Trying to Change? Maybe you need a “Switch”!
Following is my review of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. I had the opportunity to preview a galley copy of this AWESOME book. It’s a MUST read!
Have you ever been sick and tired of being sick and tired? Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, exercise more, kick a bad habit, etc.; and then the next week slipped back into the same old routine? There is a reason that people, organizations, and societies many times fall into this trap of trying to make a big change; and shortly thereafter fall back into the same old rut. Can’t we just change by trying harder?
According to Chip and Dan Heath, the authors of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, trying harder will never result in lasting change. All that it will do is tire the “Rider.” The authors explain that when we try to change, we have to use both the logical (the Rider) and the emotional (the Elephant) parts of our brain.
The Rider is the part of us that decides to lose weight, but (as Chip and Dan illustrate) the Elephant is that part of us that goes hunting for the Cheetos in the pantry late at night. The Elephant will always take the easiest and most familiar course, whereas the Rider tries to take the most logical course. The Rider (our self-control or will power) will only allow us to re-route the Elephant for a short while before tiring. In order to make an effective “Switch” we must appeal to emotion (the Elephant). However, when the Elephant encounters an obstacle he will try to revert to the comfortable way of doing things. Thus, in order for change to occur, we not only have to motivate both the Rider and the Elephant; we must also “Shape the Path.”
At times, we may wonder why an individual acts the way that he does. We may try to change his behavior, but meet with resistance. In cases like this, it is especially important to Shape the Path, because what appears to be a people problem may only be a “situation problem.” Change the situation, and you fix the person.
Throughout Switch, Chip and Dan keep the reader immersed in real examples. They push those looking for change to search for positives (Bright Spots) in every situation. If you can find something that is working, duplicate that; and you will have a solution. We often think of change as something big and scary, but sometimes it comes in as small of a package as a simple kiss.
As related by the authors, George and Paula had been married for eight years and had been fighting for two. They had been attending counseling sessions, but had made no dramatic progress. One morning, George simply kissed Paula, setting into motion a chain of events that affected their marriage, their kids, and even Paula’s attitude at work. Just a little kiss brought about these changes, because it gave their Elephants hope that they could change! Hope is what we all look for at one point in our life or another.
We must break change into bite-size pieces, because if change looks too big it will scare our Elephant. “Until you can ladder your way down from a change idea to a specific behavior, you’re not ready to lead a switch. To create movement, you’ve got to be specific and be concrete.” Change is hard; however, since reading Switch, I now understand the psychology behind effective change.
I’ve read lots of self-improvement books, books on success, goal-setting, and the like; but I’ve never read another one that brings the hope of effecting change down to such an individual level! You MUST read this book! It WILL change the way that you think! Thanks SO much to Chip and Dan Heath for an excellent job. Switch is definitely in my top ten list of books! You both have whet my reader’s appetite for your bestselling book, Made to Stick!
