Do you want a long and successful future?
Leadership in 180 seconds: Kotter’s 8 principles no.8 - Institute Change
As we head toward Christmas, I’m reminded how powerful small, consistent steps can be—not just in leadership, but in life.
John Kotter’s eighth principle of change, Embrace Continuous Improvement, lands especially well this time of year.
And there’s no better example than Jesus himself whom we will celebrate in just a couple of days!
He was unmistakably clear on His vision. The historical accounts show a leader who walked patiently with His disciples for three years, encouraging small shifts, growth moments, mindset changes—day by day.
Those incremental steps formed the largest, most influential movement in human history.
That’s the power of steady, intentional improvement.
As you prepare for 2026, let me encourage you:
You don’t need a massive overhaul.
You just need the next 1% step.
Maybe that’s deepening connection with your team.
Maybe it’s removing one unnecessary barrier.
Maybe it’s refining your vision, your habits, or your leadership presence.
Whatever it is, choose one thing—then commit to improving it just a little every day.
That’s how momentum builds.
That’s how cultures shift.
That’s how leaders transform themselves and those they serve.
Wishing you all the best during this festive season.
May God bless you richly as we anticipate the best year ever to come in 2026!
-
This week we're diving into John Kotter's 8th principle of leading change. If you search this on the web, this principal is often named differently: I prefer the name ‘Embrace Continuous Improvement. Embrace Continuous Improvement.
James Clear, in his excellent book, Atomic Habits opens with the story of being hit in the head with a baseball bat and the effort it took to work his way back towards playing the sport he loved. He paints the picture far better than I could in 3 minutes, so go and read it for yourself. But man, my heart goes out as I read the story. I can’t imagine being in his shoes.
The point of his story is that this setback left him unlikely to reach his goal of playing professional baseball. However, he shows how he made small changes the norm in his life. He knew that to achieve his goals he needed to change something every day. Read the book for yourself. ‘Atomic Habits by James Clear’. However as a teaser, the graph early on in the book shows the exponential growth of just 1% change every day. As my kids would say, ‘Mind blown’!
Embracing continuous improvement ensures sustained success. Change is not a one-time event but a continuous journey. It's about fostering a culture that embraces adaptability and innovation. Encouraging a change culture leads to an environment where your team thrives and grows towards long term sustainability and profitability no matter what changes around you.
To be ready for change, leaders must prioritise a culture of continuous improvement. This happens through practising Kotter’s seven other principals every day.
Create urgency judiciously. Help your people to understand the need to change. Help them to understand that change which benefits the organisation benefits them.
Form a guiding coalition. Change can’t happen in a vacuum. Be genuine and relational in your leadership. If people don’t believe in you as their leader you won’t see genuine change.
Make sure your vision is crystal clear.
Communicate your vision at every opportunity you have. Remember that most leaders under communicate by a factor of 10. Communicate with words, with actions. Communicate, communicate!
Remove obstacles. Be an enabler. Yep, we know the natural tendency of the organisation is to create structures that inhibit change, but we need to try to create structures and mindsets that embrace and enable change.
Celebrate the small wins. If you are waiting for the big one. People will lose motivation. It simply won’t come. Enjoy the moments where something has gone well for you and your team. Celebrate the victories no matter how small.
Sustain acceleration or sustain your discipline. Don’t let the celebrations turn into complacency, keep your focus on the finish line.
When you and your organisation embrace continuous improvement, you are better equipped to navigate complexities and seize opportunities in today's rapidly evolving landscape. So today, what is the one thing that you are going to change. What is the one thing you will focus on to help you achieve your vision?
If you have been enjoying my podcast, I encourage you to get in touch to organise some coaching. Sports and musical professionals use coaches because a coach helps us to stay focussed and accountable; to make the 1% changes daily. As a professional coach I can help you to achieve your goals faster, to better strategise around your pain points, to better plan for what is ahead.