others see the importance of change and acting immediately.  

Step Two – Pull Together the Guiding Team. Louis, the Head Penguin, pulled a team together to guide the colony through the challenges.  The team was powerful and exhibited qualities of leadership, credibility, communications, authority, analytical skills, and a sense of urgency.  After the composition of the team was determined they spent time (only two days) building a close-knit team.

Step Three – Develop the Change Vision and Strategy. After searching for ideas and answers, the penguins decided to try something new, “walk around and keep your eyes and minds open.”   Along came a seagull that challenged their thinking and intrigued them with his nomadic lifestyle.  The team clarified the future vision and established a strategy to make it reality; they too would become a nomadic colony.

Step Four – Communicate for Understanding and Buy In.  Louis, intriguing to the emotion of the penguins, communicated the vision and obtained buy-in during a colony meeting.  At the conclusion of the meeting 30% could see the new way of life, 30% were digesting the information, 20% were very confused, 10% were skeptical but not hostile, and 10% thought the idea was completely absurd.  After the meeting, the vision was communicated around the iceberg on posters.

Step Five – Empower Others to Act. The Leadership Council empowered over thirty birds to scout out future icebergs and a plan for moving the colony.  They had to remove barriers to make their visions a reality.  One barrier was an old tradition on the colony; penguins shared food with only their children.  With so many exploring it left insufficient time to fish and the scouts would return tired and hungry.  The colony banned together and found a solution, “Tribute to Our Heroes Day,” charging two fish per adult.

Step Six –Produce Short-Term Wins.  The Scouts returned to the “Tribute to Our Heroes Day” with amazing tales about the new icebergs they discovered.  Beyond removing barriers the tribute day served as a celebration of a short-term win.

Step Seven – Don’t Let Up.  After the first success the penguins pressed on by sending a second wave of scouts to explore promising possibilities discovered by the first scouts.  They were relentless, initiating change until they found a suitable iceberg that fit their nomadic vision.

Step Eight – Create a New Culture. Kotter states, “Tradition dies a hard death.”  The colony had to ensure that the news ways of behaving would stick and not be overcome by stubborn, hard to die traditions.  

The Emperor Penguin Colony worked well together to address a potentially devastating problem threatening their home.  Through their clever tactics they overcame skepticism and challenged old traditions to leap into a better more sustainable future.

Are you living on a melting iceberg or an iceberg that could melt?  Kotter challenges the reader to reflect on icebergs in their organizations.  For local government this could be in many forms, infrastructure, irrelevant services, fiscal stability, old traditions, etc.  Beyond the eight steps, he also challenges the reader to look at the roles of thinking and feeling.  Who are the skeptics? Who are the Fred’s?  Who am I?  All of which are important to consider when pulling together your guiding team.

In closing, Kotter quotes, “Handle the challenge of change well, and you can prosper greatly.  Handle it poorly, and you put yourself and others at risk.”  In our era of increasing change, hopefully eight simple lessons from a colony of penguins can put a smile on your face and help you develop creative solutions for the challenges faced in your communities.