Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
byChip Heath, Dan Heath
In a similar fashion to the Heath brother's other two books Made to Stick and Decisive, using a core analogy, they write a simple, story-driven narrative, backed with years of research in psychology, sociology and other fields showing us the patterns of creating change. The core analogies used are The Rider, which represents our rational mind, the thinker and The Elephant, which represents the emotional mind, the feeler. Switch was just different color paint on the same old car. If you've read The Power of Habit, Willpower of other habit related books Switch will seem repetitive, and there are only so many places they can take the analogy. If you are new to behavioral science, you can learn something thing from Switch, as it's written in a very simple manner.
Motivations to Read
One of my biggest fears is lack of personal change, being stuck in set ways. So I've been working on this area for a while consciously trying change and grow into a better person. I was interested to hear the Heath Brother's take on the subject of change as I enjoy their ability to communicate powerful concepts very simply.
3 Reasons to Read
- Learn about the tension between your rational and emotional mind and how it makes change difficult
- Learn how to influence other individuals and organizations
- Improve your ability to build and break bad habits
Notable Quotes
“A good change leader never thinks, “Why are these people acting so badly? They must be bad people.” A change leader thinks, “How can I set up a situation that brings out the good in these people?” Chip Heath
“The bigger the change you're suggesting, the more it will sap people's self-control. And when people exhaust their self-control, what they're exhausting are the mental muscles needed to think creatively, to focus, to inhibit their impulses, and to persist in the face of frustration or failure. In other words, they're exhausting precisely the mental muscles needed to make a big change. So when you hear people say that change is hard because people are lazy or resistant, that's just flat wrong. In fact, the opposite is true: Change is hard because people wear themselves out. And that's the second surprise about change: What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.” Chip Heath
“The problem is this: Often the heart and mind disagree. Fervently.” Chip Heath
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard Notes & Summary
