A few thoughts as I’ve been reading through Switch by Chip and Dan Heath. I haven’t finished the book yet, and I’ll post more as I go along.
Here are a few points I’ve found interesting so far…
- To change behavior you have to change the situation
- Often our heart and mind disagree and limit our ability or willingness to change.
- Direct the “rider”
- What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.
- Provide clear direction.
- Motivate the “elephant”
- What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.
- Self-Control or the gut-it-out, grit-through-it, will-it-into-reality is an exhaustible resource.
- You can force but only for a short while. Engage people’s emotional side.
- Shape the Path
- What looks like a “people problem” is often a situation problem.
- When you shape the path, you make change more likely not matter what is happening with the rider and/or the elephant.
In tough times, a rider will see problems. You must remain solution-focused.
- Solution Focused Problem Solving
- Q: If a miracle happened tonight and went problem went away, what is the first sign you would see to know it was gone?
- Q: When was the last time you saw a little bit of the miracle?
Too many options and ambiguity lead to decision paralysis.
- In a change situation, the hardest part is in the details – Script the critical moves.
- Clarity dissolves resistance.
Be encouraged 