Michael Rohland
Exploring Leadership
Assignment 3
Due: 10/15/2012
John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do
Chapter 1 in the book “John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do”, focused on a few
distinct ideas. First, leadership today and leadership many years ago are much different in not
only their definitions, but in the way in which we see leaders. Globalization and the increasingly
fast-paced world in which we live have created a strong need for organizations to be lead in a
direction that inspires growth and change. Product life cycles that used to be twenty or so years
are now cut to five years or even shorter. If organizations are not able to keep up with how
quickly the market changes, the consequences can be fatal. Chapter 1 also begins to explain the
harsh differences between management and leadership. Both managing and leading are
important, but they serve completely different roles within organizations. Where management
can be thought of a task delegating, in which it is clear who the bosses are, leading is the process
of creating change. Leadership does not have to be from an executive of a company. Middlemanagers and even members at the bottom of a management grid can be some of the strongest
leaders of any organization. Top-level executives must be able to delegate much of the
management aspect of their jobs to lower level employees, so that they may have the time to
focus on the role of being a successful leader and creating change. “Firms that are failing to
delegate more from the top and to purge unneeded activities are facing increasing burnout among
top managers.” (Kotter 21) If top employees are trying to both manage and lead, they will
become worn out, stressed, and tired, and fail to continue to create a path for the organization
that will lead to growth and change rather than stagnation.
Chapter 2, Choosing Strategies for Change, focuses on the methods of installing great
changes in an organization. One of the most important things to assess when attempting to make
a change within an organization is the potential for a resistance to the change. There are four
major reasons that people would resist a change including: Parochial Self-Interest,
Misunderstanding and Lack of Trust, Different Assessments, and Low Tolerance for Change.
The first type of resistance occurs when the people affected feel as though they are going to lose
something of value as a result of a change so as a result, they will try to undermine the change
efforts. Misunderstanding and lack of trust is a type of resistance in which the people involved
do not fully understand the need for change or feel that the change will cost much more than they
will gain. Differing assessments refers to when workers affected by a change do not agree with
the change proposed. They will therefore resist or undermine the change because they feel
strongly against its potential for benefit. Finally, low tolerance for change refers to when workers
feel they do not have the ability to successfully learn the new skills required do to the change.
They will therefore resist the change even if they feel the change is for a good cause. There are
many strategies outlined for dealing with resistance. The most important thing to do before
implementing a change is to understand what type of resistance may be faced and the reasons for
that resistance. Doing this will allow the leader to choose a strategy that will most effectively
implement a new change. Some resistance requires a great deal of participation whereas other
resistances require careful manipulation. Utilizing the best strategy for a particular change is the
most important aspect of being successful with that change.
Chapter 3, What Leaders Really Do, focuses solely on the differences between managing
and leading. Kotter explains that most organizations today are over managed and under led. This
is not to say however that management is unimportant. A company that is over led and
undermanaged is potentially worse off than the opposite. It is therefore extremely invaluable for
companies to understand the importance of leadership and management and how the two
complement and coexist. Managers are responsible for tasks such as planning and budgeting,
where leaders would set a direction for the upcoming change. Likewise managers organize and
staff where leaders align people. It is obvious then, that the core difference between leading and
managing is that successful management is based on the organizing structure of a company and
successful leadership is based on creating vision and satisfying the ever-growing need for
change. Creating an environment that encourages leadership is an equally important aspect for
companies to become proficient. Actively seeking out young individuals with high leadership
potential and then creating challenging opportunities for those people is one very effective way
to build leadership potential. The ultimate goal of a company should be to create a culture that is
rewarding to those who lead and seek change versus one in which leaders are seen as rebels.
Chapter 4, Leading Change, explains in simple context, the methods of making a
significant change within an organization. Primarily, it outlines eight major errors that are
commonly made during an effort to produce such change. These errors include: not having
enough urgency, not having a powerful guiding coalition, lacking vision, under communication,
not removing obstacles, not systematically planning for short term wins, declaring victory too
soon, and not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture. Each of these errors can be
catastrophic to the successful change of an organization. Often times, if most people within the
company do not feel that a change is needed, they will themselves become roadblocks. One of
the most important factors in creating change is to make the change and then fully anchor it
within the company’s system. If a successful change has been made, but then new employees are
promoted that do not follow the new methods, the changes will quickly disappear. Successful
preparation and continuous assessment of the change efforts along the way will help ensure the
ability of the company to make a change that will create lasting results.
Chapter 5 is entitled Power, Dependence, and Effective Management. In this chapter,
Kotter begins by explaining that as Americans, we are typically not comfortable with the idea of
power. Not only do we often fear or resent those who possess power, but we often do not
understand how to handle or use power if we obtain it. The first step in utilizing one’s power as a
manager is to recognize the people around which that manager is dependent. Not only are
managers dependent on subordinates as well as bosses, but they are often dependent on people
outside of their division or even outside of their company. It is vital to understand who you are
dependent on and why in order to become a powerful manager and in turn, a powerful leader.
Next, Kotter describes the many methods in which managers can acquire power. These methods
include: using a sense of obligation, obtaining belief in their expertise, allowing others to identify
with the manager, and using a perceived dependence on that manager. One of the most effective
and least time consuming methods of acquiring power is by utilizing a sense of obligation. To do
this, managers will perform very small deeds in which people identify strongly with. In return,
those people will go out of their way to help that manager since they feel obligated to help them
in return for favors. The overall goal of chapter 5 was to introduce power and explain how it may
be acquired and used successfully. There are many ways to utilize power; some more risky such
as using indirect ways to manipulate those you wish to control. In order to be fully successful as
a manager however, it is vital to become comfortable with power as well as utilize it.
Chapter 6, Managing Your Boss is perhaps one of the most important chapters in this
book. By “managing your boss” Kotter does not mean that as a lower level manager, you should
try to control or manipulate your boss, but that you should take care to make sure that the
relationship between you as a manager and your boss is a good one. “Successful managers
develop good relationships with everyone they depend on – including their boss.” (Kotter 124)
As expressed by this quote, it is important to have a good working relationship with your boss
because he or she is one of the people in which you would depend on most. It is first important to
fully understand the boss’s personality and work style. It is, however, equally important for the
manager to understand his or her own personality needs and work style. If successful in these
two ways, a manager can be very accomplished in handling the relationship between them and
their boss. It is important to not see the boss as an enemy as Kotter points out as well. Some
managers see their bosses in a negative light strictly due to their possession of power over them.
These managers will often fight with their bosses just because, and the relationship between
them will be strained, severely impacting their abilities to be effective. It is important to
understand the mutual expectations between both the manager and the boss. If this criterion is
met, the relationship will never be surprising to either party. This chapter may be more
accurately titled, “Managing Your Relationship with Your Boss” since it is the relationship, not
the bosses themselves that needs to be managed effectively.
The final and seventh chapter, What Effective General Managers Really Do, goes into
great detail explaining how most general managers go about a typical work day. It first gives a
detailed day-long agenda that most of the GM’s that were studied would have. Included in this
were many very short and choppy conversations that took place with a wide range of people
within a GM’s network. During these short conversations, it is explained that good GM’s will
find much vital information that they need from the other workers while simultaneously
encouraging a good relationship with those same people. Another key aspect of this chapter is to
explain how good GM’s will handle a new job once appointed to the role of Manager. Almost
always, the first six months to a year on the new job is spent both building a network in which to
work and setting an agenda. Both of these activities are extremely vital. Without proper network
building, a GM’s job will essentially be impossible due to the earlier explained dependencies that
inevitably affect all workers and managers. Likewise, without a proper agenda set, GM’s will not
have a good sense of direction, nor will they be able to understand what they need their
subordinates to accomplish and in what time frame. Their work would be largely ineffective
without an agenda, and that is why much of the first year on the job is spent setting an agenda. It
is crucial to understand that the agenda is never fully complete however. It is always evolving
and growing to meet the ever changing needs of the company or organization. Chapter 7 largely
explains how the most effective of GM’s do not perform a very standardized set of work, yet
their seemingly inappropriate work schedule is very effective because it utilizes little time to
accomplish many vital goals.
“John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do” was a far more valuable read than I had
originally anticipated. As with many books of this nature, I expected it to be a very dry
explanation of leadership. I was delightfully surprised by the amount of real-world research that
was presented. I have learned many lessons that for most, takes years of actual managerial
experience to gain. One of the most invaluable lessons I have taken away is the differentiation
between management and leading. Before reading this book, I felt that the words leading and
managing were one in the same. I now understand the crucial differences between the two.
Managing is a very task oriented thing. Managing means setting specific goals, setting budgets,
making sure the employees needed for a particular task are available and so forth. Leading is a
much less defined aspect of business. Leading means inspiring change, motivating subordinates,
and creatively working to keep up with the ever changing globalized world. When I become a
manager of a company or even the owner of my own business, I will be sure not to confuse the
crucial differences between managing and leading. I am going to make certain that I keep the
organization organized (managed) as well as flexible (led). I am also going to always remember
that many companies are often over managed and under led. This is a dangerous formula because
it causes these companies to become stagnant. They fail to keep up with the volatile world. I
personally think of a current example of a company that is currently failing due to their inability
to change with the demands of business. Research in Motion, a company largely focused on the
development and selling of cellular products was once a dominant company in the sector. Their
most known devices are the Blackberry products. Blackberries were once extremely popular as
they were seen as the most capable devices of their kind. With the introduction of touchscreen
smartphones by huge companies including Apple and Samsung however, Research in Motion
has failed to innovate to maintain their hold on the market share. The phones are now often
looked upon as a thing of the past and along with their innovation, the stock price has fallen. I
feel that the company’s failure is largely due to a resistance to change with the needs and wants
of consumers. When I am leading as a manager or owner of an organization someday, I will
always be careful to pay close attention to the competition. If new products and/or services are
being released that make my organization’s products obsolete, I will make every effort to keep
my organization ahead by innovating and changing. RIM fell into a trap by simply sticking to a
formula that worked, while failing to realize that the formula was slowly becoming obsolete. I, as
a leader, will always stay innovative so that this does not happen. Finally, the last lesson that I
will carry with me is that all people within a company are dependent on many other people both
within and outside of the organization. Even CEO’s of companies are extremely dependent
people. Understanding this dependence is crucial to being effective as a leader. Instead of feeling
that I can control 100 percent of my situation, I will understand that I need the cooperation of
others to be effective. Knowing this, I will put great emphasis on building strong relationships
with everyone within my network including but not limited to subordinates, bosses, and outside
suppliers or consumers. With these relationships, I feel I will be able to much more efficiently
lead and encourage change for the greater good of the company or organization. Overall, I felt
that this book was an incredibly valuable read which provided me with a vast amount of wisdom
that has been collected through years of research and with thousands of employees and many
companies. I feel fortunate to have learned the lessons of so many missteps and successes.
Works Cited
Kotter, John P. John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do. Boston: Harvard Business School, 1999. Print.