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How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

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Switch

Written by: Dan Heath, Chip Heath
Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg
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About this listen

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD! The ultimate guide to making changes and following through, from the authors of Made to Stick and Decisive—hailed as “witty and instructive” (The Wall Street Journal), “packed with examples and hands-on tools that will get you moving right away” (BusinessWeek)

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?

The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:

• the lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients

• the home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping

• the manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you.

©2010 Chip Heath (P)2010 Random House
Personal Development Personal Success Stress Management Workplace & Organizational Behaviour Career Inspiring Leadership Emotions Business Elephant Organizational Change

What the critics say

“Witty and instructive . . . The Heath brothers think that the sciences of human behavior can provide us with tools for making changes in our lives—tools that are more effective than ‘willpower,’ ‘leadership’ and other easier-said-than-done solutions. . . . For any effort at change to succeed, the Heaths argue, you have to ‘shape the path.’ With Switch they have shaped a path that leads in a most promising direction.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Using the terminology of University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the Heaths designate the emotional side of the mind as the Elephant and the rational side as the Rider. . . . Switch is crammed with stories . . . covering a number of fields to drive home the importance of using the strengths of both the Rider and the Elephant to make change happen. This could be a valuable read for the would-be change-makers of the Obama administration.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Whether you're a manager, a parent or a civic leader, getting people to change can be tricky business. In Switch, brothers Chip and Dan Heath—authors of the bestselling Made to Stick—survey efforts to shape human behavior in search of what works. . . . Even when change isn't easy, it's often worth making.”—Time

All stars
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I’ve listened to this book 3 times now. It is very good. Mix of mini case studies and research with just the right amount of humour. It is very applicable to work and life.

Third listen

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I love the approach and simple breakdown for each component if the system. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to make change and coaches.

Excellent book w/ great systems approach to change

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Simply an amazing book. Lots of good information and helpful tips. I’m happy I was recommended this book

Amazing

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Actionable ways to help evoke change in not only your own world but in your professional world.

Great listen with amazing tips for success

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I like the way it was read, the format of the information and all the examples it contains. I have already started to apply what it teaches.

Loved it and listened to it TWICE. ☺️

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I cannot believe I am just hearing about this book now! I’m a Personal Trainer and the entire industry is obsessed with fad diets and fad workouts, neither of which have proven to work for the vast majority of the population. If you don’t first understand change, you’ll never be able to change. This book is the FIRST book any trainer or human being should read if they want to change, improve, or transform any area of their life.

If we can teach a monkey to ride a skateboard, I can sure as shit teach people to eat more veggies!

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loved it! I liked the amount of stories combined with the simple, yet very applicable, points.

loved it!

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A wonderfully written book that is very easy to follow. The authors do a great job of ensuring their ideas are concise and properly put together. At no time throughout this book was I confused or not fully engaged. Their ideas put into words intelligent actions about effective life changing human interaction skills that in my opinion are greatly effective for being a leader. This book is wonderful for a beginner reader such as myself because it is short, to the point and brings a huge amount of value.

Great beginner book

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Overall a good listen and easy to follow with practical and insightful change insights. Would recommend.

Practical and insightful!

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I enjoyed this book and the way in which the ideas were expressed. It will definitely be something I will listen to again

Very useful

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