As I mentioned recently I have joined a Global Leadership course. This is because I decided I needed all the help I could get and I prefer to be coached rather than mentored. I like to be able to work through my challenges with others much smarter than me.
For six years I have also been working with the wonderful Zoe Routh of Inner Compass and today my Aussie cohort is going to be reflecting on CHANGE using Dan and Chip Heath’s book SWITCH as the foundation.
Here is a little taster of the book.
The Five Big Ideas
- There are three surprises about change.
- Change often fails because our emotional side (The Elephant) and our rational side (The Rider) can’t cooperate long enough for the desired change to occur.
- Another reason change often fails is because of our surrounding environment. This is known as the “Path.”
- So, to change a behaviour, you need to direct The Rider, motivate The Elephant and shape The Path
- Change isn’t easy, but with the right framework, it becomes easier.
My destination postcard gets more beautiful everyday
Chapter 1: Three Surprises About Change
In one study, people with the large buckets ate 53 percent more popcorn than people with the medium size.
There are three surprises about change:
- What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.
- What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.
- What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity.
For anything to change, someone has to start acting differently.
To change someone’s behaviour, you’ve got to change that person’s situation.
The brain has two independent systems at work at all times. First, there’s the emotional side. It’s the part of you that is instinctive, that feels pain and pleasure. Second, there’s the rational side, also known as the reflective or conscious system. It’s the part of you that deliberates and analyses and looks into the future.
Jonathan Haidt, the author of The Happiness Hypothesis, says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider.
Changes often fail because the Rider simply can’t keep the Elephant on the road long enough to reach the destination.
If you want to change things, you’ve got to appeal to both The Rider and The Elephant. The former provides the planning and direction, and the latter provides the energy.
When Rider and Elephant disagree about which way to move, you’ve got a problem.
This is awesome if you are a visual person
Heads up everyone I have big elephant problem that I am looking forward to taming. Looking forward to the challenge
