Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail

John P. Kotter is an acknowledged expert in leadership and change management. This article sums up the main lessons learned from his years spent accompanying major transformation projects in multinational groups. Kotter outlines eight typical mistakes which, according to him, explain the high proportion of failures of such projects: lack of an initial sense of urgency; absence of a strong coalition to lead the change at the top; lack of vision; shortcomings in communication; lack of anticipation of the obstacles; too long-term perspective; tendency to claim victory too quickly; and finally, underestimating the weight of the corporate culture. Plenty of points to feed the roadmap of a leader in charge of change management.