“Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard” by Chip and Dan Heath

Chip and Dan Heath’s “Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard” is a great, thought-provoking read. In fact, the outline was so practical and helpful that I decided to teach these concepts as a sermon series. As I broke down the various sections, it became clear quickly that the book’s techniques and perspectives were all over Scripture, and so the series practically wrote itself.

The strength of this book is that it breaks down and gives practical advice on the three dimensions that can help or hinder a change process: our intellectual/analytical side, our emotional/impulsive side, and the situation/environment in which these parts function. The Heath brothers choose a master illustration that maps these dimensions onto the image of a Rider in their Elephant heading down a Path. The Rider is ultimately responsible for the direction, and the Elephant is responsible for the motivation. The Path is the oft-forgotten variable that can help shape and sustain change even when our Rider and Elephant are at odds.

The principles in this book can be applied to personal change, relational change, or organizational change. It is easy to read and full of interesting examples. So many simple “ah ha” moments make you say, “Of course! That is exactly what is happening, but I never saw it that way!”

As a part of a continuing education program I am in, I have been assigned their previous best-seller “Make to Stick” and it also comes highly recommended. I am looking forward to reading more from Chip and Dan Heath.

Amazon Link: “Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath