Why is change so difficult and frightening? How do you create change when you have few resources and no title or authority to back you up? Chip and...
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Dec 29, 2010
Bob
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Switch is a compelling, story-driven narrative the Heaths use to bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can engage our emotions and reason to create real change. Books like this (Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is another great one) provide practical "how-tos" that add so much value for me. It has a test that tells you how good you are at keeping The Rider in control.
Switch is arranged around an a More...
Switch is arranged around an a More...
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Jan 28, 2012
Kerrilee
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I'll be interested to see if this book is still relevant in 10 years, as the influence of books like this often come and go. In the meantime, though, my brain just won't stop incorporating elements from it into how I'm thinking about current events in my life.
I was already inclined to believe the validity of the structure that the Heaths outline because I've practiced some of it already without using the same words--most especially Shaping the Path, as I give a lot of thought to the enviro More...
I was already inclined to believe the validity of the structure that the Heaths outline because I've practiced some of it already without using the same words--most especially Shaping the Path, as I give a lot of thought to the enviro More...
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Feb 06, 2012
Stephen
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This is an excellent book on how to enact change and the mechanics behind that. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to change something in their personal life or within their working environment.
I was able to get a good understanding of the interplay and motivation of the two competing brain types which Chip coined the Rider ( Rational ) and the Elephant ( Emotional ). He then breaks it down to these sections.
Direct the Rider
- Follow the bright spots More...
I was able to get a good understanding of the interplay and motivation of the two competing brain types which Chip coined the Rider ( Rational ) and the Elephant ( Emotional ). He then breaks it down to these sections.
Direct the Rider
- Follow the bright spots More...
Aug 02, 2010
Taka
rated it:
Another must read from the Heath Brothers-
This is another invaluable book packed with extremely useful information. True to the theme of their earlier book, they help make all the concepts stick by hammering them in over and over: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path.
For any change to occur, you must have a good reason, a good motivation, and a good environment. The rider is the rational side of you, the elephant, your emotional side, and the path, More...
This is another invaluable book packed with extremely useful information. True to the theme of their earlier book, they help make all the concepts stick by hammering them in over and over: Direct the Rider, Motivate the Elephant, and Shape the Path.
For any change to occur, you must have a good reason, a good motivation, and a good environment. The rider is the rational side of you, the elephant, your emotional side, and the path, More...
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Dec 27, 2011
Kerry
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This is an excellent (and timely, considering all the New Year resolutions) book! If you want to save time, you can just read the first and last chapters, as those in the middle are just examples (case studies) to illustrate their points. Here is the cliff-note version:
The Three Surprising Truths about Change and What You Can Do about Them:
-- Direct the Rider (our analytical side): What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. Provide crystal-clear direction (instea More...
The Three Surprising Truths about Change and What You Can Do about Them:
-- Direct the Rider (our analytical side): What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. Provide crystal-clear direction (instea More...
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Oct 06, 2011
Kevin
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I had already read their first book, Made to Stick, and their second book had generally favorable reviews, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Having read Made to Stick, Predictably Irrational, and the Malcolm Gladwell books, this book is a little bit of more of the same, but it has a bit different purpose. This book has many interesting anecdotes and stories about bringing about change, but also attempts to distill out the key elements, and tries to teach you how to apply those to challenges you
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Sep 16, 2011
Angie
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Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
I found this book to be a revelation. It’s smart and delivers on its promise. By the end of the book, I had a much clearer perspective on to make change. One of the reasons that I like this book so much is that it focuses on the systems in place – not the people. Too many books focuses on the people and start from the assumption that there is something wrong with them: they are lazy or they are dumb. These a More...
I found this book to be a revelation. It’s smart and delivers on its promise. By the end of the book, I had a much clearer perspective on to make change. One of the reasons that I like this book so much is that it focuses on the systems in place – not the people. Too many books focuses on the people and start from the assumption that there is something wrong with them: they are lazy or they are dumb. These a More...
Aug 24, 2011
Jerilyn
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Purely by accident I read "Switch" immediately after reading Jonathan Haidt's "The Happiness Hypothesis." Chip Heath refers to Haidt's book and even borrows Haidt's metaphor of the Rider and Elephant to describe human behavior. It was like graduating with honors and then diving into an advanced class on the topic of change.
I read "Switch" on a cross-country flight. The only time I regret having an electronic reader is when all devices have to be off durin More...
I read "Switch" on a cross-country flight. The only time I regret having an electronic reader is when all devices have to be off durin More...
Aug 04, 2011
Mattjkelley
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This is a quick read and one that's sure to be very helpful to just about every reader -- the clear change strategies the Heaths discuss here can apply to both organizations and individuals and there are a few takeaways that I'll remember for a long time. I'm a big fan of 'Made to Stick,' and I look at stickiness as one the Heaths' specialties. They tell stories and give tips that you can remember and act upon. They also summarize piles of social science studies that end up proving great fodder
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Jul 14, 2011
Daniel
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Authors Chip and Dan Heath offer a compelling persuasion formula that can be applied to a wide range of situations, from personal habit-breaking to complex societal issues.
In Switch, the Heath brothers employ a simple metaphor: the Rider and the Elephant, to illustrate the challenges inherent to encouraging people to change. The Rider is a person’s intellect, filled with ideas and plans, the Elephant represents an individual's emotional side and is powered by momentum eithe More...
Jul 12, 2011
Catherine
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I seem have a lot of books on change in my "to be read" pile. I'm hoping this is a sign that I'll soon be getting back into some good habits regarding writing, reading, housekeeping, etc.. The trip to San Francisco has resulted in a few setbacks, but also in a new determination.
It's interesting that the two books in the pile that I've managed to read so far are relatively similar in their approaches to change, but use very different terminology to explain the ideas. Switch More...
It's interesting that the two books in the pile that I've managed to read so far are relatively similar in their approaches to change, but use very different terminology to explain the ideas. Switch More...
Jul 06, 2011
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. Nonfiction – business/self improvement. Library. Book Club 268 pages. Book that uses the metaphor of an elephant (the emotional brain) and the rider (the rational side) ad how to make change you need to appeal to both. The rational side tends to give in to the elephant’s cravings (which is why diets so often fail.) The book gives advice – Direct the rider (find bright spots rather than just problems find out where it
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Apr 24, 2011
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
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Let me sum this book up: To change behavior, you must do three things. One, you must change the person’s behavior. Two and three, you must change the person’s hearts and minds.
The authors use the analogy of an Elephant and his Rider. The Rider is your logical brain. The Elephant is your heart. To get the elephant to move, you must engage both the Rider and the Elephant. So, to put it another way, to change behavior, you must Direct the Rider (provide clear direction), Motivate the More...
The authors use the analogy of an Elephant and his Rider. The Rider is your logical brain. The Elephant is your heart. To get the elephant to move, you must engage both the Rider and the Elephant. So, to put it another way, to change behavior, you must Direct the Rider (provide clear direction), Motivate the More...
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Feb 25, 2011
Cindy
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I bought this book last April 2010, skimmed it, set it aside. looked like another management book, not transformative (along the lines of say Good to Great). Yesterday on the twitter chat I host, a couple of people said it changed their lives. I thought that about Howard Gardners books on change. My mental models change. Picking it back up and reading it cover to cover in the last 24 hours, I can see why they related to it. the Heaths find a pattern for changing behavior that is simple, sensible
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Dec 31, 2010
Ed
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What an absolutely great book to end the year on! And one so ideally suited for our New Year's Resolutions, setting and keeping thereof. The book is solidly founded in research, especially Jon Haidt's excellent The Happiness Hypothesis, but is mainly practical and anecdotal.
Essentially the authors argue, as per Haidt, that we are riders on an elephant. Our rider is our rational brain that has lots of good intentions to change our behavior; but we have an emotional elephant, the rider More...
Essentially the authors argue, as per Haidt, that we are riders on an elephant. Our rider is our rational brain that has lots of good intentions to change our behavior; but we have an emotional elephant, the rider More...
Sep 08, 2010
Christopher
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We all have something we want to change. It might be an organization; it might be your home. All of us, if we’re honest, want to change ourselves. If you work for a school, I am sure you can create a quick list of five items you would like to change that would improve the institution.
So how do you set out to make a change? Another book by Chip and Dan Heath might change the way you think about change. They have written Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, their sec More...
So how do you set out to make a change? Another book by Chip and Dan Heath might change the way you think about change. They have written Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, their sec More...
Aug 25, 2010
Trevor
rated it:
I really quite enjoyed this book. It was one of those books that had me talking to people about it before I finish reading it. In fact, if any of my M Teach friends are reading this – you probably want to get your hands on a copy of it, as it has some really interesting things to say about how to motivate students.
I’ve read another of their books – Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – which was also particularly good and based on an idea in Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point More...
I’ve read another of their books – Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die – which was also particularly good and based on an idea in Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point More...
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Jul 25, 2010
Laura
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I've read a lot of books about change. This one I'd recommend to ANYONE who is trying to make changes in their home, work, or personal life. This is a powerful framework that is easy to use (rare!) With so many amazing case studies and great research to back up the process (and give you lots of ideas on how to actually use the principle ideas), this is one of those rare gems that will help you out across the many areas/roles/jobs in your life. The simple metaphor given at the beginning of the b
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May 29, 2010
Jay
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Finally a book about change that starts with the end in mind. In most of the prior extensive literature of this area from self-help to management categories, authors and gurus extoll the nobility of the effort rather than the achievement of the result. It is also nice to see recommendations based on research rather than the ego-stroking when-I-was-in-charge polemics of many past CEOs of now marginally successful corporations (e.g., "Execution").
The authors pulled from stu More...
The authors pulled from stu More...
May 07, 2010
Brian
rated it:
This is a fantastic book that is useful in so many areas in life. Need to motivate a coworker or direct to make a difficult change? Feel a need after church to make a change in your personal conduct? Want to know how to help your child stop some annoying behavior?
This book will definitely help you understand both the process and actionable steps you can take towards making change a reality.
The style of the book is a mixture of research mixed with actionable recommendatio More...
This book will definitely help you understand both the process and actionable steps you can take towards making change a reality.
The style of the book is a mixture of research mixed with actionable recommendatio More...
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May 06, 2010
Rachael
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EMOTIONAL SELF=ELEPHANT- It wants things now, easy, It is usually the "emotional self" that usually causes us to fail, because it usually doesn't want to make the short term sacrifices for long term payoffs. It can also have enormous strengths like love compassion and sympathy.
RATIONAL SELF=RIDER It analyzes and decides what to do. The rider is to direct the elephant where to go. If the rider can't get the elephant to go where it wants. (You overeat, or sleep in) t More...
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Apr 26, 2010
T.
rated it:
In my mind there are two forms of non-fiction books on the market. The gimicky and the genuine. One glance at the average rating of Switch will tell you that this piece is the real deal.
In a nutshell, switch is basically a thesis in how to effect positive change. The authors target three must hit areas, the rider, the elephant and the path. The rider is the rational part of the human individual, cold analytical and intellegent the rider can direct our behaviour, but only when 'the el More...
In a nutshell, switch is basically a thesis in how to effect positive change. The authors target three must hit areas, the rider, the elephant and the path. The rider is the rational part of the human individual, cold analytical and intellegent the rider can direct our behaviour, but only when 'the el More...
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Mar 30, 2010
David
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Let me be clear: I HATE most self-helpy/businessy books. They're usually simplistic/obvious, preachy, vague, or "jargony". Switch is none of those things. Sure, you'll be introduced to some jargon, but it's just three terms (Rider, Elephant, and Shaping the Path), you'll learn them within minutes, and they'll be used consistently throughout the rest of the book.
I learned some things about human nature that surprised me. At first, the results of some of the cited studies see More...
I learned some things about human nature that surprised me. At first, the results of some of the cited studies see More...
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Mar 18, 2010
Julie
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The Heath brothers are among my very favourite non-fiction authors of all time. Their first book, Made to Stick, is one of my favourites, and I still reference it today, years after I first read it. So I was extremely happy to see the release of their new book, Switch. Whereas Made to Stick is all about how to make your ideas memorable, or "sticky," Switch is about how to change. How do you change a behaviour or an attitude, whether in yourself, your company, or your community?
More...
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Mar 01, 2010
CB
rated it:
This book goes on the keeper shelf and stays there.
Very entertaining to read, SWITCH details why change can be so difficult for individuals, companies and cultures - and how change can be affected without bloodshed or force.
It's a book that is immediately applicable to my life, as I have a Rider whose usual rules aren't working, an Elephant that is increasingly stubborn and fearful, and a Path full of obstacles (most of them put there by the Elephant.) While the term More...
Very entertaining to read, SWITCH details why change can be so difficult for individuals, companies and cultures - and how change can be affected without bloodshed or force.
It's a book that is immediately applicable to my life, as I have a Rider whose usual rules aren't working, an Elephant that is increasingly stubborn and fearful, and a Path full of obstacles (most of them put there by the Elephant.) While the term More...
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Jan 08, 2010
Experience Life
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Looking to make a change in your life? Bewildered why past attempts haven’t worked as well as you might have liked? Pick up this latest book by change experts Chip and Dan Heath (authors of the 2007 bestseller Made to Stick). You’ll realize that it’s less a matter of will than of strategy — how you go about balancing and interweaving the rational, emotional and environmental forces that make or break change attempts of all kinds. In Switch, the Heath brothers describe the split between the consc
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Apr 13, 2011
Mit
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Direct the Rider
- Follow the bright spots - Investigate what's working and clone it. (Jerry Sternin in Vietnam, solutions-focused therapy)
- Script the critical moves – Don’t think big picture, think in terms of specific behaviors. (1% milk, four rules at the Brazilian railroad)
- Point to the destination – Change is easier when you know where you’re going and why it’s worth it. (“You’ll be third graders soon,” “No dry holes” at BP)
Motivate the Elephant
- Find More...
- Follow the bright spots - Investigate what's working and clone it. (Jerry Sternin in Vietnam, solutions-focused therapy)
- Script the critical moves – Don’t think big picture, think in terms of specific behaviors. (1% milk, four rules at the Brazilian railroad)
- Point to the destination – Change is easier when you know where you’re going and why it’s worth it. (“You’ll be third graders soon,” “No dry holes” at BP)
Motivate the Elephant
- Find More...
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Feb 02, 2011
Josephine
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You know how, sometimes, it’s really tempting to just flip to the very last page of a book and see how it all turns out?
It doesn’t always work out because, as the saying goes, it’s more about the journey than the destination — and besides, often, skipping all the way to the end leaves you thinking, “WTF?” because you really need to know what goes on in between to understand what’s happened at the end.
Not so with Chip and Dan Heath’s “Switch”, a pretty interesting follow-up to More...
It doesn’t always work out because, as the saying goes, it’s more about the journey than the destination — and besides, often, skipping all the way to the end leaves you thinking, “WTF?” because you really need to know what goes on in between to understand what’s happened at the end.
Not so with Chip and Dan Heath’s “Switch”, a pretty interesting follow-up to More...
Dec 19, 2011
Reading any well thought-out, research-based, mass produced book is an exercise in learning. The planning is shown in how the research is presented (logical, pedagogical, direct, easily understood without being condescending) and is presented to “the masses” in support of “a rising tide lifts all boats” attitude (those reading will think differently when they are finished). To find a book that fulfills this criteria is a joy and leaves me with a renewed thirst for knowledge. Having read the
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Jan 10, 2012
Chung Chin
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This book is a treasure chest of useful information on creating and sustaining changes.
The authors, Chip and Dan Heath, presents a structured, clear-cut, and an easy to digest book everyone should pick up. Even if you do not have to deal with change, this is a great book to find out more about human behavior/psychology. For instance, the authors present the case that more often than not, we succumb to the Fundamental Attribution Error, whereby we think that the problem of a situation l More...
The authors, Chip and Dan Heath, presents a structured, clear-cut, and an easy to digest book everyone should pick up. Even if you do not have to deal with change, this is a great book to find out more about human behavior/psychology. For instance, the authors present the case that more often than not, we succumb to the Fundamental Attribution Error, whereby we think that the problem of a situation l More...
