---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In terms of getting people to experiment…"
description: "\"In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one, of cour..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/john-p-kotter-7969_be-honest-with-yours_in-terms-of-getting-people-to-experiment_414698.jpg"
---

#  In terms of getting people to experiment more and take…

![“In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one, of course, is role-modeling it yourself. Number two is when people take intelligent, smart risks and yet it doesn't work out, not shooting them. And…” quote by John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/john-p-kotter-7969_be-honest-with-yours_in-terms-of-getting-people-to-experiment_414698.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/john-p-kotter-7969_be-honest-with-yours_in-terms-of-getting-people-to-experiment_414698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/john-p-kotter-7969_be-honest-with-yours_in-terms-of-getting-people-to-experiment_414698.jpg)

> “In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind. Number one, of course, is role-modeling it yourself. Number two is when people take intelligent, smart risks and yet it doesn't work out, not shooting them. And number three, being honest with yourself. If the culture you have is radically different from an experiment and take-risk culture, then you have a big change you going to have to make—and no little gimmicks are going to do it for you.”

[John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Cultivating an experimental culture requires leaders to model risk, protect intelligent failures, and practice self‑honesty, demanding systemic change beyond superficial fixes.

**In simple terms:** Leaders must model risk, protect failures, and be honest to foster experimentation.

Key Takeaway

Model risk, protect smart failures, be honest.

Themes

leadership culture change risk taking learning innovation

Mood

determined reflective

Type

strategic inspirational

When to use this quote

- company meetings
- product development
- R&D labs
- startup pivots

Key Concepts

organizational behavior change management

Questions to Reflect On

- What behaviors can you model today?
- How will you support a failed experiment?

A Different Perspective

Superficial incentives won’t shift deep‑seated risk‑averse mindsets.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Big changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-changes/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest with yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-with-yourself/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/)

## Related quotes

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> [I like to take risks as long as they're healthy, you know. They're good, smart risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/i-like-to-take-risks-as-long-as-they-re-healthy-you-know-they-re-good/)

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> [“Not taking risks one doesn't understand is often the best form of risk management.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghuram-g-rajan/not-taking-risks-one-doesn-t-understand-is-often-the-best-form-of/)

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> [“Resorting to violence is always a clear sign of a culture at risk rather than a culture of strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-holthaus/resorting-to-violence-is-always-a-clear-sign-of-a-culture-at-risk/)

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> [Taking risks doesn't mean shirking responsibility, but embracing possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vick-hope/taking-risks-doesn-t-mean-shirking-responsibility-but-embracing/)

[Vick Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vick-hope/)

> [The difficulties of living in a secular risk culture are compounded by the importance of lifestyle choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-giddens/the-difficulties-of-living-in-a-secular-risk-culture-are-compounded/)

[Anthony Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-giddens/)

> [“You realize that you might be willing to accept any risks and it doesn’t matter what the outcome is.” —Edward Snowden”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-kollender/you-realize-that-you-might-be-willing-to-accept-any-risks-and-it/)

[Andreas Kollender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-kollender/)

> [“long before reality TV and Facebook or Instagram — media analyst Neil Postman ominously warned, “When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dice/long-before-reality-tv-and-facebook-or-instagram-media-analyst-neil/)

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> [Even if it doesn't work out, the experience is so valuable to so many employers that your worst case scenario is, 'Ok, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/even-if-it-doesn-t-work-out-the-experience-is-so-valuable-to-so-many/)

[Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/)

> [Urgency is unbelievably important when you're talking about, not little changes, but big changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/urgency-is-unbelievably-important-when-you-re-talking-about-not/)

[John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/)

> [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/)

[Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/)

> [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/)

[Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/)

> [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/)

[Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/)

## More by John P. Kotter

> [At any one time the world has a very limited number of Steve Jobs or Winston Churchills or Thomas Watson the firsts. These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/at-any-one-time-the-world-has-a-very-limited-number-of-steve-jobs-or/)

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> [In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/in-a-change-effort-culture-comes-last-not-first/)

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> [Motivation is not a thinking word; it's a feeling word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/motivation-is-not-a-thinking-word-it-s-a-feeling-word/)

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> [One of the most common ways to overcome resistance to change is to educate people about it beforehand. Communication of ideas helps people see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/one-of-the-most-common-ways-to-overcome-resistance-to-change-is-to/)

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> [Producing major change in an organization is not just about signing up one charismatic leader. You need a group - a team - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/producing-major-change-in-an-organization-is-not-just-about-signing/)

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> [Congress is full of people who get reelected and reelected. How can you have urgency when there are all of those safe seats?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/congress-is-full-of-people-who-get-reelected-and-reelected-how-can/)

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> [Commercial organisations that operate responsibly have benefitted by increased revenues of 682% compared to 166% for those that don't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/commercial-organisations-that-operate-responsibly-have-benefitted-by/)

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> [I am often asked about the difference between 'change management' and 'change leadership,' and whether it's just a matter of semantics. These terms are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/i-am-often-asked-about-the-difference-between-change-management-and/)

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[Explore all 85 John P. Kotter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/)

## More Be honest with yourself quotes

> [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/)

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Browse all 64 Be honest with yourself quotes

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