We all know that change is hard. It's unsettling, it's time-consuming, and all too often we give up at the first sign of a setback. But why do we insist on seeing the obstacles rather than the goal? This is the question that bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath tackle in their compelling and insightful new book. They argue that we need only understand how our minds function in order to unlock shortcuts to switches in behaviour. Illustrating their ideas with scientific studies and remarkable real-life turnarounds - from the secrets of successful marriage counselling to the pile of gloves that transformed one company's finances - the brothers Heath prove that deceptively simple methods can yield truly extraordinary results.

About the Author

Chip and Dan Heath are the co-authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold and Others Come Unstuck. They also write a monthly column called 'Made to Stick' for Fast Company magazine. They have spoken and consulted at organisations such as Nike, Microsoft, the Nature Conservancy, the Navy, USAID/Tanzania and the American Heart Association.

Prizes

Change doesn't need to be hard. Just Switch.

Reviews

The Heath brothers (Made To Stick) are back with a manifesto for accepting and fostering necessary changes at both the individual and the corporate level. To make their case, they draw from a broad variety of sources, including behavioral experiments and business case studies. Their informal style makes this an easy-to-read text full of implementable ideas. (LJ 2/1/10) (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The Heath brothers (coauthors of Made to Stick) address motivating employees, family members, and ourselves in their analysis of why we too often fear change. Change is not inherently frightening, but our ability to alter our habits can be complicated by the disjunction between our rational and irrational minds: the self that wants to be swimsuit-season ready and the self that acquiesces to another slice of cake anyway. The trick is to find the balance between our powerful drives and our reason. The authors' lessons are backed up by anecdotes that deal with such things as new methods used to reform abusive parents, the revitalization of a dying South Dakota town, and the rebranding of megastore Target. Through these lively examples, the Heaths speak energetically and encouragingly on how to modify our behaviors and businesses. This clever discussion is an entertaining and educational must-read for executives and for ordinary citizens looking to get out of a rut. (Mar.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.