Switch Quotes

“When you want someone to behave in a new way, explain the “new way” clearly. Don’t assume the new moves are obvious.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“has a problem focus when he needs a solution focus. If you are a manager, ask yourself: “What is the ratio of the time I spend solving problems to the time I spend scaling successes?”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“When the Rider analyzes a problem, he seeks a solution that befits the scale of it. If the Rider spots a hole, he wants to fill it, and if he’s got a round hole with a 24-inch diameter, he’s gonna go looking for a 24-inch peg. But that mental model is wrong.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“You’ll direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“most often solved by a sequence of small solutions, sometimes”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“In looking for a goal that reaches the Elephant—that hits people in the gut—you can’t bank on SMART goals. (There are some people whose hearts are set aflutter by goals such as “improving the liquidity ratio by 30 percent over the next 18 months.” They’re called accountants.)”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“What is the ratio of the time I spend solving problems to the time I spend scaling successes?”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“And as we’ll see, that tendency explains the third and final surprise about change: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“We should make an effort to praise ingenious solutions to customers’ problems.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Ambiguity does, too. In times of change, you may not know what options are available. And this uncertainty leads to decision paralysis”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“This doesn’t make sense. The doctors were acting as though having more medication options somehow made medication a worse bet than surgery. But if 47 percent of doctors thought medication A was preferable to surgery, the mere existence of a second medication shouldn’t have tipped them toward surgery.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“It’s an ingenious tactic. What the therapist is trying to demonstrate, in a subtle way, is that the client is capable of solving her own problem.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Exception Question: “When was the last time you saw a little bit of the miracle, even just for a short time?”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“they’d saved 122,300 lives—the equivalent of throwing a life preserver to every man, woman, and child in Ann Arbor, Michigan.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Don Berwick, with his 75-person team at IHI, had convinced thousands of hospitals to change”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“North Carolina State Hospital Association, said: “An awful lot of people for a long time have had their heads in the sand on this issue, and it’s time to do the right thing. It’s as simple as that.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Some is not a number; soon is not a time. Here’s the number: 100,000. Here’s the time: June 14, 2006—9 a.m.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“In one study, some people were asked to restrain their emotions while watching a sad movie about sick animals. Afterward, they exhibited less physical endurance than others who’d let the tears flow”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“If you want to change things, you’ve got to appeal to both. The Rider provides the planning and direction, and the Elephant provides the energy. So if you reach the Riders of your team but not the”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Best of all, bright spots solve the “Not Invented Here” problem.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“community for bright spots—successful efforts worth emulating.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“the core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people, and behavior change happens in highly successful situations mostly by speaking to people’s feelings.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“to marry your long-term goal with short-term critical moves.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“there’s a good reason why change can be difficult: The world doesn’t always want what you want.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Effective visions expressed values that allow employees to identify with the organization…. One manager at a glass company suggested, ‘it’s hard to get excited about 15% return on equity.”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“ladder your way down from a change idea to a specific behavior, you”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“successful change transformations were more likely to set behavioral goals:”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“The Paradox of Choice”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

“Marcus Buckingham, who says that”
― Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard