Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions

by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber

Spencer Johnson (Foreword)

In this business management fable, one penguin notices something problem that could become a big problem for the whole colony, but the other penguins don't want to listen, so he must convince and enlist the help of others to get something done.

• ISBN10: 031236198X
• ISBN13: 9780312361983
• Publish Date: 5 September 2006 (first published 1 September 2006)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 27 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Our Iceberg is Melting is one of those ‘trendy’ self-help books that are so simple that somehow they are passed off as revolutionary…when in fact they are actually really simple. Who would have guessed?

Our Iceberg is Melting (or OIiM from now on) is a how to succeed book written in the style of a fable. So not only does it include fully illustrated and colored pictures but it’s also so simple a kid could read it…seriously…I’m not joking it’s written on a elementary school level. Which is great if you have a really ambitious kid who wants to know how to succeed but isn’t quite ready for the heavy stuff. As an adult I felt it to be really lacking. It is enjoyable, well more enjoyable than any other business help book I’ve tried to slog through so far, so that’s saying something…and it gets points for approachability seeing as anyone can pick this up and grasp what it’s saying.

What this book lacks is any sort of depth. We get to see initiative and compromise in action, and we get a bit of an explanation as to why they were used…but since it’s written like a fable you get like a sentence before it moves on with the story. I do see how it’s “helpful” but anyone who has had to work in a group in highschool for a project or paper knows how to do this stuff…seriously…we also know how things really happen in real life. Someone has the idea, everyone bickers over the logistics, roles are handed out, work beings…and a day before it’s due you’re doing the slacker’s work. Sure business might not be like that exactly, but you get the point. This book prepares you the same way those group assignments prepared you.

I would hesitate to ever call this “profound”, though I suppose the term “nifty” fits. It’s a interesting idea and it does make some of the ideas easier to understand…but if you’re looking to succeed in business i really suggest you find a book that is actually filled with words and not pictures of penguins with a briefcase.