John Kotter is a Harvard Business School professor and prolific author on leadership and change. The bulk of Kotter’s work takes the form of scholarly articles and intellectual books. After years of research, Kotter published Leading Change. In it, he presents an 8 stage model for leading organizations through change. Leading Change presents great model, but to a limited audience.

Then came Our Iceberg is Melting.

Kotter uses a business fable to present a simplified explanation of the eight-stage model. The story follows a penguin colony that realizes their iceberg is shrinking and that they will need to transition to a new home. The plot takes the colony through all eight stages:

1. Create a Sense of Urgency.
2. Pull Together the Guiding Team.
3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy.
4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in.
5. Empower Others to Act.
6. Produce Short-Term Wins.
7. Don’t Let Up.
8. Create a New Culture.

This playful fable clearly defines the eight stages while keeping the reader entertained. Our Iceberg is Melting is a fast read, which is surprising considering that it presents well-researched conclusions about leading change.