Switch

Chip and Dan Heath 2010
Read: 2011
Education/Leadership, Non-Fiction

This is a very cool, cleverly written book. Written by two brothers who are professors at Stanford, they look at how people accomplish change. An old topic (and my favorite) with a new twist. It’s centered on the idea that humans have two sides: a rational side (the rider) that plans and knows what is best, and an emotional side (the elephant) that actually get things done. The Heaths push us to make sure that the elephant and the rider are in sync, so that things can actually happen. Some of my favorite ideas:

• Don’t blame people first. Look and see if it’s the situation that needs fixing.  If the elephant and the rider disagree on what to do, the elephant will always win.  For change to happen, you have to (1) direct the rider, (2) motivate the elephant, and (3) shape the path.
• Find the bright spots. This is a great way of directing the rider. Knowledge or theories do not change behavior. Showing others the bright spots can give hope. (Hunger in Vietnam)
• “Solutions-based therapy.” If a miracle happened while you were sleeping, and all of your troubles were resolved . . . when you wake up in the morning, how will you know?  Big problems are rarely solved with big solutions.
• Script the critical moves. Too many choices lead to decision paralsis. The Food Pyramid does not work. “Until you can ladder your way down from a change idea to a specific behavior, ou’re not ready to lead a switch.”
• Point to the destination. Call your students “scholars”. BHAGs. Destination postcards.
  • “When you’re at the beginning, don’t obsess about the middle, because the middle is going to look different once you get there. Just look for a strong beginning and a strong ending and get moving.”
  • Shrink the change
  • If a task feels too big, the elephant will resist.
  • Hope is elephant fuel.

 https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard-ebook/dp/B0030DHPGQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34MN88WZ1LU9E&keywords=switch&qid=1669516945&s=digital-text&sprefix=switc%2Cdigital-text%2C173&sr=1-1