Switch How to Change Things When Change is Hard

1HE  BESTSEII1NG  AUTHORS 
$2ô.00 
Wßÿ |5 l\ 50 ß3f0 \0 ß3Kß |35\lߧ
6ß3ߧß5 |ß 0üf 60ßþ3ßlß5, lß 0ü!
60ßßüßl\lß5, 3ß0 |ß 0üf 0Wß |l¥ß5¹
ÅD0 QIIHûIy ODSlûC¡0 IS û CODÛICl lDûlS
DuI¡l IDlO OuI DIûIDS, Sûy LDIQ ûDU ÍûD
M0ûlD, ûulDOIS OÍ lD0 CIIlICû¡Ìy ûCCÌûIH0U
D0SlS0¡Ì0I Mudc to òt|ck.  ÎSyCDO¡O_ISlS DûV0
UISCOV0I0U lDûl OuI HIDUS ûI0 Iu¡0U Dy lWO
UIÍÍ0I0Dl SySl0HS~lD0 IûlIODû¡ HIDU ûDU
lD0 0HOlIODûÌ HIDU~lDûl COHQ0l0 ÍOI COD-
lIOÌ. ÅD0 IûlIODûÌ HIDU WûDlS û _I0ûl D0ûCD
DOUy, lD0 0HOlIODûÌ HIDU WûDlS lDûl ÍI0O
COOKI0. ÅD0 IûlIODûÌ HIDU WûDlS lO CDûD_0
SOH0lDID_ ûl WOIK, lD0 0HOlIODû¡ HIDU
¡OV0S lD0 COHÍOIl OÍ lD0 0XISlID_ IOulID0.
ÅDIS l0DSIOD CûD UOOH û CDûD_0 0ÙOIl¬Dul
IÍ Il IS OV0ICOH0, CDûD_0 CûD COH0 QuICKÌy.
ÍD òw|tch,  lD0 M0ûlHS SDOW DOW 0V0IyUûy
Q0OQÌ0···CHQ¡Oy00S ûDU HûDû_0IS, QûI0DlS
ûDU DuIS0S¬DûV0 uDIl0U DOlD HIDUS ûDU, ûS
û I0Su¡l, ûCDI0V0U UfûnûlIC I0SuÌlS.
ÅD0 ÌOW¡y H0UICûÌ IDl0DS WDO HûDû_0U
lO U0Í0ûl ûD 0DlI0DCD0U, U0CûU0S·OÌU H0UICûÌ
QIûClIC0 lDûl WûS 0DUûD_0fID_ QûlI0DlS [S00
Qû_0 Z4Z)
ÅD0 DOH0-OI_ûDIZID_ _uIu WDO U0V0ÌOQ0U
û SIHQ¡0 l0CDDIQu0 ÍOI OV0ICOHID_ lD0 UI0ûU
OÍ DOuS0K00QID_ [S00 Qû_0 Ì3U) 
ÅD0 HûDû_0I WDO UûDSÍOIH0U û ¡ûCKûUûISI-
Cû¡ CuSlOH0I-SuQQIl l0ûH IDlO S0IVIC0 Z0ûÌOlS
Dy nmvtng û SlûDUûfU lOÌ OÍ CuSlOH0I S0IVIC0
[S00 Qû_0 Ì9) 
ÍD û COHQ0¡ÌID_, SlOIy-UIIV0D DûIfûlIV0, lD0
M0ûlDS DIID_ lO_0lD0I U0CûU0S OÍ COuDl0fID-
luIlIV0 I0S0ûfCD ID QSyCHOÌO_y, SOCIO¡O_y, ûDU
OlD0I R0ÌUS lO SD0U D0W ÌI_Dl OD DOW W0 CûD
(:sooom so bm ]p) 
(:sot|oum  {s¬ [oo: [p) 
0Û0Cl lIûDS ÍOIHûlIV0 CDûD_0. ðwtlch  SDOWS
lDûl SuCC0SSÍuÌ CDûD_0S ÍOÌ¡OW û Qûll0D, û Qûl-
l0D yOu CûD uS0 lO HûK0 lD0 CDûD_0S lDûl Hûl-
l0I lO yOu, WD0lD0I yOuI IDl0I0Sl IS ID CDûD_ID_
lD0 WOIÌU OI CDûD_ID_ yOuI WûISl¡ID0.
ÛHlÍ  HLÅÏH  IS û QIOÍ0SSOI ûl lD0 LIûUuûl0
bCDOOÌ OÍ ÜuSID0SS ûl blûDÍOIU \DIV0ISIly. M0
ÌIV0S ID LOS LûlOS, LûÌIÍODIû. ÛÅN  HLÅÏH  IS
û S0DIOI Í0¡ÌOW ûl ÍuK0 LDIV0ISIlyS L0Dl0I
ÍOI lD0 PUVûDC0H0Dl OÍ bOCIû¡ LDlI0QI0D0uI-
SDIQ [LPbL). ÎI0VIOuS¡y, D0 WûS û I0S0ûICD0I
ûDU CûS0 WIIl0I ûl MûIVûIU ÜuSID0SS bCDOOÌ,
ûS W0Ì¡ ûS lD0 COÍOuDU0I OÍ û CO¡Ì0_0 l0XlDOOK
QuDÌISDID_ HIH CûÌ¡0U ÅDIDKW0¡Ì. ÍûD ÌIV0S
ID bû¡0I_D, DOIlD LûIO¡IDû. ÅD0 M0ûlD DIOlD-
0IS WIIl0 û HODlD¡y COÌuHD ÍOI fo:l Componj 
Hû_ûZID0.
m .008l00|0l00|ä.000 
º|50 8¥8Il80|6 85 8ß 6b00k 8ßü 0ß 8uü|0
Í|0ß h8ßü0P h0u56
)ackct dcstgn:  G. CCCkm×N
]zckct Qhot0_ragh: )£IIk£x CCCLIDG£tG£IIx lmALLå 
Auhor ghotogm gh: ×mv 5LRLACXI 
Dt08Ow8y  D00K 
Îcw YOrk^ 
w .brOzdwzybustncssbOOks.cOm 
Ïrtntcd  tn thc  U.5.A.

h 0W
10
Ch ANG£
1H¡NGS
Wh£N
Ch ANG£
¡S
H ARD
LH¡¥ HLP1H 8H0 ÜPN HLP1H
b|080WBy b00X5
N6W 10!K 
LogyrÍ@t ß  ¿Û1Û by LhÍg tcath and Lan tcath
A zÍ@hts rcscrVcd.
¡ubÎÍshcd În thc 1nÍtcd btatcs by Üroadway Üooks, an ÍmgrÍnt ot thc
Lrown ¡ubÎÎshÍn@ Lroug, a dÍvÍsÍon oÍ hndom tousc, ÍnC., Îcw York.
¼ .CrowngubÎÍshÍ[email protected]
ܾ1B1¾BX Ü111b znd thc Üroadway Üook CoÎoghon 8 tradcmzrks
oÍ Ûdom tousc, ÍnC.
LÍbrzQ oÍ Lon@rcss Latæo@Ín@-Ín-¡ub¡ÍCatÍon Latz
tcath, LhÎg.
bwÍtCh how to ChaÐ@c thÍn@s whcn Chan@c Ís hard l LhÍg Ìcath znd Lzn
Ìcath.¬1st cd.
!.  Lhan@c (¡syChoÎo@y) Í. tcath, Lan, 1V¯3¬ÌÌ. ¯ÍtÍc.
ÜtÚ3¯.L9t93 ¿Û1Û
3Û3.9~dC¿¿
¿ÛÛVÛ¿¯d19
ÍbÜÎ V¯d-Û-3d3-3¿d¯3-¯
¡rÍntcd Ín thc 1nÍtcd btatcs oÍ DmcrÍCa
1Û V d ¯ Ú 3 9 3 ¿ 1
tÍrst ÍdÍtÍon
L0!lP0lS
! . !h|00 bd|þ|ÌS0S Å00u\ Lh8Pg0 I 
Ol K1LT T H1 K l O1K
¿.  |ÌP0 \h0 b|IghI bþ0IS ¿1
3.bC|ÌþI \h0 L|Ì\ÌL8Ì M0v0S 49
º.  Í0ÌP\ \0 \h0 Û0S\ÌP8\l0P 1J
MMT l NAT1 T H 1 111YHAWT
J. |ÌP0 \h0 |00|ÌPg J OJ
6.bh|ÌPX \h0 Lh8Pg0 J Z4
7.  Û|0W 10dl Î00þl0 J 49
5 H AY1 T H 1 YAT H
8. 1W08K \h0 ÎPvÌ|0Pm0P\ J 79
9.bd|Ì0 H80Ì\S ¿Ud
! O.h8ÌÌy \h0 H0l0 ¿¿b
11.600þ \h0 bWÌ\Ch Ü0Ìug ¿bU
U0w î0 M8K0 8 bw|ICI Zb9
Üv0|C00|!g Ü0Sî8Cl0S ZbJ
N0Xî bî0µS Zb5
H0C0000h08î|0ûS Í0| Å00|!|0h8l H080|ûg Zó7 
N0!0S Zb9
ÅCK00wl00g000!S .º1 
|h00X Z95

1hIBB bulµlÎSBS Pb0u1 LhBngB
1.
Lnc batutday Ín 2000, ãOmc unãuãQcCtIn_ mOvÍc_Octã ãbOwcd
uQ at a ãubutban tbcatct Ín LhÍCa_O tO CatCb a I . 0; Q.m. matÍ-
ncc OÍ ÀcÌ \ÍbãOnã aCtÍOn ÜÍCK Pa¡/ac/.Åhcy wctc handcd a ãOh
dIInK and Ü ttcc buCKct Ot QOQCOtn and wctc aãKcd tO ãtÍCK
atOund ahcr tbc mOvÍc tO anãwct a tcw QucãtÍOnã abOut thc COn-
CcããÍOn ãtand. Åhcãc mOvIc tanã wctc unwÍttIn_ QattÍCIQantã In a
ãtudy Ot ÍttatÍOnaÌ catÍn_ bchavÍCt.
Åhctc Waã ãOmctbÍn_ unuãuaÌ abOut thc QOQCOtn thcy Ic-
CcÍvcd. Ît wuã wtctChcd. În taCt, Ît bad bccn CatcmÌÌy cn_Íncctcd
tO bc wtctCbcd. Ît had bccn QOQQcd hvc dayã catÌIct and waã ãO
ãtaÌc that Ít ãQucaKcd wbcn yOu atc Ít. Lnc mOvÍc_Oct Ìatct COm-
Qatcd It tO btyIOtOam QaCKIn_ Qcanutã, anO twO Othctã, tOt_cttÍn_
tbat tbcyd tcCcÍvcd tbc QOQCCtn tOt ÍIcc, dcmandcd tbcÍI
mOncy baCk.
bOmc OÍ tbcm _Ot thcÍt ttcc QCQCOtn Ín a mcdÍum-ãIïc buCKct,
Z TÞf e e 5 u r p f Ì $ e $ Ab o u t L h ð h g e
and Othctã _Ot a Ìat_c buCKct-thc ãOtt Ot hu_c tub that ÌOOKã
ÌÍKc Ít mÍ_ht OnCc havc bccn an abOvc-_tOund ãwÍmmÍn_ QOOÌ.
Lvcty QctãOn _Ot a buCKct ãO thctcd bc nO nccd tO ãhatc. Åhc tc-
ãcatChctã tcãQOnãÍbÌc tOt thc ãtudy wctc Ìntctcãtcd Ín a ãÍmQÌc
QucãtÍOn: `OuÌd thc QcOQÌc wÍth bÍ__ct buCKctã cat mOtc:
ÜOth buCKctã wctc ãO bÍ_ that nOnc Ot thc mOvÍc_Octã COuÌd
hnÍãh thcÍt ÍndÍvÍduaÌ QOttÍOnã. bO thc aCtuaÌ tcãcatCh QucãtÍOn
waã a bÍt mOtc ãQcCÍhC: `OuÌd ãOmcbOdy wÍth a Ìat_ct Íncx-
haustÍbÌc ãuQQÌy Ot QOQCOtn cat mOtc than ãOmcOnc wÍth a
ãmaÌÌct ÍncxhauãtÍbÌc ãuQQÌy:
Åhc ãncaKy tcãcatChctã wcÍ_hcd thc buCKctã bctOtc and ahct
thc mOvÍc, ãO thcy wctc abÌc tO mcaãutc QtcCÍãcÌy hOw muCh QOQ-
COtn caCh QctãOn atc. Åhc tcãuÌtã wctc ãtunnÍn_: ÍcOQÌc wÍth thc
Ìat_c buCKctã atc ;3 QctCcnt mOtc QOQCOtn than QcOQÌc wÍth thc
mcdÍum ãÍïc. Åhatã thc cQuÍvaÌcnt Ot I73 mOtc CaÌOtÍcã and aQ-
QtOxÍmatcÌy 2I cxtta hand-dtQã ÍntO thc buCKct.
ÜtÍan `anãÍnK, thc authOt Ot thc ãtudy, tunã thc ÍOOd and
Ütand Lab at LOtncÌÌ \nÍvctãÍty, and hc dcãCtÍbcd thc tcãuÌtã In
hÍã bOOK Mind/essEating·``cvc tun Othct QOQCOtn ãtudÍcã, and
thc tcãuÌtã wctc aÌwayã thc ãamc, hOwcvct wc twcaKcd thc dctaÍÌã.
Ît dÍdnt mattct Ít Out mOvÍc_Octã wctc Ín ÎcnnãyÌvanÍa, ÎÌÌÍnOÍã,
Ot ÎOwa, and Ít dÍdnt mattct what KInd Ot mOvÍc waã ãhOwÍn_; aÌÌ
Ot Out QOQCOtn ãtudìcã Ìcd tO thc ãamc COnCÌuãtOn. ÍcOQÌc cat
mOtc whcn yOu _Ívc thcm a bÍ__ct COntaÍnct. ÎctÍOd.´
ÌO Othct thcOty cxQÌaÍnã thc bchavÍOt. Åhcãc QcOQÌc wctcnt
catÍn_ tOt QÌcaãutc. |Åhc QOQCOtn waã ãO ãtaÌc Ít ãQuc.dcdÍ) Åhcy
wctcnt dtÍvcn by a dcãÍtc tO hnÍãh thcÍt QOttÍOn. |Üoth buCKctã
wctc tOO bÍ_ tO hnÍãh.) Ît dÍdnt mattct whcthct thcy wctc hun_ty
Ot mÌÌ. Åhc cQuatÍOn Íã unyÍcÌdÍn_: ÜÍct COntaÍnct ¯ mOtc catÍn_.
Ücãt Ot aÌÌ, QcOQÌc tctuãcd U  bcÌÍcvc thc tcãuÌtã. Pct thc
mOvÍc, thc tcãcatChctã tOÌd thc mOvÍc_Octã abOut thc twO buCKct
ãÍzcã and thc hndÍn_ã Ot thcÍt Qaãt tcãcatCh. Åhc tcãcatChctã aãKcd,
tl³M M D¼4@4+>=> mææmA A4tmttæ
!O yOu tbÍnk yOu atc mOtc OcCausc Ot tbc Ìat_ct sÍïc: Åbc ma-
]OtÍty sCOUcd at tbc Ídca, sayÍn_, `³bÍn_s ÌÍkc tbat dOnt ttÍCk mc,´
Ot, `Îm Qtctty _OOd at knOwÍn_ wbcn Ïm tuÌÌ.´
NbOOQs.
Z.
Îma_Inc tbat sOmcOnc sbOwcd yOu tbc data ttOm tbc QOQCOtn-
catÍn_ study Out dÍdnt mcntÍOn tbc OuCkct sÍïcs. Ln yOut data
summaty, yOu COuÌd QuÍCKÌy sCan tbc tcsuÌts and scc bOw muCb
QOQCOtn dÍtÍctcnt QcOQÌc atc-sOmc QcOQÌc atc a ÌÍttÌc, sOmc atc
a ÌOt, and sOmc sccmcd tO Oc tcstÍn_ tbc QbysÍCaÌ ÌÍmÍts Ot tbc
buman stOmaCb. 1tmcd wÍtb a data sct ÌIkc tbat, yOu wOuÌd hnd
Ít casy tO ]umQ tO COnCÌusÍOns. Some¸eo¸/eareReasona/hSnack-
ers, andothersareBigC/uttons.
A  QuOÌÍC-bcaÌtb cxQctt, studyÍn_ tbat data aÌOn_sÍdc yOu,
wOuÌd ÌÍkcÌy _ct VcIy wOttÍcd aOOut tbc LÌuttOns. Wneedtomo-
ti:ate these¸eo¸/eto ado¸thea/thiersnacking/eha:iors!Lets/nd
ua¡stoshouthemthehea/thha¬rdo/eaongsomuch!
Üut waÍt a scCOnd. Ît yOu want QcOQÌc tO cat Ìcss QOQCOtn, tbc
sOÌutÍOn Ís Qtctty sÍmQÌc: LÍVc tbcm smaÌÌct OuCkcts. AOu dOnt
baVc tO wOtry abOut tbcÍt knOwÌcd_c Ot tbcÍt attÍtudcs.
AOu Can scc bOw casy Ít wOuÌd Oc tO tutn an casy Cban_c QtOO-
Ìcm |sbtÍnKIn_ QcOQÌcs buCkcts) ÍntO a batd Cban_c QtOOÌcm
|COnVÍnCÍn_ QcOQÌc tO tbÍnk dÍUctcntÌy) . 1nd tbats tbc htst sut-
QtÍsc aOOut Cban_c: Nbat ÌOOKs ÌÍkc a QcOQÌc QtOOÌcm Ís Ohcn a
sÍtuatÍOn QtOOÌcm.
3.
ÅbÍs Ís a OOOk tO bcÌQ yOu Cban_c tbÍn_s. `c COnsÍdct Cban_c at
cVcty ÌcVcÌ-ÍndÍVÍduaÌ, Ot_anÍïatÍOnaÌ, and sOCÍctaÌ. Àaybc yOu
4 T h f e e 5 u f p r Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h gÆ
want tO hcÌQ yOut btOthct bcat hÍã _ambÌÍn_ addÍCtÍOn. Naybc
yOu nccd yOut tcam at wOtK tO aCt mOtc Ítu_aÌÌy bcCuuãc OÍ mat-
Kct COndÍtÍOnã. Àaybc yOu wÍãh mOtc OÍ yOut ncÍ_hbOtã wOuÌd
bÍKc tO wOtK.
\ãuaÌÌy thcãc tOQÍCã atc ttcatcd ãcQatatcÌy-thctc Íã `Chan_c
mana_cmcnt advÍCc ÍOt cxcCutÍvcã and `ãcÌÍ-hcÌQ advÍCc ÍOt Ín-
dÍvÍduaÌã and `Chan_c thc wOtÌd´ advÍCc ÍOt aCtÍvÍstã. Åhatã a
ãhamc, bcCauãc aÌÌ Chan_c cUOttã havc ãOmcthÍn_ Ín COmmOn:
ÍOt anythÍn_ tO Chan_c, ãOmcOnc haã tO ãtatt aCtÍn_ dÍUctcntÌy.
AOut btOthct haã _Ot tO ãtay Out OÍ thc CaãÍnO; yOut cmQÌOyccã
havc _Ot tO ãtatt bOOKÍn_ COaCh tatcã. \ÌtÍmatcÌy, aÌÍ Chan_c ct-
tOttã bOÍÌ dOwn tO thc ãamc mÍããÍOn: Lan yOu _ct QcOQÌc tO ãtatt
bchavÍn_ Ín a ncw way:
Nc KnOw what yOutc thÍnKÍn_-QcOQÌc tcãÍãt Chan_c. Üut Ítã
nOt QuÍtc that caãy. ÜabÍcã atc bOtn cvcty day tO Qatcntã whO, Ín-
cxQÌÍCabÌy, wcÌCOmc thc Chan_c. ÅhÍnK abOut thc ãhcct ma_nÍ-
tudc Ot that Chan_cÍ NOuÌd anyOnc a_tcc tO wOtK ÍOt a bOãã whOd
waKc yOu uQ twÍCc a nÍ_ht, ãCtcamÍn_, tOt ttÍvÍaÌ admÍnÍãttatÍvc
dutÍcã: |Pnd what Íl cvcty tÍmc yOu wOtc a ncw QÍcCc Ot CÌOth-
Ín_, thc bOãã ãQÍt uQ On Ít:) Act QcOQÌc dOnt tcãÍãt thÍã maããÍvc
Chan_c-thcy vOÌuntcct ÍOt Ít.
Ïn Out ÌÍvcã, wc cmbtaCc ÌOtã OÍ bÍ_ Chan_cã-nOt OnÌy ba-
bÍcã, but mattÍa_cã and ncw hOmcã and ncw tcChnOÌO_Ícã and
ncw ¡Ob dutÍcã. ÀcanwhÍÌc, Othct bchavÍOtã atc maddcnÍn_Ìy Ín-
ttaCtabÌc. bmOKctã KccQ ãmOKÍn_ and KÍdã _tOw Íattct and yOut
huãband Cant cvct ãccm tO _ct hÍã dÍtty ãhÍttã ÍntO a hamQct.
bO thctc atc hatd Chan_cã and caãy Chan_cã. Nhat dÍãtÍn-
_uÍãhcã Onc ÍtOm thc Othct: Ïn thÍã bOOK, wc at_uc that ãuCCcãã-
mÌ Chan_cã ãhatc a COmmOn Qattctn. Åhcy tcQuÍtc thc Ìcadct OÍ
thc Chan_c tO dO thtcc thÍn_ã at OnCc. Ncvc aÌtcady mcntÍOncd
Onc Ot thOãc thtcc thÍn_ã: ·O Chan_c ãOmcOncã bchavÍOt, yOu vc
_Ot tO Chan_c that QctãOnã ãÍtuatÍOn.
t¬1<<  a»1y11s<s  M¾Æ¾A L×××gÆ 
Åhc ãItu1tÍOn Íãnt tbc whOÌc _1mc, Ot COutãc. 1Ou Can ãcnd an
aÌCOhOÌÍC tO tchab, whctc thc ncw cnVÍtOnmcnt wÍÌÌ hcÌQ hÍm _O
dty. Üut wbat haQQcnã whcn hc ÌcaVcã and ÌOãcã that InÜucnCc:
1Ou mÍ_ht ãcc a bOOãt In QtOduCtIVÍty ttOm yOut ãaÌcã tcQã whcn
thc ãaÌcã muna_ct ãhadOwã thcm, but what haQQcnã ahctwatd
whcn tbc ãItuatÍOn tctutnã tO nOtmaÌ: ÍOt ÍndÍVÍduaÌã bchaVÍOt
tO Chan_c, ¶OuVc _Ot tO ÍnhucnCc nOt OnÌy thcÍt cnVÍtOnmcnt
but thcÍt hcattã and mÍndã.
Åhc QtObÌcm Íã thÍã: Lhcn thc hcatt and mÍnd dIãa_tcc. Íct-
VcntÌy.
4. 
LOnãÍdct tbc LÌOCKy, an aÌatm CÌOCK ÍnVcntcd by an ÀÏÅ ãtu·
dcnt, LautÍ Ìanda. Îtã nO OtdÍnaty aÌatm CÌOCK¬Ít haã whccÌã.
1Ou ãct It at nÍ_ht, and Ín thc mODÍn_ whcn thc aÌatm _Ocã OH
Ít tOÌÌã OÜ yOut nI_htãtand and ãCuttIcã atOund thc tOOm, tOtCÍn_
yOu tO Chaãc Ít dOwn. ÎÍCtutc thc ãCcnc: 1Outc CtawÌÍn_ atOund
thc bcdtOOm Ín yOut undctwcat, ãtaÌKIn_ and CutãÍn_ a tunaway
CÌOCk.
LÌOCKy cnãutcã that yOu wOnt ãnOOïc-buttOn yOut way tO dÍ-
ãaãtct. Pnd aQQatcntÌy thatã a COmmOn tcat, ãÍnCc abOut 3;,000
unÍtã wctc QutChaãcd, at $;0 caCh, Ín LÌOCKyã htãt twO ycatã On
thc matkct |dcãQÍtc mÍnÍmaÌ matKctÍn_).
Åhc ãuCccãã Ot thÍã ÍnVcntÍOn tcVcaÌã a ÌOt abOut human Qãy-
ChOÌO_y. `hat Ít ãhOwã, tundamcntaÌÌy, Íã that wc atc ãChÍïO-
QhtcnIC. Îatt Ot uã¬Out tatÍOnaÌ ãIdc¬wantã u  _ct uQ at ;:4;
a.m., aÌÌOwÍn_ OutãcÌVcã QÌcnty Ot tImc tOt a QuÍCK ¡O_ bctOtc wc
ÌcaVc tOt thc OmCc. Åhc Othct Qatt Ot uã¬thc cmOtÍOnaÌ ãÍdc-
wakcã uQ Ín thc datKncãã Ot thc catÌy mOtnÍn_, ãnOOïÍn_ ÍnãÍdc
a watm COCOOn Ot ãhcctã and bÌanKctã, and wantã nOthÍn_ Ín thc
wOnd ãO muCh aã a tcw mOtc mÍnutcã Ot ãÌccQ. Íl ÌÌKc uã, yOut
t  T h f e e 5 u f p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h g e
cmOtÍOnal ãÍdc tcndã tO wÍn thcãc ÍntctnaÌ dcbatcs, thcn yOu
mÍ_ht bc a QOtcntÍaÌ LÌOCKy CuãtOmct. Åhc bcauty Ol thc dcVÍCc
Íã that Ít aÌÌOwã yOut tatÍOnaÌ ãÍdc tO Outãmatt yOut cmOtÍOnaÌ
ãÍdc. Ítã ãÍmQÌy ÍmQOããÍbÌc tO ãtay CuddÌcd uQ undct thc COVctã
whcn a tO_uc aÌatm CÌOCK Íã tOÌÌÍn_ atOund yOut tOOm.
Ïct´ã bc bÌunt hctc: LÌOCky Íã nOt a QtOduCt lOt a ãanc ãQcCÍcã.
Ïl bQOCK wantã tO _ct uQ at ;. 4; a.m., bcÌÌ ¡uãt _ct uQ. ÍO dtama
tcQuÍtcd.
Lut buÍÌt-Ín ãChÍzOQhtcnÍa Íã a dccQÌy wcÍtd thÌn_, but wc
dOnt thÍnK muCh abOut Ít bcCauãc wctc ãO uãcd tO Ít. Ñhcn
wc KÍCK Oh a ncw dÍct, wc tOãã thc LhcctOã and LtcOã Out Ol thc
Qantty, bcCauãc Out tatÍOnal ãÍdc knOwã that whcn Out cmOtÍOnal
ãÍdc _ctã a CtaVÍn_, thctcã nO hOQc Ol ãcÌl-COnttOÌ. Åhc OnÌy OQ-
tÍOn Íã tO tcmOVc thc tcmQtatÍOn aÌtO_cthct. |ÍOt thc tcCOtd, ãOmc
ÀÍÅ ãtudcnt wÍÌÌ maKc a lOttunc dcãÍ_nÍn_ LbcctOã that ãCutty
away ltOm QcOQÌc whcn thcytc On a dÍct.)
Åhc unaVOÍdabÌc COnCÌuãÍOn Íã thÍã: JOut btaÍn |ãnt Ol Onc
mÍnd.
Åhc COnVcntÍOnaÌ wÍãdOm Ín QãyChOÌO_y, Ín laCt, Íã that thc
btaÍn haã twO ÍndcQcndcnt ãyãtcmã at wOtk at aÌÌ tImcã. ÍÍtãt,
thctcã wbat wc CaÌÌcd thc cmOtÍOnaÌ ãÍdc. Ïtã thc Qatt Ol yOu that
Íã ÍnãtÍnCtÍVc, that lccÌã QaÍn and QÌcaãutc. bcCOnd, thctcã thc ta-
tÍOnaÌ ãÍdc, aÌãO KnOwn aã thc tchcCtÍVc Ot COnãCÍOuã ãyãtcm. Ïtã
tbc Qatt Ol yOu that dcÌÍbctatcã and anaÌyzcã and ÌOOkã ÍntO tbc
lututc.
Ín tbc Qaãt lcw dcCadcã, QãyChOÌO_Íãtã haVc ÌcaDcd a ÌOt abOut
thcãc twO ãyãtcmã, but Ol COutãc manKÍnd haã aÌwayã bccn awatc
Ol thc tcnãÍOn. !ÌatO ãaÍd that Ín Out hcadã wc baVc a tatÍOnaÌ
ChatÍOtcct whO haã tO rcÍn Ín an untuÌy hOtãc that `batcÌy yÍcÌdã
tO hOtãcwhÍQ and _Oad COmbÍncd. Ítcud wtOtc abOut thc ãcÌhãh
Íd and thc COnãCÍcntÍOuã ãuQctc_O |and alãO abOut thc c_O, whÍCh
b TÞf e e 5 u f p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t LÞð h g e
QÌan, tO tbInK bcyOnd tbc mOmcnt |aÌÌ tbOsc tbÍn_s tbat yOut Qct
Cant dO).
Üut wbat may sutQtÍsc yOu Ís tbat tbc LÌcQbant aÌsO baã cnOt-
mOus sttcn_tbs and tbat tbc bÍdct baã CtÍQQÌÍn_ wcaKncsscs. ³bc
LÌcQbant Ísnt aÌways tbc Oad _uy. LmOtÍOn Ís tbc LÌcQbants
tutÍ-ÌOvc and COmQaãsÍOn and ãymQatby and ÌOyaÌty. ³bat hctCc
ÍnstInCt yOu bavc tO QtOtcCt yOut KÍds a_aÍnst batm-tbat s tbc
LÌcQbant. ³bat sQInc-stÍUcnÍn_ yOu ÍccÌ wbcn yOu nccd tO stand
uQ ÍOt yOutscÌÍ-tbats tbc LÌcQbant.
Pnd cvcn mOtc ÍmQOttant ÌÍ yOutc COntcmQÌatÍn_ a Cban_c, tbc
.
LÌcQbant Ís tbc Onc wbO _cts tbÍn_s dOnc. ³O maKc QtO_tcss tOwaId
a _OaÌ, wbctbct Íts nObÌc Ot Ctass, tcQuÍtcs tbc cnct_y .md dtÍvc OÍ
tbc LÌcQbant. Pnd tbIs sttcn_tb Îs tbc mÍttOt Íma_c OÍ tbc hdcts
_tcat wcaKncss: sQÍnnÍn_ bÍs wbccÌs. ³bc bÌdct tcnds tO Ovctana-
Ìyïc and OvcttbÍnK tbIn_s. LbanCcs atc, yOu KnOw QcOQÌc WÍtb bÍdct
QtOOÌcms: yOut ÍtÍcnd wbO Can a_OnÍïc ÍOt twcnty mInutcs aOOut
wbat tO cat ÍOt dÌnnct; yOut COÌÌca_uc wbO Can OtaÍnstOtm aOOut
ncw Ídcas ÍOt bOuts Out Cant cvct sccm tO maKc a dcCtsÍOn.
ÏÍ yOu want tO Cban_c tbÍn_s, yOuvc _Ot tO aQQcaÌ tO OOtb.
³bc bÍdct QtOvÍdcs tbc QÌannÍn_ and dÍtcCtIOn, and tbc LÌcQbant
QtOvÍdcs tbc cnct_y. bO ÍÍ yOu tcaCb tbc bIdcts OÍ yOut tcam Out
nOt tbc LÌcQbants, tcam mcmbcts wIÌÌ bavc undctstandÍn_ wÍtb-
Out mOtÍvatÍOn. ÎÍ yOu tcaCb tbcÍt LÌcQbants Out nOt thcÍt bÍdcts,
tbcyÌÌ bavc QassÍOn wÎtbOut dÍtcCtÍOn. În OOtb Cascs, tbc Üaws
Can Oc QataÌyïÍn_. A  tcÌuCtant LÌcQbant and a wbccÌ-sQÍnnIn_
bIdct Can bOtb cnsutc tbat nOtbÍn_ Cban_cs. Üut wbcn LÌcQbants
and bÍdcts mOvc tO_ctbct, Cban_c Can COmc casÍÌy.
J. 
Nbcn bÍdct and LÌcQbant dIsa_tcc abOut wbICb way tO mOvc,
yOuvc _Ot a QtObÌcm. ³bc bÍdct Can _ct bÍs way tcmQOtatÍÌy-bc
1Þf e e 5 u f p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t LÞð h g e º 
Can tu_ On thc tcÍnã hatd cnOu_h tO _ct thc ÎÌcQhant tO ãubmÍt.
|AnytÍmc yOu uãc wÍÌÌQOwct yOutc dOÍn_ cxaCtÌy that.) Üut thc
bÍdct Cant wÍn a tu_-Ot-wat wÍth a hu_c anÍmaÌ tOt ÌOn_. Íc ãÍm-
QÌy _ctã cxhauãtcd.
ÅO ãcc thÍã QOÍnt mOtc CÌcatÌÿ, COnãÍdct thc bchaVÍOt Ot ãOmc
COÌÌc_c ãtudcntã whO QattÍCÍQatcd Ín a ãtudy abOut `tOOd
QctCcQtÍOn |Or ãO thcy wctc tOÌd). Åhcy tcQOttcd tO thc Ìab a bÍt
hun_ty; thcyd bccn aãkcd nOt tO cat tOt at Ìcaãt thtcc hOutã
bcIOtchand. Åhcy wctc Ìcd tO a tOOm that ãmcÌÌcd amazÍn_-
thc tcãcatChctã had ¡uãt bakcd ChOCOÌatc-ChÍQ COOkÍcã. Ln a
tabÌc Ín thc Ccntct Ot thc tOOm wctc twO bOwÌã. Lnc hcÌd a
ãamQÌÍn_ OI ChOCOÌatcã, aÌOn_ wÍth thc watm, ttcãh-bakcd
ChOCOÌatc-ChÍQ COOkÍcã thcyd ãmcÌÌcd. Åhc Othct bOwÌ hcÌd a
bunCh Ot tadÍãhcã.
Åhc tcãCatChctã had QtcQQcd a COVct ãtOty: ÑcVc ãcÌcCtcd
ChOCOÌatcã und tadÍãhcã bcCauãc thcy haVc hÍ_hÌy dÍãtÍnCtÍVc
taãtcã. ÅOmOttOw, wcÌÌ COntaCt yOu and aãk abOut yOut mcmOty
OI thc taãtc 8cnãatÍOnã yOu cxQctÍcnCcd whÍÌc catÍn_ thcm.
ÍaÌt thc QattÍCÍQantã wctc aãkcd tO cat twO Ot thtcc COOkÍcã
and ãOmc ChOCOÌatc CandÍcã, but nO tadÍãhcã. Åhc Othct halt wctc
aãkcd tO cat at Ìcaãt twO Ot thtcc tadÍãhcã, but nO COOkÍcã. ÑhÍÌc
thcy atc, thc tcãcatChctã ÌcH thc tOOm, ÍntcndÍn_, tathct ãadÍãtÍ-
CaÌÌy, tO ÌnduCc tcmQtatÍOn: Åhcy wantcd thOãc QOOt tadÍãh-catctã
tO ãÍt thctc, aÌOnc, nÍbbÌÍn_ On tabbÍt tOOd, _ÌanCÍn_ cnVÍOuãÌy at
thc ttcãh-baKcd COOkÌcã. |Ït QtObabÌy _Ocã wÍthOut ãayÍn_ that thc
COOkÍc-catctã cxQctÍcnCcd nO _tcat ãttu__Ìc Ín tcãÍãtÍn_ thc tad-
Íãhcã.) ÍcãQItc thc tcmQtatÍOn, alÌ QattÍCÍQantã atc what thcy wctc
aãKcd tO cat, and nOnc Ot thc tadÍãh-catctã ãnuCk a COOKÍc. Åhatã
wÍÌÌQOwct at wOtk.
At that QOÍnt, thc `taãtc ãtudy waã OmCÍaÌÌy OVct, and anOthct
_tOuQ Ot tcãcatChctã cntctcd wÍth a ãcCOnd, ãuQQOãcdÌy untcÌatcd
ãtudy: Ñctc ttyÍn_ tO hnd whOã bcttct at ãOÌVÍn_ QtObÌcmã,
!U TÞf e e 5 u f p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t LÞð h g÷
COÌÌc_c ãtudcntã Ot hI_h ãChOOÌ ãtudcntã. ÅhÍã ttamÍn_ waã Ín-
tcndcd tO _ct thc COÌlc_c ãtudcntã tO Quh Out thcIJ Chcãtã and
taKc thc tOtthCOmÍn_ taãK ãctÍOuãÌy.
Åhc COÌÌc_c ãtudcntã wctc Qtcãcntcd wÍth a ãctÍcã OI QuïïÌcã that
tcQuÍtcd tbcm tO ttaCc a COmQÌÍCatcd _cOmcttÍC ãhaQc wÍthOut tc-
ttaCÍn_ any ÌÍncã and wÍthOut ÌÍHÍn_ thcÍt QcnCÍÌã ttOm tbc QaQct.
Åhcy wctc _ÍVcn multIQÌc ãhcctã Ot QaQct ãO thcy COuÌd tty OVct
and Ovct. Ín tcaÌIty, thc QuzzÌcã wctc dcãI_ncd tO bc unãOÌVabÌc.
Åhc tcãcatChctã wantcd tO ãcc hOw ÌOn_ thc COÌÌc_c ãtudcntã wOuÌd
QctãIãt In a dÍmCuÌt, ttuãttatÍn_ taãK bctOtc thç hnaÌÌy _aVc uQ.
Åhc `untcmQtcd´ ãtudcntã, whO had nOt had tO tcãIãt catÍn_
thc ChOCOÌatc-ChIQ COOKIcã, ãQcnt nÍnctccn mÍnutcã On thc taãK,
maKÍn_ thÍtty-tOut wcÌÌ-ÍntcntÍOncd attcmQtã tO ãOÌvc thc QtOb-
Ìcm.
Åhc tadÍãh-catctã wctc Ìcãã QctãÍãtcnt. Åhcy _aVc uQ ahct OnÌy
cI_ht mÍnutcã¬Ìcãã tha
{
haÌt thc tÍmc ãQcnt by thc COOKÍc-
catctã¬and thcy mana_cd OnÌy nÍnctccn ãOÌutÍOn attCmQtã. Ñhy
dÍd thcy QuIt ãO caãIÌy:
Åhc anãwct may ãutQtÍãc yOu: Åhcy tan Out OI ãcÌ!COnttOÌ. Ín
ãtudÍcã ÌIKc thÍã Onc, QãyChOÌO_Íãtã haVc dIãCOVctcd ,that ãcÌt-
COnttOÌ Iã an cxhauãtÍbÌc tcãOutCc. Ítã ÌÍKc dOIn_ bcnch Qtcããcã at
thc _ym. Åhc htãt Onc Iã caãy, whcn yOut muãCÌcã atc ttcãh. Üut
wÍth caCh addItIOnaÌ tcQctÍtIOn, yOut muãCÌcã _ct mOtc cxhauãtcd,
untÍÌ yOu Cant ÌÍH thc bat a_aÍn. Åhc tadÍãh-catctã had dtaIncd
thcÍt ãcÌt-COnttOÌ by tcãÍãt¡n_ thc COOKÍcã. bO whcn thcÍt ÎÌc-
Qhantã, IncVÍtabÌy, ãtattcd COmQÌaÍnÍn_ abOut thc QuzzÌc tÜK¯tt:
tooharditsno /n, ue'renogoodatthis¬thcÍt bÍdctã dÍdnt haVc
cnOu_h ãttcn_th tO yanK On thc tcÍnã tOt mOtc than cÍ_ht mÍn-
utcã. ÀcanwhÍÌc, thc COOKÍc-catctã had a ttcãh, unIaxcd bIdct,
whO tOu_ht Oh thc ÎÌcQhant tOt nÍnctccn mÍnutcã.
Seçcontro/isanexhausti//eresource. ÅhÍã Íã a CtuCIaÌ tcaÌÍïa-
tÍOn, bcCauãc whcn wc taÌK abOut `ãcÌt-COnttOÌ, wc dOnt mcan
TÞf e e 5 u¥p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h g e J J
thc narrow scnsc of thc word,  as ì n thc wìlÌpowcr nccdcd to hght 
vìcc  (smokcs,  cookìcs,  aÌcohoÌ) .  Vc`rc  taÌkìng  about  a  broadcr 
kìnd of scÌf-supcrvìsìon. Jhìnk of thc way your mìnd works whcn 
you`rc gìvìng ncgatìvc fccdback to  an cmploycc,  or asscmbÌìng a 
ncw bookshcÌf, or Ìcarnìng a ncw dancc. You arc carcmÌ and dc-
Ììbcratc wìth  your words or movcmcnts.  It fccÌs Ììkc thcrc`s a su-
pcrvìsor on duty.  Jhat`s scÌf-controÌ,  too. 
Contrast that wìth  aÌl thc  sìtuatìons  ìn whìch your bchavìor 
docsn`t fccÌ ¨supcrvìscd¨-for ìnstancc,  thc scnsatìon whìÌc you'rc 
drìvìng that you cant rcmcmbcr thc Ìast fcw mìlcs of road,  or thc 
casy,  unthìnkìng way you takc  a  showcr  or makc  your  mornìng 
coffcc.  Much  of our daìly  bchavìor,  ìn  fact,  ìs morc  automatìc 
than supcrvìscd,  and that's  a good thìng bccausc thc  supcrvìscd 
bchavìor ìs thc hard stuh It`s draìnìng. 
Oozcns of studìcs havc dcmonstratcd thc cxhaustìng naturc of 
scÌf-supcrvìsíon.  For ìnstancc,  pcopÌc  who wcrc  askcd  to  makc 
trìc} choìccs and tradc-ohs-such as  scttìng up a wcddìng rcg-
ìstry or  ordcrìng  a ncw  computcr-wcrc worsc  at  focusìng and 
soÌvìng problcms than othcrs who hadn`t madc mc tough choìccs. 
ln onc study, somc pcopÌc wcrc askcd  to  rcstraìn thcìr cmotìons 
whìÌc watchìng a sad movìc about sìck anìmaÌs. Acrward,  thcy 
cxhìbìtcd Ìcss physìca|  cndurancc  than othcrs who`d Ìct thc  tcars 
how frccÌy. Jhc rcscarch  shows that wc burn  up scÌf-controÌ  ìn a 
wìdc varìcty of sìtuatìons. managìng thc ìmprcssìon wc`rc makìng 
on othcrs, copìng wìth fcars,  controÌlìng our spcndìng, tryìng to 
focus  on  sìmpÌc  ìnstructìons  such  as  ¨Oon't  thìnk  of a  whìtc 
bcar¨; and many, many othcrs. 
Hcrc`s  why  thìs  mattcrs  for  changc.  Vhcn  pcopÌc  try  to 
changc thìngs, tbcy`rc usualÌy tìnkcrìng wìth bchavìors that havc 
bccomc automatìc,  and  changìng thosc bchavìors rcquìrcs  carc-
mÌ  supcrvìsìon  by thc  Ridcr.  Jhc  bìggcr  thc  changc you'rc  sug-
gcstìng, thc morc ìt wìÌÌ sap pcopÌc`s  scÌf-controÌ. 
! 2 TÞ1e e 5 u 1p1l $ e $ A b o u t LÞð h g e
And whcn pcoplc cxhaust thcìr scÌf-controÌ, what thcy`rc cx-
haustìng  arc  thc  mcntaÌ  muscÌcs  nccdcd  to  thìnk crcatìvcÌy,  to 
focus, to ìnhìbìt thcìr impulscs,  and to pcrsìst ìn  thc  facc of frus-
tratìon or faìÌurc. In othcr words, thcy'rc cxhaustìng prccìscÌy thc 
mcntal  musclcs  nccdcd to makc a bìg changc. 
So whcn you hcar pcopÌc say that changc ìs hard bccausc pco-
pÌc arc Ìay or rcsìstant,  that`s j ust hat wrong.  In lact,  thc oppo-
sìtc ìs truc.  Changc ìs hard bccausc pcopÌc wcar thcmscÌvcs  out. 
And that's thc sccond surprìsc about changc. Vhat Ìooks Ììkc Ìazì-
ncss  ìs ohcn  cxhaustìon. 
6.
]on Stcgncr bcÌìcvcd thc company hc workcd for, a Ìargc manu-
facturcr, was wastìng vast sums of moncy.  ¨I thought wc had an 
opportunìty to drìvc down purchasìng costs not by 2 pcrccnt but 
by somcthìng on thc ordcr of $I bìlÌìon ovcr thc ncxt hvc ycars, " 
saìd Stcgncr, who ì s quotcd ì n ]ohn Kottcr and Oan Cohcn's cs-
scntìaÌ  book  !heHearto/Change.
Jo  rcap  thcsc savìngs,  a bìg proccss  shìh would bc  rcquìrcd, 
and for  that  shìh to  occur,  Stcgncr kncw that hc'd havc to  con-
vìncc hìs bosscs.  Hc aÌso kncw that  thcy´d ncvcr cmbracc such a 
bìg shìh unÌcss thcy bcÌìcvcd ìn thc opportunìty,  and lor thc most 
part,  thcy dìdn't. 
Scckìng a  compcÌÌìng cxampÌc  of thc  company's  poor pur-
chasìng habìts, Stcgncr assìgncd a summcr studcnt ìntcrn to  ìn-
vcstìgatc  a sìngÌc ìtcm-work glovcs, whìch workcrs  ìn most of 
thc company's factorìcs worc. Jhc studcnt cmbarkcd on a missìon 
to ìdcntì| aÌl thc typcs of gÌovcs uscd ìn a|Ì thc company´s facto-
rìcs and thcn tracc back what thc company was payìng for thcm. 
Jhc  ìntrcpìd  ìntcrn  soon  rcportcd that  thc  factorìcs  wcrc 
TÞr e e 5 u r p r Ì &e& A b o u t LÞð h g e i1 
purchasìng 424 dìhcrcnt kìnds of gÌovcs! Furthcrmorc, thcy wcrc 
usìng dìhcrcnt gÌovc suppÌìcrs, and thcy wcrc aÌÌ ncgotìatìng thcìr 
own prìccs. Jhc samc  paìr of gÌovcs that  cost  $5 at  onc factory 
mìght cost $17 at anothcr. 
At Stcgncr's rcqucst, thc studcnt coÌÌcctcd a spccimcn of  cvcry 
onc of thc 424 dìhcrcnt typcs of gÌovcs and taggcd cach wìth thc 
prìcc paìd. Jhcn aÌÌ  thc gÌovcs wcrc gathcrcd up,  brought to thc 
boardroom, and pìÌcd up on thc confcrcncc tabÌc. Stcgncr ìnvìtcd 
aÌl thc dìvìsìon prcsìdcnts to comc vìsìt thc GÌovc Shrìnc.  Hc rc-
caÌÌcd thc sccnc. 
What  ihcy saw was  a largc  cxpcnsivc  tabÌc,  normaÌÌy 
cÌcan  or  wìth  a  lc papcrs,  now  stackcd  high  wìth 
gÌovcs. Each ol our cxccutìvcs starcd at this dìspÌay for a 
minutc. Jhcn cach said somcthing Ìikc, "Wc rca|ly buy 
aÌÌ  thcsc dihcrcnt kinds o|  glovcs:¨ WcÌÌ, as a mattcr o| 
|act, ycs wc do.  "RcalÌy?" Ycs,  rca|ly. Jhcn thcy wa|kcd 
around  thc  tabÌc .. . .   Jhcy  could  scc  thc  prìccs.  Jhcy 
|ookcd at  two  gÌovcs that  sccmcd  cxactÌy  a|ìkc,  yct onc 
was markcd $3.?? and thc othcr $J0.55. lt's a rarc cvcnt 
whcn  thcsc pcoplc don't havc  anythìng  to say.  ßut  that 
day, thcy just  stood with  thcir mouths gaping. 
Jhc gÌovcs cxhìbìt soon bccamc a travcÌìng road show, vìsìt-
ìng dozcns of pÌants. Jhc rcactìon was vìsccraÌ.  !hisiscraz,: w're
craz¡. Znduevegottomakesurethissto¸sha¸¸ening. Soon Stcg-
ncr had  cxactÌy  thc  mandatc  for  changc  that hc'd sought. Jhc 
company changcd ìts purchasìng proccss and savcd a grcat dcal of 
moncy. Jhìs was  cxactÌy thc happy cndìng cvcryonc wantcd  (cx-
ccpt,  of coursc, for thc gÌovc saÌcsmcn who´d managcd to sclÌ thc 
$5 glovcs for $17).
J4 T h f e e 5 u f p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t ¹ h a h g e
7. 
Ïctã bc hOncãt: ÀOãt OI uã wOuÌd nOt haVc ttÌcd what btc_nct
dÌd. Ít wOuÌd haVc bccn ãO caãy, ãO natutaÌ, tO maKc a Qtcãcnta-
tÌOn that ãQOKc OnÌy tO thc bÌdct. ÅhInK Ot thc QOããÌbÌÌÌtÌcã: thc
ãQtcadãhcctã, thc ãaVÌn_ã data, thc COãt-CuttÌn_ QtOtOCOÌã, thc tcC-
OmmcndatÌOnã tOt ãuQQÌÌct COnãOÌÌdatÌOn, thc cXQuÌãÌtc ÌO_ÌC tOt
CcnttaÌ QutChaãÌn_. JOu COuÌd haVc Ctcatcd a I×-tabbcd ÀÌCtOãOH
ÎXCcÌ ãQtcadãhcct that wOuÌd haVc madc a taX aCCOuntant wccQ
wÌth ]Oy. Üut Ìnãtcad Ot dOÌn_ any Ot that, btc_ncr dumQcd a
bunCh Ot _ÌOVcã On a taLÌc and ÌnVItcd hIã bOããcã tO scc thcm.
Ít thctc Ìã ãuCh a thÌn_ aã whItc-COÌÌat COuta_c, ãurcÌy thIã waã
an InãtanCc.
btc_nct Kncw that Ìt thIn_ã wctc _OÌn_ tO Chan_c, hc had tO
_ct hÌã COÌÌca_ucã ÎÌcQhantã On hÌã ãÌdc. Ít hc had madc an ana-
ÌytÌCaÌ aQQcaÌ, hc QtObabÌy wOuÌd haVc _Ottcn ãOmc ãuQQOttIVc
nOdã, and thc cXcCã mÌ_ht haVc tcQucãtcd a tOÌÌOw-uQ mcctÌn_
ãÌX wccKã Ìatct (and thcn tcãChcduÌcd Ìt). ¯hc anaÌytICaÌ Caãc waã
COmQcÌÌÌn_¬by ÌtãcÌt, Ìt mÌ_ht haVc COnVÌnCcd btc_nctã COÌ-
Ìca_ucã that OVcthauÌÌn_ thc QutChaãÌn_ ãyãtcm wOuÌd bc an Ìm-
QOttant thÌn_ tO dO . . . ncXt ycat.
bcmcmbct that Ìt yOu tcaCh yOut COÌÌca_ucã bÌdctã but nOt
thcÌt ÎÌcQhantã, thcy wÌÌÌ haVc dÌtcCtÌOn wÌthOut mOtÌVatÌOn.
Àaybc thcÌt bÌdctã wÌÌÌ dta_ thc ÎÌcQhant dOwn thc tOad ÍOt a
whÌÌc, but aã wcVc ãccn, that cUOtt Cant Ìaãt ÌOn_.
LnCc yOu btcaK thtOu_h tO /e/ing, thOu_h, thÌn_ã Chan_c.
btc_nct dcÌÌVctcd a ¡OÌt tO hÌã COÌÌca_ucã. ÎÌtãt, thcy thOu_ht tO
thcmãcÌVcã, Wncr,!Åhcn thcy thOu_ht, Wcan/ thc.ÎVcry-
Onc COuÌd thÌnK Ot a tcw thÌn_ã tO try tO mthc _ÌOVc QtObÌcm-
and by cXtcnãÌOn thc OtdctÌn_ QtOCcãã aã a whOÌc. Åhat _Ot thcÌt
ÎÌcQhantã htcd uQ tO mOVc.
Ñc dOnt cXQcCt QOtcntÌaÌ bÌÌÌÌOn-dOÌÌat Chan_c ãtOrÌcã tO COmc
dtcããcd uQ ÌÌKc thÌã. Åhc Chan_c cdOtt ¾ Ìcd by a ãÌn_Ìc cmQÌOycc,
T h r e e 5 u f p f1$ e5 A b oWt L h ð h g e J 5
wìth thc abÌc hcÌp of a summcr ìntcrn. l t  focuscd on a sìnglc prod-
uct. Jhc scopc of thc prcscntatìon dìdn`t corrcspond ìn any way to 
thc scopc of thc proposal. Yct Stcgncr`s  stratcgy workcd. 
Jhat`s  thc  powcr  of  spcakìng  to  both  thc  Rìdcr  and  thc 
Llcphant. 
B. 
lt`s tru
¿ 
that an unmotìvatcd LÌcphant can doom a changc chort, 
but Ìct`s not forgct that thc Rìdcr has hìs own ìssucs. Hc`s a navcÌ-
gazcr,  an anaÌyzcr,  a whccÌ-spìnncr.  lf thc Kìdcr ìsn`t surc  cxactÌy 
what dìrcctìon to go,  hc tcnds to lcad thc LÌcphant ìn cìrclcs. And 
as  wc`ÌÌ  scc,  that tcndcncy cxpÌaìns thc  thìrd  and  hnaÌ  surprìsc 
about changc. Vhat looks lìkc rcsìstancc ìs ohcn a lack of cÌarìty. 
Jwo  hcaÌth  rcscarchcrs,  Stcvc  ßooth-ßuttcrhcld  and  ßìlÌ 
Kcgcr, profcssors at Vcst Vìrgìnìa \nìvcrsìty, wcrc contcmpÌatìng 
ways  to  pcrsuadc  pcopÌc  to  cat  a  hcaÌthìcr  dìct.  From  past  rc-
scarch,  thcy kncw that pcopÌc wcrc morc Ììkcly to changc whcn 
thc  ncw bchavìor cxpcctcd of thcm was crystaÌ  cÌcar,  but unfor-
tunatcly,  ¨catìng a hcaÌthìcr  dìct¨  was anythìng but. 
Vhcrc  to bcgìn: Vhìch  foods should pcoplc stop  ,or start) 
catìng:  ShouÌd thcy changc  thcìr  catìng  bchavìor  at brcakfast, 
Ìunch, or dìnncr: At homc or ìn rcstaurants: Jhc numbcr of ways 
to  "cat  hca!thìcr¨  ìs  ÌìmìtÌcss,  cspccìal!y gìvcn  thc  startìng pÌacc 
of thc avcragc Amcrìcan dìct. Jhìs ìs cxactÌy thc kìnd of sìtuatìon 
ìn whìch thc Rìdcr wì|Ì spìn hìs whccls, anaÌyzìng and agonìzìng 
and ncvcr movìng forward. 
^ thc  two  rcscarchcrs  braìnstormcd,  thcìr  thoughts  kcpt 
comìng  back  to  mìlk.  Most Amcrìcans  drìnk  mìÌk,  and wc  alÌ 
know  that  mìÌk ìs  a grcat sourcc of caÌcìum.  ßut mìÌk ìs  aÌso  thc 
sìngÌc largcst sourcc of saturatcd fat ìn thc typìcal Amcrìcans dìct. 
ln fact, caÌcuÌatìons showcd somcthìng rcmarkablc. lf  Amcrìcans 
! b T h r e e 5 u r p f Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h g e
swItChcd ttOm whOÌc mÍÌk tO sktm Ot I % mÍÌk, mc aVcta_c dÍct
wOuÌd ÍmmcdIatcÌy attaIn thc \bÍA tcCOmmcndcO ÌcVcÌs Ot sat-
utatcd tat.
ÍOw dO yOu _ct AmctÍCans tO statt dtÍnkIn_ ÌOw-tat mÍÌk:
AOu makc sutc Ít shOws uQ In thcÍt tcttÍ_ctatOts. And that Ísnt
an cntÍtcÌy taCctÍOus answct. !cOQÌc wÍÌÌ dtInk whatcVct Ìs atOund
thc hOusc¬a tamÍÌy wÍÌÌ QÌOw thtOu_h ÌOw-tat mÍÌk as tast as
whOÌc mÍÌk. bO, Ín csscnCc, thc QtObÌcm was cVcn casÍct than an-
tÍCÍQatcd: AOu dOnt nccd tO Chan_c drinkingbchaVÍOt. AOu nccd
tO Chan_c ¿urchaingbchaVÍOt.
buddcnÌy thc ÍntctVcntÍOn bcCamc tazOt-shatQ. Ñhat bchaV-
ÍOt dO wc want tO Chan_c: Ñc want COnsumcts tO buy sKlm Ot
I % mIÌk. Ñhcn: Ñhcn thcytc shOQQIn_ tOt _tOCctÍcs. Ñhctc:
Íuh. Ñhat cÌsc nccds tO Chan_c: ÍOthÍn_ |tOt nOw).
bc_ct and ÜOOth-ÜuttcthcÌd ÌaunChcd a CamQaI_n Ín twO
COmmunItÍcs Ín Ñcst Ntt_Ínta, tunnÍn_ sQOts On thc ÌOCaÌ mcdÍa
OutÌcts ,T ncwsQaQct, tadÍO) tOt twO wccks. Ín COnttast tO thc
bÌand mcssa_cs Ot mOst QubÌÍC-hcaÌth CamQaÍ_ns, thc I % mÍÌk
CamQaÍ_ was QunChy and sQcCIhC. Lnc ad ttumQctcd thc taCt
that Onc _Ìass Ot whOÌc mÍÌk has thc samc amOunt Ot satutatcd tat
as hVc sttIQs Ot baCOnÍ At a Qtcss COntctcnCc, thc tcscatChcts
shOwcd ÌOCaÌ tcQOttcts a tubc hÌÌ Ot tat¬thc cQuÍVaÌcnt Ot thc
amOunt tOund Ín a haÌt-_aÌÌOn Ot whOÌc mÍÌk. |ÍOtÍCc thc ÎÌc-
Qhant aQQcaÌs: Åhcytc _OÍn_ tOt an `Lh, _tOss¦ tcaCtÍOn.)
bc_ct and ÜOOth-ÜuttcthcÌd mOnÍtOtcd mÍÌk saÌcs data at aÌÌ
cÍ_ht stOtcs Ín thc ÍntctVcntÍOn atca. ÜctOtc thc CamQaÍ_n, thc
matkct shatc Ot ÌOw-tat mÍÌk was I 8 QctCcnt. Ahct thc CamQaÍ_n,
Ít was 41 QctCcnt. bÍX mOnths Ìatct, Ít hcÌd at 35 QctCcnt.
ÅhÍs btÍn_s us tO thc hnaÌ Qatt Ot thc Qattctn thut ChataCtct-
Ízcs suCCcssÍÌ Chan_cs: Ít yOu want QcOQÌc tO Chan_c, yOu must
QtOVÍdc CtystaÌ-CÌcat dÎtcCtÍOn.
Üy nOw, yOu Can undctstand thc tcasOn thÍs Is sO ÍmQOttant:
T h f e e 5 u f p f1$ e5 A b o u t L h ð h g e i¯ 
It's so thc Rdcr docsn`t spìn hìs whccÌs.  If you tcÌÌ pcoplc to ¨act 
hcaÌthìcr, "  thìnk of how  many ways  thcy can  intcrprct  that~
ìmagìnc thcìr Ridcrs  contcmpÌatìng thc  options  cndÌcssÌy  (Oo I 
cat morc grains and lcss mcat! Or vìcc vcrsa! Oo l start takìng vì-
tamìns: VouÌd ìt bc a good tradc-oh ìlI cxcrcisc morc and brìbc 
myscÌf wìth ìcc crcam: ShouÌd Ï switch to Lìct Cokc, or ìs thc Ü"
tihcìaÌ swcctcncr worsc than thc caÌorìcs:) 
what/ooks/ike resistanceiso¸ena/cko/c/rip. Bcforc  thìs 
study,  wc  might havc Ìookcd at  thcsc Vcst Virgìnians  and  con-
c|udcd thcy wcrc thc  kind of pcopÌc who don`t carc about thcìr 
hcaÌth.  But ì| thcy wcrc ìndccd ¨that kind" of pcopÌc, why was it 
so casy to shih thcìr bchavior: 
If you  want  pcopÌc  to  changc,  you  don't  ask  thcm  to  ¨act 
hcaÌthìcr.¨ You say,  ¨Icxt tìmc you`rc in thc daìry aìsÌc of thc gro-
ccry storc, rcach for a jug of I % mìÌk instcad of who|c mìÌk." 
9.
Iow you`vc  had a gÌìmpsc of thc basìc thrcc-part framcwork wc 
wìÌÌ unpack i n this book, onc that can guidc you ìn any sìtuation 
whcrc you nccd U changc bchavìor. 
¹  Ul|ect the /lJel Vat |ooks |ikc rcsìstancc is ohcn a 
|ack o|  c|arìty.  So  provìdc  crysta|-clcar dìrcctìon.  (Jhìnk 
I % mi|k.) 
" MOtlvJte the /lephJnt. Vhat  |ooks  |ìkc  |azìncss  ìs 
ohcn cxhaustìon. Jhc Rìdcr can't g
¿
t hìs way by |orcc for 
vcry Ìong.  So  ìt`s crìtìcaÌ  that  you  cngagc  pcopÌc`s  cmo-
tìonæ  sìdc-gct thcìr Elcphants  on thc path and coopcr-
atìvc.  (Jhìnk  o|  thc  cookics  and  radishcs  study and  thc 
boardroom con|crcncc tab|c m|| o| g|ovcs.) 
I b T h r e e 5 u f p r Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h g e
º  5hape Ihe FaIh. What Ìooks Ììkc a pcopÌc probÌcm is 
ohcn  a sìtuatìon probÌcm.  Wc  caÌl  thc  sìtuatìon  (ìncÌud-
ìng thc surroundìng cnvìronmcnt) thc ¨Iath.' Vhcn you 
shapc thc Iath, you makc changc morc ÌikcÌy,  no  mattcr 
what's  happcnìng wìth  thc  Rdcr  and  EÌcphant.  (Jhìnk 
o|  thc cHcct ol shrìnking movìc popcorn buckets.) 
Vc crcatcd thìs framcwork to  bc uscmÌ for pcopÌc who don`t 
havc  scads  of authorìty or  rcsourccs.  Somc  pcopÌc  can  gct  thcìr 
way by hat.  CLOs,  for ìnstancc,  can  sclÌ oh dìvìsìons,  hìrc  pco-
pÌc,  hrc  pcoplc,  changc  ìnccntìvc systcms,  mcrgc  tcams,  and so 
on.  IoÌìtìcìans can pass Ìaws or ìmposc punìshmcnts  to changc bc-
havìor. Jhc rcst of us don`t havc thcsc tools  (though, admìttcdÌy, 
thcy wouÌd makc Ììfc casìcr. ¨Son, ìf you don`t takc  out thc trash 
tonìght, you`rc hrcd") .  ln thìs book, wc don't taÌk a Ìot about thcsc 
structuraÌ mcthods. 
^hcÌpmÌ as wc hopc thìs framcwork wìÌÌ bc to you, wc`rc wcÌl 
awarc, and you should bc, too, that thìs framcwork ìs no panacca. 
For onc  thìng,  ìt`s ìncompÌctc. Vc`vc  dcÌìbcratcÌy Ìcn out  lots of 
grcat thìnkìng on changc ìn thc ìntcrcsts of crcatìng d framcwork 
that's  sìmpÌc cnough  to  bc practìcaÌ.  Ior  anothcr,  thcrc's  a good 
rcason why changc can bc dìmcuÌt. Jhc worÌd docsn`t aÌways wæt 
what you want.  You want  to  changc  how othcrs arc  actìng,  but 
thcy gct a votc. You can cajoÌc, ìnhucncc, ìnspìrc, and motìvatc-
but somctìmcs an  cmpÌoycc wouÌd rathcr Ìosc hìs job than  movc 
out of hìs comfortabÌc routìncs. Somctìmcs thc aÌcohoÌìc wìÌÌ want 
anothcr drìnk no mattcr what thc conscqucnccs. 
 
So wc  don't promìsc  that wc`rc goìng  to  makc changc  casy, 
but at Ìcæt wc  L makc  ìt eaierOur goaÌ  ìs to tcach you a framc-
work,  bascd  on  dccadcs  of  scìcntìhc  rcscarch,  that  ìs  sìmplc 
cnough to rcmcmbcr and hcxìbÌc cnough to usc ìn many dìhcr-
cnt sìtuatìons-famìÌy, work,  communìty,  and othci¬ìsc. 
T h f e e å M f p r1 $ e $ A b o u t ¹ h ð h g e iº 
To change behavior, you`ve got to direct the Rider, motivate
the Elephant, and shape the Path. Il you can do all three at once,
dramatic change can happen even il you don`t have lots ol power
or resources behind you. For prool ol that, we don't need to look
beyond Donald ßerwick, a man who changed the lace ol health
care.
! O.
In 2OO4, Donald ßerwick, a doctor and the CEÒ ol the Institute
lor Healthcare Improvement (IHI), had some ideas about how to
save lives~massive numbers ol lives. Researchers at the IHI had
analyzed patient care with the kinds ol analytical tools used to
assess the quality ol cars coming oß a production line. They dis-
covered that the ¨delect" rate in health care was as high as I in
IO~meaning, lor example, that IO percent ol patients did not
receive their antibiotics in the specihed time. This was a shock-
ingly high delect rate~many other industries had managed to
achieve perlormance at levels ol I error in I ,OOO cases (and ohen
lar better) . ßerwick kcthat the high medical delect rate meant
that tens ol thousands ol patients were dying every year,
unnecessarily.
ßerwicks insight was that hospitals could beneht lrom the
same kinds ol rigorous process improvements that had worked
in other industries. Couldn't a transplant operation be "produced"
as consistently and dawlessly as a Toyota Camry`
ßerwick`s ideas were so well supported by research that they
were essentially indisputable, yet little was happening. He
certainly had no ability to Force any changes on the industry.
IHI had only seventy-hve employees. ßut ßerwìck wasnt
deterred.
Òn Deccmber I4, 2OO4, he gave a speech to a room mll ol
2U T h r e e å u r p r1 $ e $ A b o Wt ¹ h ð h g Æ 
hospital administrators at a large industry convention. He said,
"Here is what I think we should do. I think we should save l00,000
lives. And l thìnk we should do that by |une 14, 2006 I8 months
lrom today Some is not a number, soon is not a time. Here`s the
number. I00,000. Here's the time. |une I4, 20069 a.m."
The crowd was astonished. Jhe goal was daunting. ßut
ßerwick was quite serious about his intentions. He and his tiny
team set out to do the impossible.
IHI proposed six very specihc interventions to save lives. For
instance, one asked hospitals to adopt a set ol proven procedures
lor managing patients on ventilators, to prevent them lrom get-
ting pneumonia, a common cause ol unnecessary death. (Òne ol
the procedures called lor a patient`s head to be elevated between
30 and 45 degrees, so that oral secretions couldn`t get into the
windpipe.)
Ò£ course, all hospital administrators agreed with the goal to
save lives, but the road to that goal was hlled with obstacles. For
one thing, lor a hospital to reduce its ¨delect rate," it had to ac-
knowledge having a delect rate. In other words, it had to admit
that some patients were dying needless deaths. Hospital lawyers
were not keen to put this admission on record.
ßerwick knew he had to address the hospitals' squeamish-
ness about admitting error. At his December 14 speech, he was
joined by the mother ol a girl who`d been killed by a medical
error. She said, 'Jm a little speechless, and I'm a little sad, be-
cause I know that il this campaign had been in place lour or hve
years ago, that |osie would be hne . . . . ßut, I'm happy, l`m
thrilled to be part ol this, because I know you can do it, because
you have to do it."
Another guest on stage, the chair ol the Þorth Carolina State
Hospital Association, saìd. `awml lot ol people lot a long time
T h r e e 5 u f p r Ì $ e $ A b o u t L h ð h g e ìì 
have had theìt heads in the sand on this issue, and it' s time to do
the tight thing. lt's as simple as that.¨
IHI made joining the campaign easy· It requited only a one-
page Iotm signed by a hospital CFO. By two months aItet
Betwick's speech, ovet a thousand hospitals had enrolled. Once a
hospital enrolled, the IHI team helped the hospital embrace the
new intetventions. Team membets ptovided teseatch, step-by-
step insttuction guides, and ttaining. They arranged conIetence
calls Iot hospita| leaders to shate theit victoties and sttuggles with
one anothet. 1hey encouraged hospitals with eatly successes to
become "mentors¨ to hospitæs just joining the campaign.
The Itiction in the system was substantial. Adopting the IHI
intetventions requited hospitals to overcome decades' worth oI
habits and toutines. Many doctors wete ittitated by the new pro-
cedutes, which they petceived as constticting. But the adopting
hospitals were seeing dramatic tesults, and their visible successes
atttacted mote hospitals to join the campaign.
Eighteen months latet, at the exact moment he'd promised to
tetutn-}une I4,2006, at 9 a.m.-Betwick took the stage again
to announce the tesults: "Hospitals entolled in the 100,000 Iives
Campaign have collectively ptevented an estimated I22,300
avoidable deaths and, as impottantly, have begun to institution-
alize new standards oI care that will continue to save lives and
imptove health outcomes into the mture."
The ctowd was euphotic. Don Berwick, with his 75-petson
team at IH!, had convinced thousands oI hospitals to change
theit behaviot, and collectively, they'd saved I22,300 lives-the
equivalent ot thtowing a liIe ptesetvet to evety man, woman, and
child in Ann Atbot, Michigan.
1his outcome was the Iulhllment oI the vision Betwick had
atticulated as he closed his speech eighteen months earliet, about
ZZ T h Î e e å u Îp r Ì $ e $ A b o u t ¹ h ð a g e
how the wotld would look when hospitals achieved the I ÛÛ,ÛÛÛ
lives goal·
Aud, we will celebtate. Statting with pizza, and ending
with champagne. We will celebtate the impottance of
what we have undettaken to do, the coutage o| hon-
esty, the joy of companionship, the clevetness of a held
opetation, and the tesults we will achieve. We will cel-
ebtate outselves, because the patients whose lives we
save cannot ]oin us, because theit names can nevet ee
known. Out conttibution will be what did not happen
to them. And, though they ate unkuown, we will know
that mothets and fathets ate at gtaduations and wed-
dings they would have missed, aud that gtandchildten
will know gtandpatents they might nevet have known,
and holidays wi|l be taken, and wotk completed, and
books tead, and symphonies heatd. and gatdens tended
that, without out wotk, would have been only beds of
weeds.
! ! .
Big changes can happen.
Don Betwick and his team catalyzed a change that
saved I ÛÛ,ÛÛÛ lives, yet Betwick himself wielded no powet. He
couldn't change the |aw. He couldn`t hte hospital leadets who
didn't agtee with him. He cou|dn't pay bonuses to hospita|s that
accepted his ptoposals.
Betwick had the same tools the test of us have. Iitst, he di-
tected his audience's Ridets. The destination was ctysta| cleat:
Some is nota number. soon is nota time. Heres the number·
T h f e e 5Wf p f1 $ e $ A b o Wt ¹ h ð h g e ì) 
!JJ,JJJ. Heresthetime·}une!1. 2JJ6Va.m.But that wasn`t
enough. He had to help hospitals hgute out how to get thete, and
he couldn`t simply say, "Try hatdet." (Remembet "act healthiet"
vetsus "buy I % milk") So he ptoposed six specihc intetventions,
such as elevating the heads oI patients on ventilatots, that wete
known to save lives. By staying laset-Iocused on these six inter-
ventions, Berwick made sure not to exhaust the Ridets oI his au-
dience with endless behaviotal changes.
Second, he motivated his audience's Flephants. He made
them /e/the need Iot change. Many oI the people in the audience
alteady knew the Iacts, but knowing was not enough. ,Remem-
ber, knowing wasn't enough |or executives at |on Stegnet's com-
pany. It took a stack oI gloves to get their Flephants engaged.)
Betwick had to get beyond knowing, so he btought his audience
Iace-to-Iace with the mothet oI the gItl who'd been killed by a
medical ettor: "I know that iI this campaign had been in place
Iout ot hve yeats ago, that |osie would be hne." Betwick was also
cateml to motivate the people who hadn't been in the toom Ior
his ptesentation. He didn`t challenge people to "ovethaul medi-
cine" ot "btii:gTQM to health cate. " He challenged them to save
I 00,000 lives. That speaks to anyone`s Flephant.
Third, he shaped the Path. He made it easier Ior the hospitals
to embrace the change. Think oI the one-page entollment Iotm,
the step-by-step instructions, the training, the suppott gtoups,
the mentots. He was designing an envitonment that made it more
likely Ior hospital administtatots to teIotm. Berwick also knew
that behavior was contagious. He used peet ptessute to petsuade
hospitals to join the campaign. (ourri:a/hos¸ita/acrosstoun¸ust
ty·d sn /s /·ç ter· JJµJJJ/|r·t Ds ¸su r·e/¡ aen/ //·m /s /er·
themora/highground°)He aIso connected people-he matched
up people who wete struggling to implement the changes with
people who had mastered them, almost like the "mentots" Iound
Z4 T h f e e å u f p f1 $ e 5 A b o u I ¹ hBh g e
in Alcoholics Anonymous. Berwick was cteating a suppott gtoup
Iot health cate teIorm.
In this book, you`ll learn about people like Berwick who've
cteated sweeping change despite having Iew tesoutces and little
sttuctutal authotity. You`ll learn about an enttepteneut who saved
his small company by tutning his skeptical employees into
customer-setvice zealots; a student Itesh out oI college who saved
an endangeted species Itom extinction; a managet who plotted a
way to get his colleague to stop acting like a jerk; and a thetapist
who teIotmed a gtoup oI child abusets.
Whethet the switch you seek is in your Iamily, in yout chat-
ity, in yout otganization, or in society at latge, you'll get thete by
making thtee things happen. You'll ditect the Ridet, motivate the
Flephant, and shape the Path.
0¡R£C1
1 H £
R¡D£R
' , M1Y1ÁÃ 1W1 Y1M1Y
 
Z
ÏID0 IhE bIIghI bµ0I5
!.  
In !990, |crry Srcrnìn was workìng lor Savc rhc Chìldrcn, rhc ìn-
rcrnarìonal  organìzarìon  rhar hclps  chìldrcn  ìn nccd.  !c'd bccn 
askcd  ro opcn a ncw omcc ìn Vìcrnam. Jhc govcrnmcnr had  ìn-
vìrcd  Savc  rhc Lhìldrcn  ìnro  rhc  counrry  ro hghr maInurrìrìon. 
Bur whcn Srcrnìn arrìvcd, rhc wclcomc was rarhcr chìl!y. Jhc lor-
cìgn  mìnìsrcr lct  hìm  know  rhar  nor cvcryonc ìn  rhc govcrnmcnr 
apprccìarcd hìs  prcscncc.  Jhc  mìnìsrcr  rold  Srcrnìn,  `You havc 
sìx monrhs ro  makc a dìhcrcncc.` 
Srcrnìn was rravclìng wìrh hìs wìlc and  !0-ycar-old son.  Ìonc 
ol rhcm spokc Vìcrnamcsc. "Ñc wcrc lìkc orphans ar rhc aìrporr 
whcn wc arrìvcd ìn Vìcrnam,` hc rccallcd.  "Ñc had no ìdca whar 
wc wcrc  goìng ro do.`  Srcrnìn  had  mìnìmal sræ and mcagcr rc-
sourccs. 
Srcrnìn  had  rcad  as  much  as  hc  could  abour  rhc  malnurrì-
rìon problcm. Jhc convcnrìonal wìsdom was rhar malnurrìrìon 
2b Ol K b L T T h b K l O b K
was the resu|t oI an intertwined set oI problems· Sanitation
was poor. Poverty was nearly universal. C|ean water was not
readi|y available. The rural people tended to be ignorant about
nutrition.
In Sternin's judgment, all oI this ana|ysis was "JBU¨true
but use|ess. "Mi||ions oI kids can`t wait Ior those issues to be ad-
dressed," he said. lI addressing malnutrition required ending
poverty and puri[ing water and building sanitation systems, then
it would never happen. Ispecial|y in six months, with almost no
money to spend.
Sternin had a better idea. He traveled to rural villages and met
with groups oI local mothers. The mothers divided into teams
and went out to weigh and measure every chi|d in their vi|lage.
They then pored over the resu|ts together.
Sternin asked them. "Did you 6nd any very, vety poor kids
who are bigger and healthier than the typical child?¨ Jhe women,
scanning the data, nodded and said, ¨Cs, cs,cs."(Yes, yes, yes.)
Sternin said, "You mean it's possible today in this vil|age Ior
a very poor Iamily to have a well-nourished child?¨
"Cs, cs,cs."
"Jhen |et's go see what they're doing. ¨
Stemin`s strategy was to search the community Ior b¬ghtqoo
successml eüorts worth emulating. II some kids were healthy de-
spite their disadvantages, that meant ma|nourishment was not
inevitab|e. Iurthermore, the mere existence oI healthy kids pto-
vided hope Ior a practica|, short-term solution. Sternin kche
couldn`t hthe thorny "root causes.¨ But iI a handml oI kids were
staying hea|thy against the odds, why couldn`t every kid be healthy?
Notice that Sternin was trying to Iocus the mothers` R|ders.
Jhe overa|l topic-what can you do to make your child hea|th-
ier²÷is simp|y too big and loaded to take on at once. The moth-
ers needed direction, not motivation. Ater all, every mother's
î Ì h d I h0 8 t Î g hI 5 g 0 I 5 캠
Elephant is going to be motivated to make her child healthier.
ßut how:
Remember the power ol the I % milk campaign, which made
an abstract idea (¨eat healthier") practical. Sternin was saying.
Let's not sit around analyzing ¨malnutrition. " Let's go study what
these bright-spot mothers are doing.
^a hrst step, Sternin and the mothers had to eliminate any
bright spots who weren`t "typical. " For example, a boy might
have an uncle in the government who could send extra lood his
way. Òther families wouldn't be able to replicate that.
In order to recognize what the bright-spot mothers were
doing dillerently, the group had to synthesize the ¨conventional
wisdom" about leeding kids. So they talked to dozens ol peo-
ple-mothe:s, lathers, older brothers and sisters, grandparents÷
and discovered that the community norms were pretty clear
Kids ate twice a day along with the rest ol their lamilies. They
ate lood tha: was appropriate lor kids~solt, pure loods like the
highest-quality rice.
Armed with an understanding ol the norms, Sternin and the
mothers went into the homes ol the bright-spot kids and ob-
served the way the homes were run, alert lor any deviations. Their
observation yielded some unexpected insights. For one thing,
bright-spot moms were leeding their kids lour meals a day (using
the same amount ol lood as other moms but spreading it across
lour servings rather than two) . The larger twice-a-day meals eaten
by most lamilies turned out to be a mistake lor children, because
their malnourished stomachs couldn't process that much lood at
one time.
The style ol eating was also diherent. Most parents believed
that their kids understood their own needs and would leed them-
selves appropriately lrom the communal bowl. ßut the healthy
kids were lcd more actively~hand-led by parents il necessary.
JU D l K b C T T h b K l D b K
They wete even encoutaged to eat when they wete sick, which
was not the norm.
Pethaps most intetesting, the healthy kids wete eating diÐet-
ent kinds oI Iood. The btight-spot mothets wete col|ecting tiny
shtimp and ctabs Itom the tice paddies and mixing them in with
theit kids' tice. Shtimp and ctabs were eaten by adults but gen-
etally weten`t consideted apptopriate Iood Iot kids. The mothets
also tossed in sweet-potato greens, which wete consideted a low-
class Iood. These dietaty imptovisations, howevet sttange ot "low
class,¨ wete doing something ptecious. adding sotely needed pro-
tein and vitamins to the childten's diet.
^ an outsidet, Stetn in nevet could have Ioteseen these ptac-
tices. He knew nothing about sweet-potato gteens. The solution
was a native one, emetging Itom the teal-world expetience oI the
villagets, and Iot that teason it was inhetent|y tealistic and in-
hetently sustainable. But knowing the solution wasn`t enough.
Iot anything to change, lots oI mothets needed to adopt the new
cooking habits.
Most people in Stetnin's situation would have been itching to
make an announcement, to call the village togethet and unveil a
set oI tecommendations. Catherrounde:eçone:Ívcsmdied¡our
¸robhmandnouÍha:etheansuer!HereareSte¬i::sâRu/es}r
FightingMa/nutrition.
But Sternin teIused to make a Iotmal announcement.
"Knowledge does not change behaviot,¨ he said. "We have all en-
counteted ctazy shtinks and obese doctors and divotced mattiage
counselots." He knew that telling the mothets about nutrition
wouldn't change theit behaviot. They`d have to ptactice it.
The community designed a ptogtam in which hþ malnout-
ished Iamilies, in gtoups oI ten, would meet at a hut each day
and ptepate Iood. The Iamilies wete tequited to bting shtimp,
ctabs, and sweet-potato greens. The mothers washed theit hands
î Ì h d t h e ß r Ì g h t 5 p o t $ J!
with soap and cooked the mea| togethet. Stetn | n said that the
moms wete ¨acting the|t way |nto a new way oF thinking." Most
important, it was theirchange, something that atose Ftom the
|oca| wisdom ot the vi|lage. Stetn |n's ro|e was on|y to he|p them
see that they could do |t, that they cou|d conquer ma|nuttition
on theit own.
By organizing these cooking gtoups, Stetnin was addressing
both the Ridet and the F|ephant. The mothets' R|dets got high|y
specihc insttuctions: Hereshoutocookatasç/unchuithshrim¸
andsueet-¸otatogeens.And theit F|ephants got a Fee|ing. hope.
Ihererea/ç is aua¡ tomakem¡ dughterhea/thier Znditsnot
:eçharditssomething1cando!Notice that the Path p|ayed a
to|e, too. When so many oF the mothets were doing someth|ng,
thete was sttong soc|a| ptessute to go a|ong. The cook|ng classes,
in eüect, were changing the cu|tute ot the vi||age.
Best oF al|, br|ght spots so|ve the "Not Invented Hete" ptob-
|em. Some people have a knee-jetk skeptica| tesponse to ¨im-
potted¨ so|utions. Imagine the pub|ic outcty it an Ametican
po||tician proposed that the United States adopt the Itench
health cate system. (Ot vice versa.) We a|l think out group is the
smattest.
By |ooking tot br|ght spots within the very v|||age he was try-
ing to change, Stetnin ensuted that the so|ution would be a na-
tive one. He would have taced a much mote dimcu|t quest |t he'd
brought |n d p|an ttom a diüetent vil|age. The |oca| mothets
would have brist|ed. Ihose¸eo¸/earen't/ikeus. Oursituationis
morecom¸/icatedthanthat. ThoseideauouHn'tuork here.
Finding btight spots, then, so|ves many diüetent ptoblems at
once. That's no surptise; successFu| change etFotts |nvo|ve con-
necting a|l three patts ot the ttamewotk. Rider, F|ephant, and
Path. (A|though in this book we explain one patt oF the Ftame-
wotk at a time, we` || cont|nue to temind you that even an
3Z Ol K b L T T h b K l O b K
example in the ¨Rider¨ chapters will in6uence the Elephant and
Path. Concepts are rare|y exclusive.)
Six months aher Sternin had come to the Vietnamese vi|lage,
65 percent oI the kids were better nourished and stayed that way.
Later, when researchers Irom Fmory University's Schoo| oI Pub-
lic Health came to Vietnam to gather independent data, they
Iound that even children who hadn`t been born when Stemin |eh
the villages were as healthy as the kids Sternin had reached di-
rectly. That discovery provided prooI that the changes had stuck.
Sternin`s success began to spread. "We took the hrst I4 viIlages
in diüerent phases oI the program and turned them into a social
laboratory. People who wanted to rep|icate the nuttition model
came Irom diÐerent parts oI Vietnam. Fvery day, thç would go to
this living university, to these vil|ages, touching, smell.ng, snimng,
watching, |istening. They wou|d 'graduate,' go u theit villages, and
imp|ement the process until they got it right . . . . The program
reached 2.2 million Vietnamese people in 265 villages. Our living
university has become a nationa| model Ior teaching v.l|agers to re-
duce drastically malnutrition in Vietn+m,¨ Sternin said.
Stories don`t come much more heroic than this. Stemin aod his
smaIl team oI believers, working with a shoestring budget, man-
aged to make a big dent in ma|nutrition. What makes it more re-
markable is that they weren't experts. They didn`t walk in with the
answers. All they had ¾ a deep Iaith in the power oI bright spots.
¿.  
The Rider part oI our minds has many strengths. The Rider is a
thinker and a planner and can p|ot a course Ior a better Iuture.
But as we've seen, the Rider has a terrible weakness~the
tendency to spin his whee|s. The Rider loves to contemplate and
analyze, and, making matters worse, his anaIysis is almost a|ways
î Ì h d t h e ß r Ì g h t 5 p o t $ 11 
directed at problems rather than at bright spots. (You can prob-
ably recall a conversation with a Friend who agonized For hours
over a particular relationship problem. ßut can you remember an
instance when a Friend spent even a Few minutes analyzing why
something was working so well`)
These an.dytical qualities L be extremely helpml, obviously÷
many problems get solved through analysis~but in situations
where change is needed, too much analysis can doom the eßort.
The Rider will see too many pro blems and spend too much time
sizing them up. Look again at |erry Sternin and the Vietnam
story. Dozens oF experts had analyzed the situation in Vietnam.
Their Riders had agonized over the problems~the water supply,
the sanitation, the poverty, the ignorance. They'd written posi-
tion papers and research documents and development plans. ßut
they hadn't changed a thing.
In tough times, the Rider sees problems everywhere, and
"analysis paralysis" ohen kicks in. The Rider will spin his wheels
indebnitely unless he's given clear direction. That's why to make
progress on H change, you need ways to directthe Rider. Show him
where to go, how to act, what destination to pursue. And that's
why bright spots are so essential, because they are your best hope
For directing the Rider when you're trying to bring about change.
3.
"School stinks," said ßobby, a ninth grader who`d j ust reported
For his nrst school counseling session. |ohn |. Murphy, the school
psychologist, was surprised ßobby had shown up at all.
Several teachers had reFerred ßobby For counseling, Frustrated
by his bad behavior. He was constantly late, rarely did his work,
was disruptive in class, and sometimes made loud threats to other
kids in the hallways.
34 Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
Bobby's home liIe was just as chaotic. He'd beeu shumed in
and out oI Ioster homes and special Iacilities Ior kids with be-
havioral problems. He and his Iather were on the waiting list Ior
Iamily counseling. The loca| socia| setvice agency in Covington,
Kentucky, was keeping tabs on Bobby. By the time he showed up
Ior his session with Murphy, he was in danger oI being placed in
another special Iacility because oI his problems at school.
Murphy was almost powerless in the situation. The counselor
had no way to improve Bobby's situation at home, and time was
working against him~at best, he'd see Bobby Ior an hour here,
an hour there. Murphy cou|dn't reward Bobby iI he behaved well
or punish him iI he behaved poorly. ,Not that punishment would
have worked. Bobby usual|y ended up in the principal's omce by
mid-morning Ior disciplinary issues, but his behavior never
changed.)
Ignoring the "school stinks¨ comment, Murphy began ta|king
to Bobby and posed a series oI unusual questions. So began the
hrst oI a handml oI conversations between Murphy and Bobby.
Now, Iast-Iorward to three months later. A drantatic change
had occurred. The number oI days Bobby was sent to the princi-
pa|'s omce had declined by 80 percent. Bobby hadn't become an
Fagle Scout, mind you, but the improvement was sttong enough
to keep social services Irom having to transIer him to the school
Ior troubled kids. Bobby, a chronic oüender, had become an oc-
casional oHender. And it happened because oI a Iew hours oI talk-
ing with a counselor.
What, exactly, happened in those conversations?
º. 
]ohn Murphy is a practitioner oI solutions-Iocused brieI therapy
("solutions-Iocused therapy¨ Ior short). Solutions-Iocused therapy
î Ì h d t h e ß r Ì g h I 5 p o I $ 35
vas invcntcd in thc latc I º70s by a husband-and-viIc thcrapist
tcam, Stcvc dc Shazcr and Insoo Kim ßcrg, and thcir coÌÌcagucs
at thc ßricI lamiÌy Jhcrapy Ccntcr in MiÌvaukcc. SoÌutions-
Iocuscd thcrapy is radicaÌly dihcrcnt Irom traditionaÌ thcrapy. ln
classica| psychothcrapy (think Jony Soprano and Lr. McÌh) , you
and your thcrapist cxpÌorc your probÌcm. Vhat arc its roots:
Locs it tracc back to somcthing in your chiÌdhood: Jhcrc`s a
scnsc oI archacoÌogicaÌ cxcavation. You`rc digging around your
mind Ior a buricd nuggct oI insight, somcthing that may cxplain
vhy you bchavc thc vay you do. Lxcavating thc past takcs timc.
A standard Ircudian psychoanalysis might takc hvc ycars oI vork,
vith scssions oncc or tvicc a vcck. (And aItcr hvc ycars and
$50,000, you dìscovcr it`s aÌl your mom`s huÌt.)
SoÌutions-Iocuscd thcrapists, in contrast, couÌdn`t carc Ìcss
about archacoÌogy. Jhcy don`t dìg around Ior cÌucs about vhy
you act thc vay you do. Jhcy don`t carc about your chiÌdhood.
AÌÌ thcy carc about is thc soÌution to thc probÌcm at hand.
Marriagc thcrapist MichcÌc Vcincr-Lavis vas initiaÌÌy traìncd
as a cÌassical psychoanaÌyst. Likc aÌÌ psychoanaÌysts, shc bclicvcd
that chiÌdhood cxpcricnccs crcatcd unrcsoÌvcd traumas that
Icd currcnt probÌcms, and shc tricd to hcÌp hcr cÌicnts undcrstand
hov thcir upbringing had shapcd thcir bchavior in rclationships.
ßut shc vas ohcn unhappy vith thc outcomcs hcr cÌicnts
achicvcd through psychoanaÌysis. ln hcr book Di:orceBunng,
shc cxpÌaincd vhy. ¨My cÌicnts vouÌd IrcqucntÌy plcad, `^ov l
scc that vc arc rccnacting our parcnts` marriagcs, but vhat do vc
do about it: Vc can`t stop hghting.` `' Shc Ìcarncd that undcr-
standing a probÌcm docsn`t ncccssariÌy soÌvc it-that knoving is
not cnough.
Vcincr-Lavis vas initialÌy skcpticaÌ about solutions-Iocuscd
bricI thcrapy. ¨lt sccmcd too simpÌc . . . . Most pcoplc, incÌuding
most thcrapists, bcÌicvc thc changc proccss has to bc compÌicatcd
3b OI K b L T T N b K I O b K
and arduous. `^o paìn, no gaìn´ ìs thc gcncraI ruÌc ol thumb.¨ Jo
dcscribc hov hcr thinking about soÌutions-locuscd thcrapy
changcd, shc uscd an anaÌogy lrom goÌI
At onc point, hcr goÌl svìng startcd mìsbrìng, so shc vcnt to a
goÌl pro, thìnking hcr tcchnìquc nccdcd a major ovcrhauÌ. Shc
notcd that thc goÌl pro didn`t do any archacoÌog. Hc ncvcr said,
"You obviousÌy havc a lcar ol vinning. Lid your lathcr intimìdatc
you as a Ììttlc gìrl:¨ Instcad, a|Ì hc dìd vas suggcst a mìnor modì-
hcatìon. rcÌaxrng hcr tight grìp on thc cÌub. At hrst, shc væ a Ììt-
tÌc pcccd by this advìcc. ìt didn`t sccm prolound cnough to justiq
hìs lcc. ßut latcr, on thc coursc, hcr baÌÌs vcrc going straìghtcr and
hrthcr. Ma¡besma/aqutmentscanuorka¸era//shc thought.
J. 
SoIutions-locuscd thcrapists usc a common sct ol tcchniqucs lor
dìscovcring potcntìaÌ soÌutions. LarÌy ìn thc hrst scssion, ahcr
hcarìng thc patìcnt cxpÌaìn hìs or hcr problcm, thc thcrapìst poscs
thc MìracÌc Qucstìon. "Lan ì ask you a sort ol strangc qucstion:
Supposc that you go to bcd tonight and sÌccp vcÌl. Somctìmc, ìn
thc mìddÌc ol thc nìght, vhìlc you arc sÌccping, a miraclc happcns
and aIÌ thc troubÌcs that brought you hcrc arc rcsoÌvcd. Vhcn
you vakc up ìn thc mornìng, vhat`s thc /rstsma/sig you`d
scc that vouÌd makc you thìnk, `VcÌÌ, somcthìng must havc
happcncd~thc probÌcm is gonc! `:¨
Hcrc`s hov onc couplc ìn marìtaÌ thcrapy ansvcrcd thc Mìr-
acÌc Qucstìon poscd by thcìr thcrapist, ßrìan Cadc ol Sydncy,
Australìa:
WlFE.   I`d bc happy, lccÌing at casc at Ìasi. ì'd bc
morc pÌcasant to ßob, not jumpìng dovn his
throat aÌl thc timc.
î Ì h d t h e ß r Ì g h t 5 p o I $ 3/
CADE:   Vhat will you do instead:
WIFE:   Vell, there would be more understanding
between us. Ve`d listen to what each other
was saying.
HUSßAMD.   Yes. At the moment, we don`t really listen to
each other. Ve just can`t wait to get our own
point in.
CADE:   How could you tell that the other was really
listening:
WlFE.   In the Face, I think. Ve`d perhaps make more
eye contact. ,Pauses, then/ughs.)Ve`d nod
in the right places.
HUSßAMD.   Yes. Ve`d both respond to what the other
was saying rather than just attacking or ig-
noring it.
Notice that Cade prods the couple For specihcs. "Vhat will
you do instead:" "How could you tell the other person was really
listening:" The Miracle Question doesn`t ask you to describe the
miracle itselt, it asks you to identi| the tangible signs that the
miracle happened.
Here`s another example From a therapist`s session with a man
with a drinking problem. Jamimchso/:ed ¡ourdrinking¸robhm,
uhat uouH¡ou bedoingdgrentç thenextmo¬ing·¨I don`t
know, I can`t imagine." 7¸: "Vell, all my Friends drink, so what
do you expect me to do:" Íknouitsnoteç, butthinkaboutit.
"Vell, there are all sorts ol things." Nameone. "Maybe I would
go to the library and look at the newspapers. " HouuouH ¡ourd¡
bedy rentq ¡ouuentto the/ibraç?
Solutions-locused therapists learn to Focus their patients on
the hrst hints oF the miracle~"Vhat`s the/rstsmahsig you`d
see that would make you think the problem was gone" ~because
3B O I K b L T T h b K l Ob K
thcy vant to avoid ansvcrs that arc ovcrly grand and unattaìn-
abÌc: ¨My bank account ìs lulI, I Ìovc my job, and my marriagc
ìs grcat. ¨
Cncc thcy´vc hcÌpcd patìcnts ìdcntì| spccìhc and vìvìd sìgns
ol progrcss, thcy pìvot to a sccond qucstion, vhìch ìs pcrhaps
cvcn morc important. lt's thc lxccptìon Qucstion: ¨Vhcn vas
thc Ìast tìmc you sav a Ììttlc bit ol thc mìracÌc, cvcn just lor a
short tìmc:¨
A alcohoÌìc vouId bc askcd. ¨Vhcn vas thc Ìast tìmc you
staycd sobcr lor an hour or tvo:¨ Cr thc vìlc in thc dìaIoguc
quotcd abovc vouÌd bc askcd. ¨Vhcn vas thc Ìast tìmc you lcÌt
Ìikc your husband vas truÌy Ììstcnìng to you:¨
It`s an ìngcnìous tactic. Vhat thc thcrapìst ìs tryìng to dcmon-
stratc, ìn a subtÌc vay, ìs that thc cÌìcnt is capabIc ol soÌvìng hcr
ovn probÌcm. ^ a mattcr ol lact, thc cÌìcnt ìs ohcring up prool
that shc`s a/read¡so/oedit, at Ìcast ìn somc cìrcumstanccs. Ïor ìn-
stancc, ßrìan Cadc vorkcd vìth a mothcr vhosc chìÌdrcn vcrc
out ol controÌ. Hc askcd hcr thc Lxccptìon Qucstìon. ¨Vhat vas
dìhcrcnt about thc last timc your kìds obcycd you: Ïn vhat cìr-
cumstanccs do thcy sccm to bchavc bcttcr:¨
NLN. (a¸era¸ause) I gucss ìt's vhcn thcy rca'ìzc thcy
havc pushcd mc too lar.
CADL:   Hov couÌd thcy tcÌl that:
NLN. You knov, it's mnny. I thìnk it's vhcn I siop rant-
ìng and ravìng at thcm and my voìcc gocs vcry,
vcry calm . . . . l think I`m abÌc to do that vhcn Ï
lccÌ gcncraÌIy Ìcss harasscd, vhcn I lccÌ I'vc got
things donc rathcr than spcnt thc vhoÌc day vor-
ryìng about gcttìng thìngs donc. Vhcn l lccÌ l`vc
not bccn abÌc to gct on top ol thc houscvork, I
tcnd to panìc.
î Ì h d t h e ß f Ì g h t 5 p o t $
Cadeasksheruhatthekidmightnoticeongoodd¡s.
NLN: I think l just Ìook calmcr.
CADL·   Vhat cÌsc:
NLN. Ï probabÌy grcct thcm morc cnthusiasticaÌÌy and
smiÌc morc.
39
Solutions-Iocuscd thcrapists bcÌicvc that thcrc arc cxccptions
to cvcry probÌcm and that thosc cxccptions, oncc idcntihcd, can
bc carcIuÌÌy anaÌyzcd, likc thc gamc hlm oI a sporting cvcnt.
Letsre¿/a¡ thatscene, uhere things uere uorking}r¡ou. what
uasha¿¿ening?Houdid¡ou/ehaoe?vere¡ousmi/ing?Did¡ou
makeqecontact?And that anaÌysis can point dircctÌy tovard a
solution that is, by dch nition, vorkablc. AItcr aÌÌ, it vorkcd
bcIorc.
Jhcsc "cxccptions¨ arc just Ìikc |crry Stcrnin`s bright spots.
|ust as thcrc vcrc somc kids in thc Victnamcsc viÌlagc vho man-
agcd to stay hcalthy dcspitc thc povcrty, thcrc arc somc momcnts
in an aÌcoholic's ÌiIc vhcn hc is sobcr dcspitc thc cravings. Jhosc
bright spots arc goÌd to bc mincd. (!oticc again that bright spots
providc not onÌy dircction Ior thc Kdcr but hopc and motivation
Ior thc llcphant.)
Vhat docs this mcan Ior you: You may not hght maÌnutri-
tion, and you may not nccd thcrapy. ßut iI you'rc trying to
changc things, thcrc arc going to bc bright spots in your hcÌd oI
vicv, and iI you Ìcarn to rccognizc thcm and undcrstand thcm,
you viÌÌ soÌvc onc oI thc mndamcntaÌ mystcrics oI changc: Vhat,
cxactÌy, nccds to bc donc dihcrcntÌy:
Supposc you`rc a human rcÌations managcr, and you'vc bccn
cncouraging Ììnc managcrs to givc Iccdback to thcir cmpÌoyccs
morc IrcqucntÌy, rathcr than storing it up Ior thcir oncc-a-ycar
pcrIormancc rcvicvs. You hostcd an oh sitc training program Ior
tcn managcrs so thcy couÌd practicc thc rccommcndcd ncv styÌc
4O Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
olin-thc-momcnt lccdback, and thcy aÌÌ Ìch thc program pÌcdg-
ing to cxpcrimcnt vith it.
^cr lour vccks, you start to hcar back Irom somc ol thc
managcrs, and thcir rcsuÌts havc bccn mixcd. Jvo ol thc man-
agcrs sccm gcnuincÌy translormcd~cxcitcd about thc vay thc
lastcr lccdback has improvcd thcir rcÌationships vith tcam mcm-
bcrs. Iivc ol thc managcrs arc vcakÌy positivc, saying thcy tricd
it a Icv timcs. Jvo ol thc managcrs say, rcgrctmlÌy, that thcy`vc
bccn too busy u  try. Cnc is an outright skcptic and thinks thc
vhoÌc initiativc is hogvash.
Vhat nov: Jhc bright spots givc you an action pÌan. Go
invcstigatc thc tvo succcssluÌ managcrs. íirst, scc il cithcr situ-
ation is an anomaÌy. Ior instancc, in your loÌlov-up, you might
discovcr that onc ol thc succcssmÌ managcrs had not bccn giv-
ing any morc lccdback to his tcam~hc`d simply bccn ap-
proaching individuaÌs morc ohcn to makc smaÌÌ taÌk. Jhc cxtra
sociaÌ contact madc him lccÌ good but annoycd tcam mcmbcrs
(vho vcrc constantly intcrruptcd) . Jhat managcr is not a rcaÌ
bright spot.
Jhc othcr succcss might bc Ìcgitimatc. Maybc thc managcr,
Ocbbic, dcviscd a tracking shcct that rcminds hcr to providc lccd-
back to cvcry cmpÌoycc cvcry vcck. Maybc shc sct a goaÌ lor hcr-
scÌl that hcr ¨quick Iccdback¨ vilÌ ncvcr last Ìongcr than tvo
minutcs and viÌl appÌy onÌy to a spccihc projcct~it von't bc a
rclcrcndum on an cmpÌoycc`s ovcraÌl pcrlormancc. Maybc shc sct
up opcn-door ¨omcc hours¨ so that cmpÌoyccs can drop by Ior
quick lccdback on ongoing pro¡ccts.
!ov that you'vc dchncd your bright spot, you L try to cÌonc
it. Havc thc othcr managcrs spcnd an hour or tvo shadoving
Ocbbic, sccing hrsthand hov shc incorporatcd thc ncv styÌc into
hcr workday. Gct Lcbbic to attcnd your ncxt oh sitc iraining pro-
gram so shc can coach othcr managcrs on thc mcchæ¡ics ol quick
f Ì h d I h e ß f Ì g h t 5 p o t $ 4I
lccdback. Jalk to ÏJ and scc ìl thcrc`s a vay to roÌl out a morc poÌ-
ìshcd vcrsìon ol Lcbbìc´s ìmpromptu tracking shcct.
ßottom lìnc. You arc spcndìng 80 pcrccnt ol your tìmc cx-
pÌorìng Lcbbìc`s succcss and bndìng vays to rcpÌicatc it. You
arcn`t obscssìng about thc managcr vho vas skcptical. You arcn't
pÌannìng anothcr traìnìng program wìth thc samc managcrs to
rcvìcw thc matcrìaÌ. You arc sìmpÌy asking yourscÌl, ¨Vhat`s
vorking and hov can vc do morc ol it:¨ Jhat`s thc brìght-spot
phiÌosophy ìn a singÌc qucstìon.
6.
íocusìng on brìght spots can bc countcrìntuitìvc lor busìncsscs.
Richard Pascalc, onc ol |crry Stcrnìn`s coÌÌaborators, dìscovcrcd
thìs ìn 2003 vhcn hc acccptcd a consuÌtìng assìgnmcnt vìth
Gcncntcch. Jhc company had rcccntÌy launchcd a drug caÌÌcd
XoÌaìr, vhìch had bccn rcgardcd as a ¨mìracÌc drug¨ lor asthma.
ìt had provcd chcctìvc ìn prcvcntìng asthma attacks lor many pa-
tìcnts. Yct sìx months ahcr Ìaunch, saÌcs olXoÌaìr rcmaincd vclÌ
bcÌov cxpcctatìons.
PascaÌc and hìs tcam vcrc askcd to hcÌp hgurc out vhy XoÌaìr
vas undcrpcrlormìng. Jhcy ìmmcdiatcÌy startcd lookìng lor
brìght spots and soon lound onc. Jvo saÌcswomcn vho vorkcd
thc LaÌÌas-lort Vorth arca vcrc scÌÌìng tvcnty tìmcs morc Xo-
Ìaìr than thcìr pccrs. lurthcr ìnvcstìgatìon rcvcaÌcd that thc
vomcn vcrc usìng a lundamcntaÌÌy dìncrcnt kind ol salcs pìtch.
Rathcr than scÌÌìng thc hcaÌth bcncbts ol thc drug~vhìch doc-
tors ÌargcÌy undcrstood~thcy wcrc hcÌpìng doctors undcrstand
hov to administerthc drug. XoÌaìr vas not a pìlÌ or an inhaIcr, ìt
rcquircd ìnhsìon vìa an intravcnous drìp. Jhìs tcchnìquc vas un-
lamìlìar (and thcrclorc LÌcphant-spookìng) to thc aIÌcrgìsts and
pcdìatrìcìans who vouÌd bc prcscrìbing thc drug.
4Z Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
Hcrc vas a classìc brìght-spot sìtuatìon. Lìkc thc Vìctnamcsc
mothcrs vho mixcd svcct-potato grccns ìnto thcìr kd`ricc, thcsc
salcsvomcn vcrc achìcvìng radicalÌy dillcrcnt rcsuÌts vìth thc
samc sct ol rcsourccs cvcryonc cÌsc had. Having dìscovcrcd thc
brìght spot, Gcncntccn's managcrs could hcÌp sprcad thc ìnnova-
tion across thcìr cntìrc salcs lorcc.
ßut that dìdn`t happcn. And hcrc ìs vhcrc a cautionary talc ìn-
trudcs on our succcss story. Vhat actuaÌly happcncd vas thìs:
Jhc supcrìor rcsuÌts ol thc LalÌas¬!ort Vorth rcps vcrc vìcvcd
vith suspìcìon| Managcrs spcculatcd that thc salcsvomcn had an
unlaìr advantagc, and thcir ìnìtìal assumptìon vas that thc paìr's
salcs tcrrìtorics or quotas nccdcd to bc rcvìsìtcd. (Îatcr ìnvcstìga-
tion cstablishcd that thc two vomcn had thc samc typc ol cÌìcnt
basc as thc othcr rcps. )
Jo bc laìr to thc Gcncntcch managcrs, Ìct's acknovlcdgc that
thcrc vas ìndccd a chancc that thosc tvo rcps vcrc sìmply an
anomaly. ßut thc managcrs` ¡rstreactionto thc good ncvs vas
that ìt must bc bad ncvs| Jhat rcactìon ìs a good rcmindcr that
thc Rìdcr´s capacìty lor analysìs ìs cndÌcss. Lvcn succcsscs LÎ Ìook
Ììkc probÌcms to an ovcractìvc Kìdcr.
7. 
Lct's cìrcÌc back to ßobby, thc troubÌcd studcnt, bccausc nov vc
can start to undcrstand his rathcr abrupt translormation. Hcrc's
a brìcl cxchangc lrom onc ol ßobby`s counscling scssìons. lotìcc
hov Murphy, thc schooÌ counsclor, starts by poppìng thc Lxccp-
tion Qucstìon.
N\HÎÌX: JcÌl mc about thc tìmcs at schooÌ vhcn you
don't gct ìn troubÌc as much.
f1h d I h e ß f Ì g h t 5 p o I $ 4J
ßOßßY  ì ncvcr gct ìn troublc, vcll, not a lot, ìn Ms.
Smìth's class.
N\hÎÌY Vhat`s dìhcrcnt about Ms. Smìth's cÌass:
ßOßßY.  ì don't knov, shc`s nìccr. Vc gct along grcat.
N\HÎÌY: Vhat cxactÌy docs shc do that's nìccr:
Murphy vasn`t contcnt vìth ßobby`s vaguc conclusìon that
Ms. Smith ìs ¨nìccr.¨ Hc kcpt probìng untìl ßobby ìdcntihcd scv-
cral thìngs about Ms. Smìth and hcr class that sccmcd to hclp
hìm bchavc vclÌ. Ior instancc, Ms. Smìth aÌvays grcctcd hìm as
soon as hc vækcd ìnto class. (Cthcr tcachcrs, undcrstandably,
avoidcd him.) Shc gavc hìm casìcr vork, vhìch shc kncv hc
could compÌctc (ßobby has a lcarnìng dìsabìlìty) . And vhcncvcr
thc class startcd vorkìng on an assignmcnt, shc chcckcd vìth
ßobby to makc surc hc undcrstood thc ìnstructìons.
Ms. Smith`s class vas a brìght spot, and as vc`vc sccn, any-
tìmc you havc a bright spot, your mìssion is to clonc it. Lsìng
Ms. Smìth`s cÌass as a modcl, Murphy gavc ßobby`s othcr tcach-
crs vcry practìcal tìps about hov to dcaÌ vìth hìm. Grcct ßobby
at thc door. Makc surc hc's assìgncd vork hc can do. Chcck to
makc surc hc undcrstands thc instructìons.
Vhat Murphy had avoìdcd, ol coursc, vas archacoÌogy. Hc
didn`t dìg ìnto ßobby`s troubÌcd chìldhood, and hc dìdn`t try to
cxcavatc thc sourccs ot hìs angcr and vìÌlmÌncss. Ior Murphy, alÌ
that inlormatìon vould havc bccn JßL, as Stcrnin vouÌd say.
truc but uscÌcss. Jhc othcr thing Murphy avoìdcd vas Gcncn-
tcch`s kncc-jcrk skcpticìsm. Jhc mcntal quìbblcs could havc comc
so casìÌy. /:. Smithis ¸ustanicer ¸ersonthantheotherteachersor
Herc/ssueasieror IachersshouHn'thaoetoad¸ttheira¸¸roach
toa¸ro/hmstvdnt. ìnstcad, Murphy lound a brìght spot, and hc
trustcd it.
44 Ol K b L T T h b K I Ob K
Bobby's teachers were pleased when Murphy approached
them with such speciGc guidance, and they promised to give his
recommendations a tty. Murphy asked the teachers to help him
track whether the solutions were working by recording Bobby's
perIormance on three metrics: (1) arrivlng to class on time,
,2) completing assignments in class, and (3) behaving acceptably
in class. Over the next three months, as reported eatlier, Bobby's
rate o| being sent to the ptincipal's omce |ot a majot in|taction
decreased by 80 percent. Bobby also made striking progress on
day-to-day behavior as measured by the three metrics. Be|ote
solutions-Iocused therapy, his teachers typically rated his perIor-
mance as acceptable in only 1 or 2 out o| 6 class pet.ods per day.
Aer solutions-|ocused therapy, he was rated as acceptable in 4 or
5 oI the 6 periods. Bobby is sti|l not a model student. But he's a
lot better.
8. 
Notice something remarkable about both the Vietnam and the
Bobby case studies. ln each one, relatively smal| changes÷
cooking with sweet-potato greens, greeting Bobby at the door÷
had a big impact on a big problem. There is a cleat asymmetty
between the scale oI the problem and the scaIe o| the solution. Big
problem, small solution.
This is a theme you will see again and again. Big problems
are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions. |nstead, they
are most ohen solved by a sequence oI small solutions, sometimes
over weeks, sometimes over decades. And this asymmetty is why
the Rlder`s predilection Ior anaIysis can backre so easily.
W hen the Rider analyzes a ptoblem, he seeks a solution that
behts the scale oI it. II the Rider spots a hole, he wants to hll it,
and iI he's got a round hole with a 24-inch diameter, he's gonna
î l h d t h e ß r l g h t 5 p o t $ 45
go looking Ior a 24-inch pcg. ßut that mcntaÌ modcl is vrong.
Ïor instancc. in anaÌyzing maÌnutrition in Victnam, thc cxpcrts
had cxhaustivcÌy anaÌyzcd aÌÌ thc big systcmic Iorccs that vcrc rc-
sponsibÌc Ior it. Ìack oI sanitation, povcrty, ignorancc, lack oI
vatcr. ^o doubt thcy aÌso concoctcd big systcmic pÌans to ad-
drcss thosc Iorccs. ßut that vas Iantasy. !o onc, othcr than
Stcrnìn, thought to ask, ¨Vhat`s vorkng right nov:¨
In rcvicving ßobby`s situation at high schooÌ, thc tcachcrs
and administrators vhispcrcd about aÌÌ thc things that vcrc bro-
kcn. brokcn homc, Ìcarning disabiÌity, uncontrolÌabÌc impulscs.
Any normal pcrson, anaÌyzing ßobby`s situation, vouÌd havc
cravcd an intcnsivc, compÌcx solution to match thc intcnsivc,
compÌcx probÌcm. ßut no onc, othcr than thc counscÌor Mur-
phy, thought to ask, ¨Vhat`s vorking right nov:¨
Jo pursuc bright spots is to ask thc qucstion ¨Vhat's vork-
ing, and hov can vc do morc oI it:¨ Sounds simpÌc, docsn't it:
Yct, in thc rcaÌ vorÌd, this obvious qucstion is aÌmost ncvcr askcd.
Ïnstcad, thc qucstion vc ask is morc probÌcm Iocuscd. ¨Vhat`s
brokcn, and hov do vc hx it:¨
Jhis probÌcm-sccking mindsct is a shortcoming oI thc Kdcr
in cach oI us. PsychoÌogists vho havc srudicd this phcnomcnon÷
our prcdiÌcction Ior thc ncgativc~havc rcachcd somc Iascinat-
ing concÌusions. 1  an iÌÌustration oI vhat thcy'vc Iound, takc a
look at thc IoÌÌoving vords takcn Irom a ¨Lcam LngÌish at homc¨
vcbsitc. Jhcy`rc alÌ vords Ior cmotions. Vc`vc cxccrptcd thc hrst
tvcnty-Iour oI thcm Irom an a|phabcticaÌ Ìist. Scc iI you notìcc
any pattcrn:.
1^LbA
TÌÌLYÎL
1ÍÍJÌÍLL
:ÍÍbLlLÌOÍNL
LLL1LlÅLL
LÍOÍ1ÍLÍÌÅLL
LLO¹JÅÎL
L/LͲLL
4b Ol K b L T T h b K l O b K
JOÌJÀLL LÀLÅÌLÌJÍ
ÜLN¡ÍLLbÍL LÌN¡LÍO
ÜLÅbJYLL LÀÜJbHJOOLL
LLÌtÍOLL tÍb¡LÍO
LLÌtÍLLÌÅ 1bÍLÌÅLÌLL
LÌLJÅLL LbLJÅ
LbLOO ÌJÎÎY
LLÍbLOOLL ÌLbb¡tÍLL
Jhose are 24 oF the most common "emotion" words in En-
glish, and only 6 oF them are positive' In a more exhaustive study,
a psychologist analyzed 558 emotion words-every one that he
could hnd in the English languageand Found that 62 percent
oF them were negative versus 38 percent positive. That's a pretty
shocking discrepancy. According to an old urban legend, Eski-
mos have I00 dißerent words lor snow. Vell, it tutns out that
negative emotions are our snow.
This negative Focus is not conhned to emotions. Across the
board, we seem wired to Focus on the negative. A group oF psy-
chologists reviewed over two hundred articles and concluded that,
For a wìde range oF human behavior and perception, a general
princip|e holds true. "ßad is stronger than good."
Exhibit A. People who were shown photos oF bad and good
events spent longer viewing the bad ones.
Exhibit ß. Vhen people learn bad stuß about someone else,
it's stickier thæ good stuh. People pay closer attention to the bad
stuß, rehect on it more, remember it longer, and wcigh it more
heavily in assessing the person overall. Jhis pattern is so robust
that researchers who study how we perceive one another have a
label For it-"positive-negative asymmetry."
Exhibit C. A researcher reviewed seventeen studies about how
people interpret and explain events in their lives~Ior example,
î Ì h d t h e ß t Ì g h I 5 p o t $ 41
how sports tans intcrprct sporting cvcnts or how studcnts dcscribc
thcir days in thcir journaÌs. ^cross muÌtipÌc domains÷work and
poÌitics and sports and pcrsonal Ìilc÷pcopÌc wcrc morc Ìikcly to
spontancousÌy bring up ¸and attcmpt to cxpÌain) ncgativc cvcnts
than positivc oncs.
¤c couÌd prcscnt pÌcnty morc cxhibits, but lor now wc'ÌÌ givc
thc study`s authors thc Ìast (disappointcd) word on thc subjcct.
"¤hcn wc bcgan this rcvicw wc anticipatcd hnding somc cxccp-
tions that wouÌd dcmarcatc thc Ìimits ol thc phcnomcnon . . .
¸butj ueuereuna//eto/ocatean¡signµcants¸heresinuhichgood
uaconsistentµstrongerthan/ad" (cmphasis addcd) .
ßad is strongcr than good. ^ LcsÌic Íicdlcr oncc said, Ìots ol
novcÌists havc achicvcd thcir lamc by locusing on maritaÌ probÌcms,
but thcrc's ncvcr bccn a succcssluÌ novcÌ about a happy marriagc.
9.
^ particuÌar strain ol this "bad is strongcr than good" bias is crit-
tcwhcn it comcs to tackÌing changc. Lct`s calÌ it a ¸ro//em/cus.
Jo scc it, considcr this situation: Your chiÌd comcs homc onc day
with hcr rcport card. Shc got onc ^, lour ß's, and onc í¤hcrc
wiÌÌ you spcnd your timc as a parcnt:
Jhis hypothcticaÌ comcs lrom author Marcus ßuckingham,
who says that ncarÌy aÌl parcnts will tcnd to hxatc on thc ! Ït's
casy to cmpathizc with thcm. Somethingseems/roken-ueshou/d
¸þit.Letsgetheratutor Orma¡/esheshouH/e¸unished-shes
goundedunti/thatgraderecooers. !t is thc rarc parcnt who would
say, instcad, ¨Moncy, you madc an ¬ in this onc cÌass. You must
rcalÌy havc a strcngth in this subjcct. Mow can wc buiÌd on that:"
(ßuckingham has a hnc scrics ol books on making thc most ol
your strcngths rathcr than obscssing about your wcakncsscs.)
¤hcn thc Ridcr sccs that things arc going wcÌl, hc docsn't
4B Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
think much about thcm.  but whcn thíngs brcak, hc snaps u  at-
tcntion  and starts  appÌying  hìs  probÌcm-soÌvìng  skiÌÌs.  So whcn 
your kids  arc  making  As  and  B`s,  you  don`t  think  much  about 
thcir gradcs.  But whcn thcy makc a Oor an F,  you spring into ac-
tion.  It's  wcìrd whcn you thìnk about,  isn´t  it: 
Vhat if thc Kdcr had a morc positìvc oricntation! Imaginc a 
worÌd in which you cxpcricnccd a rush of gratitudc cvcry sìngÌc 
timc you  hippcd  a  Ììght  swìtch  and  thc  room  Ìit  up.  Imagìnc  Û
worÌd in which ahcr a husband lorgot his wifc's birthday, shc gavc 
him a big kiss and said, ¨For thirtccn of thc Ìast fourtccn ycars  you 
rcmcmbcrcd my birthday! Jhat's wondcrmÌ!¨ 
Jhis is  not our world. 
But in timcs of changc, it nccds to bc. Our Rìdcr has a prob-
Ìcm focus whcn hc nccds a so/unon[cu:.  If you arc a managcr, ask 
yourscÌf.  "Vhat is thc ratio of thc timc I spcnd soÌving probÌcms 
to thc timc l spcnd scaÌing succcsscs쨠
Vc nccd  to  switch  from archacologica| probÌcm  soÌving to 
bright-spot cvangcÌìzing. Jhcrc´s no qucstion that it`s possibÌc to 
do. Jakc |crry  Stcrnin.  Hc  camc  ìnto  an  cnvironmcnt  riddÌcd 
with  faiÌurc.  Jhc  opportunìtics  for  analysis wcrc  cndÌcss.  Hc 
couÌd havc staycd in Victnam for twcnty ycars, wrìting position 
apcrs on thc maÌnutrìtion probÌcm. But what hc kncw was this: 
Lvcn in faiÌurc thcrc ìs succcss. 
A æcohoÌic gocs an hour without a drínk. Jhrcc saÌcs rcps out 
of hhy scÌÌ likc crazy.  ^ fcw Victnamcsc mothcrs, with  no  morc 
moncy than any othcrs, managc to raisc hcalthy kids. 
Jhcsc  hashcs  of succcss-thcsc  bright spots-an iÌÌuminatc 
thc road map lor action and spark thc hopc that changc is possibÌc. 
J
b£IIµI IhE LIIIICðÌ M0VE5
!.  
^  doctor  vas  askcd  to  consìdcr  thc  mcdìcal  rccords  ol  a 
ó/-ycar-old  patìcnt  who had  chronìc hìp  paìn lrom  arthrìtìs.  In 
thc past,  thc  patìcnt  had  bccn  gìvcn  drugs  to  trcat hìs  paìn,  but 
thcy´d  bccn  ìnchcctìvc,  so thc  doctor was  lorccd  to  consìdcr  a 
morc drastìc optìon.  hìp-rcplaccmcnt surgcry, whìch ìnvolvcs slìc-
ìng opcn  thc  thìgh,  wrcnchìng  thc  bonc  out ol thc  sockct,  saw-
ìng  oll  thc  arthrìtìc  cnd,  and  rcplacìng  ìt  wìth  an  ìmplant. 
Rccovcry  lrom hìp-rcplaccmcnr surgcry ìs long and paìnhl. 
Jhcn camc æ uncxpcctcd brcak ìn thc casc. ^ hnal chcck wìth 
thc patìcnt´s pharmacy uncovcrcd onc mcdìcatìon that hadn´t bccn 
trìcd.  Ìow thc  doctor  laccd a dìlcmma.  Should hc  prcscrìbc  thc 
untrìcd mcdìcatìon, cvcn though  othcr mcdìcatìons had laìlcd, or 
should hc go  ahcad and rclcr  thc patìcnt  lor surgcry: 
Jhìs  dìlcmma,  bascd  on  rcal  mcdìcal  cascs,  was  crcatcd  by 
physìcìan Oonald Rcdclmcìcr and psychologìst Lldar Shahr, who 
5O D l K b L T T h b K l D b K
uscd ìt to study thc vay doctors makc dccìsìons. ¤hcn doctors
vcrc prcscntcd vith thìs casc hìstory, 47 pcrccnt ol thcm chosc
to try thc mcdicatìon, ìn hopcs ol saving thc patìcni lrom goìng
undcr thc knìlc.
ln a varìatìon on thc dìÌcmma, anothcr group ol doctors vcrc
prcscntcd vìth almost cxactly thc samc sct ol casc lacts-cxccpt
this timc, thc patìcnt`s pharmacy dìscovcrcd tuountrìcd mcdica-
tìons. ll you vcrc thc paticnt vìth thc arthrìtìc hip, you'd bc
thrìÌÌcd-ccrtainÌy tvo nonsurgìcaÌ optìons arc bcttcr than onc.
ßut vhcn thc doctors vcrc prcscntcd vìth tvo mcdìcations, onç
2d¸ercentchosetopeitherone.
Jhìs docsn't mæc scnsc. Jhc doctors vcrc actìng as though
havìng morc mcdìcatìon optìons somchov madc mcdìcatìon a
vorsc bct than surgcry. ßut ìl 47 pcrccnt ol doctors thought mcd-
ìcatìon ^ vas prclcrabIc to surgcry, thc mcrc oistenc.·ol a sccond
mcdìcatìon shouÌdn't havc tippcd thcm tovard surgcry.
Vat happcncd hcrc ìs decision¸araçsis. Morc optìons, cvcn
good oncs, can lrcczc us and makc us rctrcat to thc dclauÌt pÍan,
vhich ìn thìs casc vas a painml and ìnvasìvc hìp-rcpÌaccmcnt sur-
gcry. Jhìs bchavìor cÌcarÌy is not ratìonaÍ, but ìt ìs human.
Lccìsìons arc thc Ridcr`s tur| and bccausc thcy rcquìrc carc-
lul supcrvìsìon and scIl-control, thcy tax thc Ridcr`s strcngth.
(Rcmcmbcr thc radìshlchocoÌatc-chip cookic study lrom
Chaptcr I. ) Jhc morc choìccs thc Ridcr ìs ohcrcd, thc morc cx-
haustcd thc Rìdcr gcts. Havc you cvcr notìccd that shoppìng ìs a
Ìot morc tìrìng than othcr kinds olÌight actìvìty: ^ov you knov
vhy-it´s aÌÌ thosc choìccs. Jhìs ìs ìmportant, bccausc vc cn-
countcr cxccss choicc aÌÌ around us. Consìdcr thrcc rcaÌ cxampÌcs
ol dccìsìon paraÌysìs.
Sccnc I : ^ gourmct lood storc. Jhc storc managcrs havc sct
up a tabIc vhcrc customcrs can sampÍc ìmportcd jams lor lrcc.
Cnc day, thc tabÌc shovcascs 6 dìllcrcnt jams. Anothcr day,
5 c r Ì p t t h e L r Ì t Ì c a l M o v e $ 5\
24 jams. ^ you'd cxpcct, thc 24-jam dispÌay attracts morc cus-
tomcrs to stop by lor a samplc-but whcn it comcs timc to buy,
thcy can't makc a dccision. Shoppcrs who saw onIy 6 jams on dis-
pÌay arc !Jtimesmorc Ìikcly to buy a jar ol jam'
Sccnc 2. Jhc omcc. Jhc cmployccs ol a Iargc company rcad
ovcr thcir 40I (k) matcriaÌs, rcady to start savìng lor rctìrcmcnt.
Jhc human rcsourccs dcpartmcnt has thoughtluIÌy providcd
many invcstmcnt optìons. domcstic growth stock lunds, domcs-
tic valuc stock lunds, municipaI bond lunds, rcaÌ cstatc invcst-
mcnt trusts, cmcrging markct lunds, dcvcÌopcd markct lunds,
moncy markct accounts, and morc. Lach catcgory mìght havc
scvcraÌ choiccs within it. (RcaÌly compÌctc 40I (k) plans mìght
ohcr dozcns ol options.) Jhc cxtra optìons backhrc, howcvcr, bc-
causc lor cvcry ! 0 options ohcrcd, thc cmpÌoyccs' ratc ol partic-
ipation gocs doun/¡ 2¸ercent. Occisìon paraÌysìs dctcrs pcopIc
lrom saving lor thcir own rctìrcmcnt! ^nd bccausc many com-
panìcs match cmpÌoyccs' contributions, cmpÌoyccs may aIso bc
wa|kìng away lrom lrcc moncy.
Sccnc 3. ^ ÌocaÌ bar. !t's spccd-dating nìght. Sìnglcs mcct a
scrìcs ol othcr singÌcs onc-on-onc, spcnding pcrhaps hvc min-
utcs wìth cach pcrson, in hopcs ol making a romantic conncc-
tion. ßut dccisìon para|ysis thwarts cvcn Cupid. Young aduÌts
who mcct cight othcr singIcs makc morc "matchcs¨ than thosc
who mcct twcnty.
ßottom |inc. Lccision paraÌysìs disrupts mcdìcaÌ dccisions
and rctaìÌ dccisions and invcstmcnt dccisìons and dating dcci-
sions. Lct's go out on a limb and suggcst that ìt might ahcct dc-
cisions in your job and lilc, too.
Jhink about thc sourccs ol dccìsion paraÌysis in your organi-
zation. Lvcry busìncss must choosc among attractivc options.
Growing rcvcnuc quickIy vcrsus maximìzing prohtabiÌity. Mak-
ing pcrlcct products vcrsus gctting products to markct lastcr.
:.  Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
ßcing innovativc and crcativc vcrsus optimizing cmcicncy. !l you
loÌd togcthcr Ìots ol thosc tcnsions, you crcatc J  surchrc rccipc
lor paralysis. Ït took only two mcdications to luzz thc doctors'
brains. !ow many options do your pcopÌc havc:
Jhink about your ÌocaÌ schooÌ board. Lvcry ycar, thc prob-
Ìcms and soÌutions muÌtipÌy. You can just imaginc thc mcntal
convcrsation. ¨Propcrty tax rcvcnuc is laÌling, but thc tcachcrs
nccd a 3 pcrccnt cost-ol-Ìiving raisc, and wc can't Iorgct about
cxtracurricuÌars (cutting thc marching band Ìast ycar was a kilÌcr) ,
but wc must continuc to invcst in our ncw scicncc magnct
schooÌ÷il it docsn't work, thcrc wiÌÌ bc cgg on our lacc-yct it`s
ridiculous to considcr any ol this untiÌ wc hx our crumbling in-
lrastructurc and addrcss our ovcrcrowdcd cÌassrooms.¨ Íor thc
lrazzÌcd schooÌ board mcmbcr, it suddcnÌy Ìooks a Ìot morc
attractivc to roÌÌ ovcr Ìast ycar's budgct with a I . 5 pcrccnt incrcasc
on cvcry Ìinc itcm.
^ßarry Schwartz puts it in his book IheParadoxo¡Choice,
as wc lacc morc and morc options, ¨wc bccomc ovcrloadcd.
Choicc no Ìongcr Ìibcratcs, it dcbiÌitatcs. !t might cvcn bc said to
tyrannizc.¨
¿. 
Jhc status quo lccÌs comlortablc and stcady bccausc much ol thc
choicc has bccn squcczcd out. You havc your routincs, your ways
ol doing things. Íor most ol your day, thc Ridcr is on autopiÌot.
ßut in timcs ol changc, autopiÌot docsn't work anymorc, choiccs
suddcnÌy proÌilcratc, and autopiÌot habits bccomc unlamiÌiar dc-
cisions. Ñcn you`rc on a dict, thc habituaÌ daiÌy trip lor Nachos
ßcÌÌ Grandc is disquaÌihcd, and in its pÌacc is lch a dccision.
¤hcn you'vc got a ncw managcr, thc way you communicatc stops
bcing sccond naturc and starts bcing a choicc.
5 c f l p t t h e L f l t Ì c a Í M o v e $ 53
Changc brìngs ncw choìccs that crcatc unccrtaìnty. Lct's bc
cÌcar. !t's not onÌy optìons that yicÌd dccìsìon paraÌysìs÷Ììkc pìck-
ìng onc donut from I00 havors. Ambìguity docs, too. Ïn tìmcs of
changc, you may not know what optìons arc avaiÌabÌc. And thìs
unccrtaìnty Ìcads to dccìsìon paraÌysìs as surcÌy Ü a tabÌc wìth 24
jams.
Ambìguìty ìs cxhaustìng to thc Ridcr, bccausc thc Ridcr ìs
tugging on ihc rcins of thc LÌcphant, tryìng to dìrcct thc LÌc-
phant down a ncw path. ßut whcn thc road ìs unccrtaìn, thc LÌc-
phant wìlÌ ìnsìst on takìng thc dcfauÌt path, thc most famìÌìar
path, just Ü thc doctors did. ¤hy³ ßccausc unccrtainty makcs
thc LÌcphant anxìous. (Jhìnk of how, ìn an unfamiÌìar placc, you
gravìtatc toward a famìlìar lacc. ) And that's why dccìsìon paraÌy-
sìs can bc dcadÌy lor changc÷bccausc the most/amiliar¸athis
alua¡sthestatusquo.
Many Ìcadcrs prìdc thcmscÌvcs on scttìng high-lcvcl dìrcction.
Ilsetthe oisionandsta¡ outo/thedetai/. !t's truc that a com-
pclÌìng vìsìon ìs crìticaÌ (as wc'lÌ scc ìn thc ncxt chaptcr) . ßut ìt`s
not cnough. ßìg-pìcturc, hands-oh Ìcadcrshìp ìsn't lìkcÌy to work
ìn a changc sìtuatìon, bccausc thc hardcst part of changc÷thc
paralyzing part-ìs prccìscly ìn thc dctaìÌs.
!n Chaptcr I , wc cxpÌaìncd why what Ìooks Ììkc rcsistancc ìs
ohcn a lack of clarìty. Jhc citìzcns of two ¤cst Vìrginìa com-
munìtìcs, unhcaÌthy ìn thcir catìng habìts, undcrwcnt a ma¡or
changc whcn a coupÌc of prolcssors coachcd thcm to buy 1 %
mìÌk. Jhcy didn't nccd a bìg-pìcturc vìsìon~no onc nccds con-
vìncìng thai ¨catìng hcaÌthy¨ ìs an admirabÌc goaÌ. ¤hat thcy
nccdcd was somconc who couÌd bring a nobÌc goaÌ within thc
rcaÌm of cvcryday bchavìor, somconc who couÌd cut through thc
bcwiÌdcrìng array of potcntìalÌy hcal¡hy choìccs and suggcst a
good pÌacc to start.
Ambìguity ìs thc cncmy. Any succcssfuÌ changc rcquìrcs a
a4 Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
trans|ation ol ambiguous goaÌs ìnto concrctc bchaviors. In short, 
to makc a switch, you nccd to scri¸tthecritica/mo:es.
3.
In  I ºº5, BrazìÌian prcsìdcnt Icrnando Hcnriquc Cardoso  dc-
cidcd  to  privatizc  BraziÌ's  raiÌroads.  Hc  spÌit  thc  systcm  into 
scvcn dihcrcnt branchcs (shadcs ol Ma BclÌ) and auctioncd oh 
thc  rights  to  run  thcm.  lrcvious  administrations had not  in-
vcstcd much in thc rail systcm, and at thc timc ol thc auction, 
it was a dctcriorating mcss. A study concÌudcd that  50 pcrccnt 
ol thc nctwork`s  bridgcs  nccdcd rcpair and 20 pcrccnt ol thcm 
wcrc  on thc vcrgc  ol coÌÌapsc.  Jhc tcchnoÌogics  uscd  in  BraziÌ 
wcrc lar bchind  thosc  in  othcr dcvcÌopcd countrics.  In lact, thc 
raiÌ systcm was stiÌÌ using twcnty locomotivcs powcrcd by steam
engines.
A privatc  hrm,  Gl  Invcstimcntos Limitcd,  dccidcd to bid lor 
thc  branch  known  as  thc  "southcrn  Ìinc,¨  which  ran  through 
BraziÌ`s thrcc southcrnmost statcs. Gl was high biddcr in thc auc-
tion  in Lcccmbcr I ººó. Ahcr an intcrim pcriod ol managcmcnt, 
thc  hrm  put  onc  ol its  own  cxccutivcs, AÌcxandrc  Bchring,  in 
chargc ol thc company, which was latcr rcnamcd Amcrica Latina 
Logistica (ALL). ¤cn Bchring took chargc, hc was in his carly 
50s-just lour ycars out ol busincss school. 
Bchring didn`t havc much  to work with.  ALL had  onÌy 50 
miÌÌion  Brazilian  rca|s  in  cash  on  its  balancc  shcct.  At  onc  ol 
Bchring's hrst mcctings,  a mid-ÌcvcÌ managcr bcsccchcd him lor 
5  milÌion rcals  to  rcpair  a  singÌc  bridgc.  Jhough  sympathctic, 
Bchring kncw that hxìng cvcrything that was  brokcn wouÌd rc-
quirc hundrcds  ol miÌÌions  ol rcaÌs.  Jhc  nccds  wcrc  prolound, 
but hc  laccd  an  unyicÌding constraint. ALLs dcplctcd bank ac-
count. 
5 c f Ì p t t h e L r Ì t Ì c a l M o v e $ 55
Jhc  raìlroad  purchascd  by  Gl  was  ìn  chaos,  and  whcn 
Bchrìng and hìs tcam took chargc, wìth ncw pcrsonncÌ and ncw 
prìorìtìcs,  morc  chaos was  whìppcd  ìnto  thc  prccxìstìng  chaos. 
Jhc  rcsuÌtìng  dccìsìon paraÌysìs shouÌd havc bccn  ìncscapabÌc. 
And ìt lìkcÌy wouÌd havc bccn ìl Bchrìng hadn't madc cÌcar cxactÌy 
what  nccdcd  to bc donc. 
Hìs top  prìorìty was to  Ììh ALL out  ol ìts  prccarìous,  cash-
strappcd hnancìal statc. Jo  accomplìsh thìs,  hc and hìs  55-ycar-
oÌd  CFC,  LuìÌìo  CaÌcìoÌarì,  dcvcÌopcd lour  ruÌcs  to  govcrn  thc 
company's ìnvcstmcnts. 
Kulc I . Moncy wouÌd bc ìnvcstcd only ìn projccts 
that  wouÌd  aÌÌow ALL  to  carn  morc  rcvcnuc  ìn  thc 
short tcrm. 
KuÌc 2. Jhc bcst solutìon to any problcm was thc 
onc that would cost thc Ìcast moncy up  lront÷vcn 
ìlìt cndcd up  costìng morc ìn thc Ìong tcrm, and cvcn 
ìl ìt was a Ìowcr-qualìty soÌutìon. 
KuÌc 5:  Cptìons that wouÌd ha problcm quìckÌy 
wcrc prclcrrcd  to sÌowcr  optìons  that wouÌd provìdc 
supcrìor Ìong-tcrm hxcs. 
KuÌc  4: Kcusìng or rccycÌìng  cxìstìng  matcrìaÌs 
was  bcttcr than acquìrìng ncw matcrìals. 
Jhc lour rulcs wcrc cÌcar. ( I ) Inblock rcvcnuc.  (2) Mìnìmìzc 
up-lront cash.  (5)  Fastcr ìs bcttcr than bcst.  (4) Isc what you`vc 
got.  Jhcsc  ruÌcs,  takcn  togcthcr,  cnsurcd  that  cash  wouÌdn't  bc 
consumcd unÌcss ìt was  bcìng uscd as baìt lor morc cash.  Spcnd 
a lìttlc, makc a lìttÌc morc. 
Jhìs  ìs  what  wc  mcan  by  "scrìptìng`  thc  crìtìcal  movcs. 
5b Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
Changc bcgins at thc IcvcÌ of individuaÌ dccisions and bchaviors, 
but that`s a hard pÌacc to start bccausc that`s whcrc thc friction is. 
Incrtia and  dccision  paraÌysis wiÌÌ conspirc to  kccp pcopÌc  doing 
things  thc oÌd way. Jo spark movcmcnt in a ncw  dircction,  you 
nccd to providc crystaI-cÌcar guidancc. Jhat`s why scripting is im-
portant-you`vc  got  to  think  about  thc  spccihc  bchavior that 
you`d want  to  scc  in  a  tough  momcnt,  whcthcr thc  tough  mo-
mcnt takcs pÌacc in a BraziÌian raiÌroad systcm or latc at night in 
your own snack-Ìoadcd pantry. 
You can't script cvcry movc that wouÌd bc Ìikc ti¸ing to forc-
scc  thc scvcntccnth  movc  in a chcss gamc.  lt`s  thc  c¬tica/movcs 
that count. Kccæl that,  in Vcst Virginia, thc rcscarchcrs dccidcd 
to focus thcir campaign on  milk bccausc it was thc sourcc of thc 
most saturatcd fat in thc avcragc dict. Jhc rcscarchcrs dìdn't ohcr 
suggcstions about brcad or soda or buttcr or potato  chips. Jhcy 
scriptcd  thc critica/movc.  Switch to  ¡ % miÌk. 
SimiÌarÌy,  Bchring's four ruÌcs wcrc focuscd on hnanciaÌ triagc. 
Hc didn`t havc  thc Ìuxury of Ìong-tcrm pÌanning.  Hc nccdcd his 
pcopÌc to  movc,  immcdiatcÌy,  in  a ncw dircction,  in  hopcs  that 
thcy  couÌd  buy  ALL  cnough  timc  to  makc  a  h:ÌÌcr  transforma-
tion.  (Ioticc that hc didn`t say a word about othcr important is-
sucs such as cmpÌoycc moralc or markcting or RöL.) By staying 
focuscd on thc c¬tica/movcs, hc madc it casìcr for his pcopÌc  to 
changc dircction. 
In  I ºº8, for instancc,  thc  company had to  turn down  busi-
ncss  hauÌing  grain  bccausc  it dìdn`t havc cnough  Íocomotivcs. 
VhiÌc  its  compctitors  wcrc  ncgotiating  for  ncw  Ìocomotivcs, 
AILs  cnginccrs workcd around thc cÌock rcpairing oÌd Ìocomo-
tivcs.  (Fateris/etterthan/est.Minimizeu¸¸ontcash.)
AÌso, AILs  cnginccrs ngurcd out a way to  boost thc Ìocomo-
tivcs` mcl capacity so thcy couÌd opcratc Ìongcr without rcmcÌing. 
Jhis  rcduccd  downtimc,  ælowing morc  routcs  pcr locomotivc, 
5 c r Ì p t t h e L f Ì t Ì c a Í M o v e $ :¯ 
just as Southwcst ^irÌincs gcts morc hights pcr pÌanc than its
compctitors bccausc ol its quick turnarounds at thc gatc. (|n-
/lckreoenue |Lnginccrs aÌso lound a crcativc solution to thc nag-
ging probÌcm ol damagcd tracks, whìch Ìimitcd a train's spccd.
Rathcr than purchasing ncw mctaÌ raiÌs, which cost LS$400 pcr
ton, thcy rippcd up tracks at abandoncd stations and instaÌÌcd
thcm on activc routcs. (|euhat¡ouvegot.)
Jhrcc ycars latcr, ßchring's discipÌinc was paying oh. ^L!.s
pcrlormancc improvcd lrom a nct Ìoss ol 80 miÌÌion rcaÌs in I ºº8
to a nct proht ol 24 miIlion rcaÌs in 2000.
Inowing what wc know about thc Rídcr, it's no surprísc that
ßchring`s stratcgy workcd. ßchring had scriptcd thc movcs that
hcÌpcd his pcoplc makc hard dccisions. ¤hat tircs out thc
R¡dcr÷and puts changc chorts at risk÷is ambiguity, and ßchring
cÌìminatcd ìt. Íor cvcry invcstmcnt dccìsion, hìs ruÌcs suggcstcd
thc corrcct choicc.
Jo scc thc powcr ol this, lct's rcturn to thc doctors and thc pa-
ticnt with thc arthritic hip. !maginc that thc lcadcrs ol thc hos-
pìtaÌ had sciiptcd thcìr criticaÌ movcs, and that onc ol thosc
movcs was this: |einoaioeo¸tionsonçaa/stresort. Locs any-
onc doubt that this guidcÌinc wouÌd havc causcd a big shih in
thc doctors' dccisions:
º. 
!n thc shadcd arca that loÌÌows, wc prcscnt a lcaturc that wc caÌÌ
a ¨Clinic. " !n cach CÌinic, wc dcscribc a rcal-worÌd situation and
chaÌÌcngc you to think about how to apply thc Suitchlramcwork
to crcatc chaogc. ^t thc cnd ol cach CÌ¡nic, wc givc our own sug-
gcstions, bui wc cncouragc you to gcncratc your own gamc pÌan
bclorc you Ìook at ours. Jhc Clinic is intcndcd to bc a kind ol
pausc button, a chancc to stcp outsidc thc tcxt and think about
ab U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
how  to appÌy what  you`vc  rcad.  Vc  hopc you hnd  this  a  uscfuÌ 
way to practicc appÌying thc framcwork. Jhc Clinics arc writtcn 
to  bc sidcbars-if you prcfcr to pÌow through thc prosc uníntcr-
ruptcd, you can rcturn to thcm latcr. 
L L Î M Î L
L80 Y00 Ü0I F00gÍ0 I0 rÌl0 100Ìf LXg0050
K0g0lI5 0ß 1Îm0Î
5lTUATlON b8|08|8, I06 600I|0| |6| DÍ 8 60050|I|0g Í||0, |5 Í00|0g 8g8|0 8000I
6kµ6056 |6µ0|I5. W0y ü0 µ60µ|6 ðlwðyS I0|0 I060 |0 |8I6! Û6 000I0|y üu6 ü8I0
W85 y65I6|ü8y, 80ü 5065 51||| 0|55|0g Jö µ6|660I 0Í I06 |6µ0|I5. 108I µ0I5 µ|65·
50|6 00 06006|5 0Í 06| 1680~65µ66|8||y 00 M8||8, \06 6kµ6056 6I8|`~
0668056 I06y|6 6kµ66I6ü I0 6|056 I06 600µ80y`5 000I0|y 000K5 00 I|06 80ü I06
6kµ6056 |6µ0|I5 8|6 8 0666558Q |0µ0I I0 I06 6|056. ||05I|8I6ü, b8|08|8 5I8R5 600·
µ05|0g 8 |60|0ü6| 6·08||, Í0|| 0Í 00ü6|||06ü W0|ü5 80ü 6k6|808\|00 µ0|0I5. (¯6
`08g` 6·08|| 085 066006 8 000I0|y I|8ü|I|00.) W0y ü065 506 08v6 I0 `5000I` 06·
¸Í0|6 µ60µ|6 ü0 W08I I06y|6 50µµ056ü I0! [10|5 |5 8 Í|6I|008| 5|Iu8I|00 I08I |5 | 0·
5µ||6ü 0y 8 I|u6 5I0|y. Mð0y I|06 5I0|Ì65.]
WHAT'5 THE 5WlTCH AND WHAT'5 HOLDl NG lT 8ACK? Î06 06·
08v|0| b8|08|8 W80I5 |5 6|68|. c0µ|0y665 066ü I0 Í||6 I06|| 6kµ60S6 |6µ0R5 0y I06
ü68ü||06. |I5 00I 00v|005 W08I I06 08|||6| |5. M8y06 I06 µ|06655 |5 50ÍÍÍ6|60I|y
600µ||68I6ü I08I |I µ8|8|y¿65 I06 K|ü6|. M8y06 I06 µ|06655 |5 µ6|Í66I|y 6|68|, 00I
I06 Í|6µ080I 8|W8y5 Í|0ü5 10|0g5 |I W00|ü |8I06| 06 ü0|0g. Ü| 08y06 I06 |6µ0|I·
|0g 5y5I605 8|6 50 80I|q08I6ü I08I I06 Î8I0 |5 006 g|80I 5µ66ü 0u0µ. L6I5 8II86K
00 8|Í I0|66 Í|00I5.
HOW DO WE mAKE THE 5WlTCH?
° Ü//ECI IOE K/CE/. η ÎÌß0 1B6 0fÌgßt Sþ0tS. b8|08|8 5000| ü |0v65IÌg8I6
06| 0||g0I 5µ0I5~I06 b¿ µ6|66UI 0Í 60µ|0y665 W00 Í||6 I06|| 6kµ6056 |6µ0|I5 00
5 c f Ì p t t h e L t Ì t Ì c a l M o v e $ :º 
I|m6 6v6Q m00I0. W08I 8|6 I06y ü0|0g ü|R6|60I|y! M8y06 I06y`v6 080ü6|8H6ü
8 56I 0Í I6Ch0|q065 Í0| |0gg|0g 6kµ60565 85 I06y 06C0|, 50 I06|6`5 00I 8 0|g µ||6
8I I06 60ü 0Í I06 m00I0. Ü066 b8|08|8 Í|g0|65 00I I06 0||g0I 5µ0I5` I||6K5, 506 680
g6I I06m I0 508|6 I06|| 5y5I6m W|I0 0I06|5. ¿.  bCIÌþI Iß6 £IÌI|Cðl M0V6S. ÌI`5
µ055|0|6 I08I µdG5 0Í I06 |6µ0|I|0g µ|06655 8|6 600Í05|0g 6000g0 I0 68056 ü66|·
5|00 µ8|8|y5|5. M8y06 I06|6`5 8m0|g0lIy 8000I 00W I0 60ü6 µ8R|60|8| 6kµ60565
0| 00W I0 8Ì|068I6 66|I8|0 605I5 06\W660 6||60I5. b8|08|8 5000|ü 0056N6 8 Í6W
|8gg8|ü5 85 I06y 60mµ|6I6 I06l| |6µ0R5. b06 W00I K00W 00W I0 56||µI I06 6||I|·
68| m0v65 00I|| 506 5665 I06 600Í05|00 Í||5I080ü .
" ßOI/9ðIE IOE cÌEÇOðDI. T .  ÎÌß0 Iß6 166ÌÌßg. N000üy W00 m|5565 80
6kµ6056·|6µ0|I ü68üÌ|06 `Í66|5` 80yI0| 0g. b0|6, b8|08|8 6085I|565 |8gg8|ü5 v|8
6·m8||, 00I 8ÍI6| I06y`v6 |666|v6ü I06 08g 00I6 Í0| I06 5|kI0 6005660I|v6 m00I0,
|I |0565 |I5 5I|0g. b8|08|8 066ü5 I0 Í|0ü 50m6I0|0g µ60µ|6 680 68|6 8000I. Ü|
S0m8008¦ ÅR6| 8||, I06 60mµ80y ü6µ60ü5 00 µ60µ|6 | | K6 M8||8 I0 6|056 I06 000K5
6v6|y m00I0, 80ü I06y`|| 06 06|ü 8660U0I80|6 |Í I06y 0|0W I06 ü68ü||06. b0, | 0
6556066, I06 g08| |5 00I I0 Í||6 I06 |6µ0H, |I`5 I0 ü0 M8||8 8 Í8v0|, 0066 8 m00I0.
lI m8y 06 685y I0 |8I|008||¿6 m|55|0g 80 8üm|0|5I|8I|v6 ü68ü|| 06, 00I |I`5 08|ü6|
I0 |8I|008||¿6 |6II|0g ü0W0 8 60W0|K6| W00`5 6000I|0g 00 y00.
"
3OðÇE IOE Íð IO. T .   1W6ðk Iß6 6ßVÌI0ßM6ßI. h0W 685y 8|6 I06 6kµ6056·
|6µ0R Í0|m5 I0 Í||| 00I! 106 866000I|0g ü6µ8|Im60I 5000|ü 06 005655|v6 8000I
5|mµ||ÍyÌ0g I06m, I0 I06 µ0|0I 0Í µ|6|08ü|0g µ60µÌ6`5 08m65 |0 I06|| |6µ0|U 80ü
ü|5I||00I|0g 6mµ\y 60v6|0µ65 Í0| |0056 |666|µI5. 10|0KÅm8¿00`5 \ ·L||6K 0|06||0g.
Ív6Q 08|||6| I08I`5 |6m0v6ü m8K65 I06 Î8I0 6Ì68|6|. ¿.  K8ÍÍy !Þ8  Þ8fd.  M80y
µ60µ|6 m8y 6006|0ü6, Í8|56|y, I08I 8r8QO08 I0|05 |0 I06 |6µ0|I5 |8I6, I08I |8I60655
|5 8666µI6ü 0608v|0|. (b8|08|8`5 08gg|0g 6·m8|Ì5 m8y 86I08||y |6|0Í0|66 I0|5 µ6|·
66µI|00. W0y W00|ü 506 560ü I06m 00|655 |0I5 0Í µ60µ|6 8|6 5|86K|0g!) Î60µ|6 8|6
5605|I|v6 I0 506|8| 00|m5, 50 b8|08|8`5 6·m8|| 5000|ü 0|g0||g0I ß6 Í86I I08I 8|m05I
\W0·I0||ü5 0Í |6µ0|I5 8|6 I0|06ü |0 00 I|m6. N0 006 ||K65 I0 068| I08I I06y`|6 00·
ü6|µ6|Í0|m|0g |6|8I|v6 I0 I06|| µ66|5.
bO Ü l Ñ L L T T H L Ñ l Ü L Ñ
3.
Ñhcn Alcxandrc  Bchrìng sct up  |our sìmplc rulcs |or ^!! cm-
ployccs  to  |ollow,  thcy  changcd quìckly.  So  dìd  thc  Ñcst Vìr-
gìnìans  who  wcrc  urgcd  to  drìnk  I% mìlk.  But  why  dìd  thcsc 
changcs  nccd  to bc  scrìptcd: Ñasn't  ìt obvìous  to  thc Ñcst Vìr-
gìnìans  that  thcy  should bc  drìnkìng  ! % mìlk ìnstcad o| wholc 
mìlk: 
Ñcll,   no,  ìt  wasn't.  Ìot  many  pcoplc  know  that  a  glass 
o| wholc  mìlk  has  thc  samc  amount  o| saturatcd  |at  as  hvc 
bacon  strìps.  Jhat's  not  ìntuìtìvc  knowlcdgc.  or  was  ìt 
ìntuìtìvc |or any  o| Bchrìng's cmployccs at ^!! to dccìdc,  "Ycp, 
lct's  rìp  up  old,  abandoncd  tracks  ìnstcad  o| purchasìng  ncw 
oncs. ¨ Ñhcn  you want  somconc  to  bchavc  ìn  a  ncw way,  cx-
plaìn  thc  "ncw way¨  clcarly.  Oon't  assumc  thc  ncw  movcs  arc 
obvìous. 
Jo  scc why  thìs ìs so  ìmportant,  consìdcr a campaìgn that ìs 
csscntìally  thc "antìmattcr¨ vcrsìon  o| thc  I% mìlk campaìgn~
a campaìgn that, whìlc  wcll  ìntcntìoncd, systcmatìcally  ìgnorcs 
or  rcvcrscs  cvcry  smart  componcnt  o| thc  I% mìlk  ìntcrvcn-
tìon.  Ñhat  would  such  an  antìmattcr  campaìgn  look  lìkc: 
It  mìght  look  vcry  much  lìkc  thc  \. S.   govcrnmcnt´s  Food 
!yramìd. 
My[m|d.gOv
51L|51Ó/ HLL1H| LHyOu
5 c f Ì p t t h e L f l t Ì c a Í M o v e $ bJ
Jhc  Food  lyramid, which spccihcs thc  typcs  and quantitics 
of Iood that makc up a hcaÌthy dict, is thc pcrfcct cxamplc of how 
notto changc pcopÌc`s bchavìor. It´s worth considcring for a mo-
mcnt, bccausc what dooms thc lyramid could doom your chorts 
to crcatc changc in your Ìifc, as wcÌl. 
Lct's  start with thc pyramid shapc. A pyramid signihcs hicr-
archy,  yct no hicrarchy is cvidcnt in thc Food lyramid. Jhc hrst 
vcrsion of it dispÌaycd rows of food,  onc row on top of thc ncxt, 
with grains at thc bottom and oils at thc top. Somc pcopÌc intcr-
prctcd this arrangcmcnt to mcan that oiÌs wcrc thc  most impor-
tant food  group.  (Vhoops.)  Jhc  rcviscd  vcrsion,  shown  hcrc, 
abandoncd rhat construct Ior vcrtica|-ish strcaks oI coÌor intcndcd 
to  cÌimìnatc  any  implicd  ranking.  Vhat  this  mcans  is  that  thc 
pyramid  structurc  itscÌf hasno meaninguhatsoeoer. Jhc  Food 
lyramid mìght as wcÌl bc a Food Rhombus or a Food Roostcr. 
Look at  it again-its  mcaning is  æmost  compÌctcÌy opaquc. 
Vhat do thc strcaks mcan: Jhc onÌy mcanìng that L bc gÌcancd 
quickly comcs from th« srick hgurc dashíng up thc sidc. Jhc mcan-
ìng ìs clcar cnough.  "You  shouÌd cxcrcisc.¨ Jhc answcrs to  morc 
mcaningmÌ  qucstions-How  much:  How  ohcn:  Vhat  kind:-
arcn`t as casy to infcr, which of coursc adds morc ambiguity. 
Jo  Ìcarn what  thc Food lyramid has  to  say about food, you 
must bc wiÌÌing to dcciphcr thc lyramid's markìngs. lI you makc 
thc chort, you'ÌÌ  hnd that cach strcak ot color rcprcscnts a cÌass of 
food. For ìnstancc, thc yclÌow strcak (thc tiny onc ncar thc mìd-
dÌc) is  "oiÌs,¨ and thc orangc strcak (on thc far lch) ìs "graìns." If 
you dig cvcn mrthcr, you`ÌÌ h nd that with cvcry color strcak comcs 
a rccommcndation.  For  instancc,  thc ISLA adviscs  that  adults 
consumc  about  5 to 7 tcaspoons of oiÌ  cach day. 
Quick,  how many tcaspoons of oiÌ did you consumc today: 
Quick, how many "ouncc cquivaÌcnts¨  of grain did you havc 
today: 
bZ Ol K b C T T h b K l Ob K
Can you imaginc any mcssagc that wouÌd bc Ìcss chcctìvc in
changing pcoplc's cating bchavìor: Jhc Ìanguagc and conccpts hcrc
arc so hopcÌcssÌy abstractcd from pcopÌc`s actua! cxpcricncc with
lood-which consìsts of things Iikc buying groccrics and ordcrìng
hamburgcrs at rcstaurants, not tabulatìng grain portions÷that thc
mcssagc conh¡scs and dcmoraÌizcs. Ícantunderstandthisstu¿
^an anaÌogy, most of us havc intcrnaÌìzcd thc rulc of thumb
to gct thc oiÌ in our cars changcd cvcry 5 months or 5,000 milcs.
!t's transparcnt and actionabÌc, Ììkc thc I % miÌk campaign. »hat
ìI ìnstcad, thc auto industry pubÌìcìzcd its vcrsìon ol thc disas-
trous Íood Pyramid÷say, a Car Rainbow, whcrc cach coÌor ol
thc rainbow rcprcscnts a dihcrcnt diagnostìc tcst. ¸Pink wouÌd
warn you not to Ìct your cngìnc oiÌ cxcccd a ccrtain "sÌudgc
thrcshoÌd.") |iµ Lubc would bc out ol busincss in months.
OK, thc Íood Pyramìd is almost too casy to pick on. ßut thc
Ìcssons hcrc arc scrious and practicaÌ. !l you arc Ìcading a changc
chort, you nccd to rcmovc thc ambìguity lrom your vìsion of
changc. Grantcd, this is askìng a Ìot. !t mcans that you`Ì| nccd to
undcrstand how to script thc critica| movcs, to transÌatc aspira-
tìons ìnto actìons. Ït's not good cnough to ask your tcam to "bc
morc crcativc" or to "tìghtcn up on thc pursc strìngs.¨ Jhat`s Ìikc
tclÌing thc ^mcrican pubÌic to "bc hcaÌthicr.¨
!n a pionccring study ol organizationaÌ changc, dcscrìbcd in
thc book IheCritica/Path toCor¸orateReneua/ rcscarchcrs di-
vidcd thc changc chorts thcy'd studìcd into thrcc groups. thc most
succcssfuÌ (thc top third) , thc avcragc (thc middÌc third), and thc
Ìcast succcsslul (thc bottom third). Jhcy lound that, across thc
spcctrum, aÌmost cvcryonc sct goaÌs. 8º pcrccnt of thc top third
and 86 pcrccnt ol thc bottom third. A typica| goaÌ mìght bc to
improvc invcntory turns by 50 pcrccnt. ßut thc morc succcssmÌ
changc transformations wcrc morc ÌikcÌy to sct /eh.uiora/goa|s.
8º pcrccnt of thc top third vcrsus onÌy 55 pcrccnt ol thc bottom
5 c f Ì p t t h e L f Ì t Ì c a Í M o v e $ t1 
third. For ìnstancc, a bchavioraÌ goaÌ might bc that projcct tcams 
wouÌd  mcct  oncc  a wcck  and  cach  tcam wouÌd  incÌudc  at  Ìcast 
onc rcprcscntativc ol cvcry lunctionaÌ arca. 
Intil you can laddcr your way down Irom a changc idca to a 
spccìhc  bchavior,  you`rc  not  rcady  to  Ìcad  a  switch.  Jo  crcatc 
movcmcnt, you`vc  got  to bc  spccihc and bc concrctc. You`vc  got 
to cmuÌatc I % miÌk and dcc lrom thc Food lyramid. 
6.
How lar docs this thcory go: How much dihcrcncc can spccihc 
instructions makc: !ct`s subjcct thc idca to thc toughcst possibÌc 
tcst. Can you changc chìÌd abuscrs by scripting somc criticaÌ par-
cnting movcs Ior thcm: 
ln  2004,  a  study was  conductcd  oI  ¡ ! 0  parcnts  who  had 
abuscd  thcìr  childrcn.  Scvcnty-thrcc  pcrccnt  oI thcm  had  as-
sauÌtcd  thcir  kìds-hitting  or punching  thcm with  thcir  hsts. 
Jwcnty pcrccnt  had  cngagcd  ìn cvcn  morc vìoÌcnt assauÌts, rc-
suÌting in brokcn boncs or scvcrc Ìaccrations. 
Jhc parcnts tcndcd to bÌamc thcir abusivc bchavior on thcir 
kids. ¨Jhcy`|Ì say,  ` I had to discipÌìnc my chiÌd this way bccausc 
hc`s so rottcn and hc won`t Ìistcn,` ¨ said BcvcrÌy Fundcrburk, a rc-
scarch proIcssor at thc \nivcrsìty ol OkÌæoma's HcaÌth Scìcnccs 
Ccntcr. Jhc parcnts bcÌìcvcd that thcy`d gottcn a "bad kid,¨  or a 
stubborn onc, and that vio|cncc was thc onÌy way thcy couÌd gct 
thcir kids to obcy. 
Jhc  missìon  ol Fundcrburk`s  tcam was  to  changc  thcsc par-
cnts, to stop thcìr abusc.  ll you think that sounds naivc and cvcn 
hopcÌcss, you'rc  in  good  company. Jhat`s  aÌso what  Fundcrburk 
worricd about whcn shc hrst bcgan thc work. 
Shc  practiccs what`s caÌlcd  parcnt-child  ìntcraction  thcrapy 
(lCIJ),  which  trics  to  disrupt thc  cscalating cyclcs  ol cocrcìon 
b4 Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
and  lrustratìon  that  charactcrìzc  abusìvc  sìtuatìons.  In  thc  hrst 
stcp ol lCIJ, parcnts arc gìvcn an assìgnmcnt.  "Vc want you to 
pÌay wìth  your  chìÌd  lor  hvc  mìnutcs  a  day.  Hcrc  arc  thc  rulcs. 
You'rc  goìng  to  dcvotc  I 00% ol your  attcntìon  to  thcm,  you`rc 
not goìng to answcr thc phonc, you arc  not goìng to tcach  thcm 
thcìr AbCs. You`rc just goìng to cnjoy thcm. " Jhc parcnts arc ìn-
crcdulous that hvc mìnutcs wì|l accompÌìsh anythìng. ¨For good-
ncss`  sakc,"  saìd  onc  parcnt,  "I  spcnd cvcry mìnutc  ol cvcry day 
on thìs chìÌd. ¨ 
At hrst, thcsc hvc-mìnutc p!ay pcrìods takc place ìn a Ìabora-
tory scttìng. Jhc parcnt and chìÌd sìt ìn an cmpty room wìth onÌy 
a tabÌc and chaìrs. Jhrcc or lour toys arc put on thc tabÌctop.  Jhc 
parcnts  arc  ìnstructcd  to  Ìct  thc  chìÌd  Ìcad  thc  pÌay scssìon,  and 
thcy`rc lorbìddcn to gìvc commands, to crìtìcìzc, cvcn to ask qucs-
tìons.  Lcttìng thcìr chìÌd dìrcct thc actìon ìs ìncrcdìbÌy dìmcuÌt for 
thcm. 
Lurìng  thc  play  scssìon,  Ü thcrapìst  watchcs  thc  parcnts 
through a onc-way mírror and gìvcs rcal-tìmc coachìng by mcans 
ol an carpìccc.  Fundcrburk dcscrìbcs a typìcaÌ ìntcractìon: 
Jhc parcnt and chìld mìght start colorìng, and thc par-
cnt  trìcs  to  pÌay along  by  colorìng on thc chìld's papcr. 
Jhc  chìld  objccts.  So wc  tcÌl  thc  parcnt,  "Òkay,  gct  a 
scparatc  pìccc  ol papcr and  ìmìtatc what your chì|d ìs 
doìng.¨ 
Il thc chìÌd ìs coÌorìng a raìnbow,  thc parcnt colors 
a raìnbow  too,  sayìng,  'I`m coÌorìng a raìnbow just lìkc 
you.  You`rc usìng grccn,  I'm  goìng to  usc grccn. " 
And somc  kìds,  ìl thcy`rc  partìcuÌarÌy opposìtìonal, 
mìght  rcach  ovcr  and  grab  thc  parcnt's  grccn  crayon 
ycÌlìng,  "I  want that." And wc tcach  thc  parcnts  to  say, 
"Òkay.  I'd bc  ha¸¸¡ to sharc that crayon wìth you  . . .   ìn 
5 c r ì p t t h e C f ì t ì c a l M o v e $
|act |et me put all the ctayons ovet by you so you can
teach them al|."
Or pethaps the patent says, '1m go|ng to co|ot my
ta|nbow with pink now.¨ And the child says, ¯link is
ug|y, don't do pink|" lI the ch||d has been patt|culat|y
nasty we may ]ust ask the patents to ignote the com-
ment, but othetwise we coach the patents to agtee with
theit ch||d, ¨You'te t|ght' link |s not a good co|ot Iot
the tainbow' I th|nk l'll do ted."
We tty to get the patents to bend ||ke a teed. What-
ever the chi|d is doing, the parent oßers no resistance, so
the chi|d has nothing to hght aga|nst.
t: 
A abusi«e patent typical|y nnds the hve-minute exetcise ut-
tetly exhausting. (And you undetstand why-the patent's Ridet
has to supetv|se evety sing|e moment.) Fundetbutk and het co|-
leagues demand that the patents ptactice the same set oI behav-
iots (ca||ed "child-ditected intetaction") evety day, whethet in the
|ab ot at home, so that the behaviots gtadua||y become instinc-
tive. The mote |nstinct|ve a behaviot becomes, the |ess selI-
contto| Itom the Ridet it tequites, and thus the mote susta|nab|e
it becomes.
latents ate taught sk|||s that Iee| unnatuta| at htst. They ate
taught to |ook Iot oppottunities to ptaise theit kids' behaviot. ("I 
||ke how hatd you`te wotking.¨ "Cood j ob. You'te being vety kind
to that do|l.¨) They ate taught to simply descri/e theit child's
behaviot, so that the chi|d Iee|s noticed. ,"Oh, look. now you'te
putting the cat in the gatage.¨)
Latet in the ptogtam, aItet patents have become bettet at
having short positive intetactIons w|th theit kids, they ate
taught how to give commands so that theit kids wi|| listen and
obey. They ate taught a vety specihc Iotmu|a Iot a command

bb Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
combining  a  com
g
and with  a  rcason  so  thc  command docsn`t 
fccl  arbitrary.  ("|ohnny,  it`s  aÌmost timc for thc  bus  to  comc,  so 
pÌcasc put your shocs  on  now.¨) 
Fundcrburk and hcr tcam  at  thc  Inivcrsity  ol OkÌahoma 
studicd  ! ! 0 parcnts who had abuscd thcir childrcn. Half of thcm 
wcrc  randomÌy  assigncd  to  takc  ! 2 scssions  of !LÏÅ, and  thc 
othcr  haÌf wcrc  assigncd  to  takc  I 2 scssions  of a form  of angcr-
managcmcnt  thcrapy,  focuscd  on  hcÌping  thcm  controÌ  thcir 
cmotions-thc standard trcatmcnt for abusivc parcnts. Ahcr thc 
thcrapy scssions concÌudcd, thc parcnts wcrc trackcd for 5 ycars. 
Across  5  ycars,  60  pcrccnt  of thc  angcr-managcmcnt-thcrapy 
group committcd anorhcr act ol child abusc.  In contrast,  only 20 
pcrccnt of thc lCIJ parcnts rc-oltcndcd. 
íCíJ did  not  climinatc  thc  probÌcm:  Onc  in  hvc  parcnts 
abuscd his or hcr kids again.  Bur,  from thc pcrspcctrvc of bchav-
ior  changc,  thc  rcsults  arc  staggcring.  Most  ot us  bcÌicvc  in  our 
hcarts that child abuscrs arc irrcdccmabÌy dawcd. Vho cou!d hit 
a child othcr than somconc who is disturbcd in somc basic way: 
lt  simp!y boggÌcs  thc  mind to  think  that  thc  bchavior of 
¦
hiÌd 
abuscrs couÌd bc aÌtcrcd by onÌy twcÌvc  scssions of thcrapy con-
ccntrating on  such simpÌc instructions. 
Fundcrburk said,  "ln  my cxpcricncc,  thc  physica|ly  abusivc 
parcnt has  thc  samc  goals  as  a  normaÌ  parcnt,  it's  thcir mcthod 
and thcir idcas that arc wrong. Jhcy think that thcir chiÌd is woc-
fuÌ,  bccausc  thcy  toÌd  thcir  5-ycar-old  to  just play  in  thc  front 
yard, and  thcn  hc wandcrcd  olf into thc strcct. And  thcy  don`t 
undcrstand  that  a  5-ycar-old  might  forgct  an  instruction,  or 
might  not havc that kind of impulsc control, so thcy think thcy 
havc to punish thc  chi|d [r hisoungoodbccausc hc was disobc-
dicnt and dangcrous. ¨ 
Larlicr, wc said that what |ooks Ìikc  stubbornncss or opposi-
tion may actuaÌÌy bc a Ìack of clarity. Åhc íCí¯intciVcntion sug-
5 c f Ì p t t h e L f Ì t Ì c a Í M o v e $ b/
gcsts that chiId abusc, too, may bc partÌy thc rcsult ol a Ìack ol un-
dcrstanding, a Ìack ol cÌcar ìnstruction or guìdancc on what to do. 
Jhìs ìs not Î cxcusc thc parcnts' bchavìor, ol coursc. It is sìmpÌy 
to point out that sim
[
Ìc scripting has powcr bcyond what any ol 
us couÌd havc prcdìctcd. Lvcn child abuscrs bccomc pÌiabÌc in its 
prcscncc. 
7. 
In I 99;, thc samc ycar BrazìÌ's prcsidcnt Cardoso announccd thc 
prìvatization  ol thc raiÌroads,  a group ol high schooÌ studcnts  in 
Howard,  South  Lakota,  startcd pÌotting a rcvivaÌ. Jhcy wantcd 
to  do  somcthing,  anything,  that  might  rcvivc  thcir  dying  com-
munity. 
Howard and surrounding Mincr County had  bccn shrinking 
lor dccadcs.  Farm and ìndustria| jobs  had  sÌowly dricd up,  and 
nothing rcplaccd  thcm. Jhc mcdian pricc ol houscs  in  Howard 
was onÌy $20,;00. Jhc popuÌation was about 3,000 and shrìnk-
ìng. Jhc county had thc highcst cÌdcrÌy popuÌation pcr capìta in 
South  Lakota,  and  it  also  had  thc  highcst  ratc  ol youth  out-
migratíon  in  South Oakora,  mcaning  rhar  whcn  young pcopIc 
got oÌd cnough, thcy lch and dìdn`t rcturn. 
"Vc'd  bccn  in  dccÌìnc lor nincty ycars,¨ saíd Randy larry,  a 
Ìongtimc  rcsidcnt who  taught  a  busincss  cÌass  at  thc  Ìocal high 
schooÌ, coacHcd thc varsity baskctbaÌÌ tcam, and ran an icc crcam 
parlor on thc sidc. 
At Howard High SchooÌ, thc studcnts had just hnìshcd rcad-
ìng  a book about  thc  dcath  ol ruraÌ  communitics  in  Iowa.  Jhc 
studcnts  saìd,  "Jhat`s  us,  it's  j ust  scvcnty  ycars  lrom  now, " 
according to  larry.  "So in cÌass thcy startcd askìng,  `How couÌd 
wc changc tHis:' " 
Imaginc thc dccision paraÌysis in this situation. Jhìnk ol how 
tt  OI K b C T T h b K I Ob K
many  lactors  inducncc  a  town´s  hcaÌth.  its  history,  its  dcmo-
graphics,  its  Ìocation,  ìts  cconomìc  basc,  its  wcathcr,  among 
countlcss othcrs. Jhc problcm was simpÌy too compÌcx lor any-
onc  to  soÌvc.  And  it  wasn't  lor Ìack  ol motivation--thcrc wasn't 
onc  pcrson  in  Mincr County who wouÌdn´t havc  jumpcd at thc 
chancc to hcÌp rcjuvcnatc thc communìty. Jhc LÌcphant hcrd was 
rcady to  movc.  ßut whcrc: Vhat  can  a lcw pcopÌc do  to  rcstorc 
an  cntirc  counp:
Jhc studcnts  startcd invcstígating thc situation,  dcsignìng a 
survcy and  distributing  it to  a samplc ol Mincr  County`s  ! ,000 
rcgìstcrcd votcrs. Onc hnding in particuÌar dìsturbcd thcm. Jhcy 
discovcrcd  that  haÌl ol thc  rcsidcnts wcrc  shoppìng  outsidc  thc 
county,  driving  an hour to  Sioux FaÌÌs to  shop  ìn  largcr storcs. 
!l Mincr County was goìng to bc rcborn, its cconomy would 
nccd a boost. Most ol thc thìngs that would boost Û cconomy-
ìnvcstmcnt, cntrcprcncurship, immigration-wcrc out ol thc stu-
dcnts'  controÌ.  ßut  thcy had  uncovcrcd  onc  thìng  that was vcry 
much  in  thcir  control:  spcnding moncy ÌocaÌÌy. Jhcy had lound 
thcir hrst raÌÌying cry.  Lct`s kccp Mincr doÌÌars in Mincr County. 
larry urgcd thc studcnts to  prcscnt thcìr hndings to  thc com-
munìty.  Jhc  studcnts  acccptcd  thc  chaÌÌcngc  and bcgan  to  put 
togcthcr a prcscntation. 
Jhc studcnts´  ncwlound  intcrcst  in rcvitaÌization  dovctailcd 
with  thc  chorts  ol othcrs  ìn  thc community.  A  group  ol othcr 
Mincr  County citizcns  had bccn hosting a scrìcs  ol mcctings  in-
tcndcd to gct county rcsidcnts taÌking about thc h:turc. Jhcy hcld 
hvc  gathcrings,  somc  in  thc  high school  and  somc  in  pcoplc´s 
homcs,  and thcy invitcd a cross scction ol rcsidcnts.  larmcrs and 
busincsspcopÌc and ministcrs and rctirccs. Jhcy chaÌlcngcd cach 
othcr. Vhat can wc do to cncrgizc Mincr County: 
Jhc  ìssucs  raiscd wcrc aÌÌ ovcr  thc  map.  wh¡ does ourtoun
/ooksosha//¡uithruspcarsonthestreet·wh¡ shouUa¸rmerget
5 c f Ì p t t h e L f Ì t Ì c a Í M o v e $ tº 
asu/sid¡uhena/usiness¸ersondoesn'tgetasu/sid¡?wh¡ dontue
ha:eamorethri:ingMainStreet?Many ol thc issucs wcrc JßL,
unsoÌvabÌc by thc community. Many rcquircd invcstmcnt, but
with a Ìimitcd pooÌ ol ta doÌÌars to draw lrom, it wasn`t cÌcar
whcrc thcy`d hnd thc moncy. ßut thcrc wcrc a lcw things thcy
kncw thcy couÌd takc into thcir own hands.
A gas station owncr in thc town ol Ícdora, popuIation ! ;0, 
comp|aincd that rcsidcnts ycars ago had cut down a Ìot ol dìs-
cascd trccs¬-stumps wcrc stiÌÌ Ìittcring thc arca, making Ícdora
Ìook run-down and sad. Jhc group ol conccmcd citizcns dccidcd
to dcaI with thc stumps in Ícdora. Cnc Saturday, larmcrs carry-
ing chain saws rodc into Ícdora on thcir tractors and Ìoadcrs.
Cthcr rcsidcnts madc sandwichcs and cookics lor thc workcrs.
!n a singÌc day, thc group dug up lour hundrcd stumps.
Kathy C.dÌics, who was hcading up thc kìtchcn crcw that day,
said it was amazing to scc hhy pcopÌc, agcs ranging lrom ; to º;, 
comc togcthcr to do somcthing lor thcir community. CaÌÌics rc-
caIÌcd that by thc cnd ol thc day, ¨Pcoplc lcIt Ìikc, `Look at what
wc did in a day.` And whcn you`vc dug up stumps togcthcr and
you start to rcaIizc you havc sharcd idcas about what you want thc
community to bc, thcn things start to happcn.¨ (Noticc that thc
log-cÌcaring day had powcrmÌ LÌcphant and Path cÌcmcnts, as
wcÌl. Jhc hush ol victory¬¬l making a dihcrcncc÷gavc thc LÌc-
phant strcngth to continuc. And thc strong support ol thc com-
munity madc thc Path lccl Ìcss dimcuÌt. !t`s casicr to makc a Ìong
¡ourncy whcn you`vc got a hcrd around you.)
Jhc community bcgan to ralIy around thc movcmcnt. Ca|Ìics
rcmcmbcrcd thc day that PhyÌÌis, a civic-mindcd woman in hcr
80s, droppcd by thc omcc whcrc thc community boostcrs wcrc
mccting. PhyIÌis announccd, "!`vc bccn waiting lor you to caÌÌ
mc. ! thought il you nccdcd my hcÌp, you would caIÌ. ßut thcn !
rcaIizcd that `Ch, thcy'rc alÌ too busy to caIÌ' ` So hcrc ! am.¨ Cn
/O Ol K b C T T H b K l O b K
hcr rcfrigcrator  at  homc,  lhyÌlis  had postcd  a  cross-stitch  that 
said "Scrcw thc GoÌdcn Ycars. ¨ 
Vhcn thc high schooÌ studcnts wcrc rcady to unvciÌ thcir rcc-
ommcndations, cighty-hvc rcsidcnts gathcrcd in  thc high school 
gym to hcar thc prcscntation. Among thcm wcrc the top Ìcadcrs 
of thc towns  in Mincr County.  thc schooÌ boards, thc city coun-
ciÌs, and thc county commissioncrs. 
Jhc  crowd  Ìistcncd  attcntivcÌy to  thc high schooÌ  studcnts. 
larry said, "You couÌd hcar a pin drop . . . .   lcopÌc said, `Ícan`t say 
no  bccausc ! want to makc this  a pÌacc whcrc thcsc  kids can  comc 
homc somcday. `  ßccausc  thc othcr option is wc sit herc and kcc
P 
watching things dcclinc, so prctty soon aÌÌ that wilÌ  oc Ìcft ìs thc 
dust.¨ 
Jhc studcnts had prcparcd an imprcssivc array of sprcadshccts 
and  charts  and  graphs.  ßut  thcy`d  aÌso  simpÌihcd  thc  compÌcx 
data  into  onc  simpÌc,  surprising fact.  Jhcy`d  calcuÌatcd  that  il 
Howard rcsidcnts spcnt just  I0 pcrccnt morc ol thctr disposablc 
incomc  at  homc,  thcy  wouÌd  boost  thc  ÌocaÌ  cconomy  by  S7 
milÌion. 
Jhc  audicncc was  imprcsscd,  and  thc prcscntation workcd 
bcttcr  than  anyonc  cxpcctcd. Jhc studcnts  had scriptcd thc hrst 
criticaÌ movc lor Mincr County,  and thc ÌocaÌs rcspondcd immc-
diatcÌy, consciousÌy spcnding morc ol thcir moncy in thc county. 
A ycar Ìatcr, South Oakota's  Ocpartmcnt of Rcvcnue rcÌcascd an 
astonishing  numbcr.  Jhc  amount  ol moncy  spcnt  in  Mincr 
County had incrcascd by S ! ;. 6 miÌlion, morc than rwicc thc in-
crcasc thc kids had cxpcctcd. 
Jhc changc bcgan to snowbalÌ. SuddcnÌy,  bccausc thc county 
was colÌccting morc taxcs,  moncy was avaiÌabÌc to lund thc othcr 
proposaÌs thc Ìocal groups had considcrcd. And in thc ycars foÌ-
Ìowing thc studcnts` prcscntation, thc tax rcccipts kcpt climbing, 
which  cnabÌcd  thc  community to tackÌc  cvcn  morc  ambitious 
5 c f Ì p t t h e L r Ì t Ì c a l M o v e $ 1 I
probÌcms. Latcr, Howard and Mìncr County rcccìvcd S6 mìlÌìon 
ìn  grants  lrom varìous foundatìons  to  mcÌ  thc  transformatìon. 
Randy  Iarry  Ìclt  hìs  tcachìng  job  and  bccamc  a  fuÌÌ-tìmc 
rcvìtaÌìzcr-ìn-chìcf.  Jhc  town  ol Howard  bccamc  thc  host  to 
twcnty-hrst-ccntury busìncsscs such as  an organìc bccf produccr 
and a wìnd-turbìnc rcpaìr shop. 
"lt alÌ startcd smaÌÌ,¨ saìd Iarry.  ¨!t`s lìkc whcn I took ovcr thc 
baskctbaÌÌ tcam at thc hìgh schooÌ. Jhcy wcrc just comìng oh ol 
a Ìosìng scason and you couÌdn`t gct pcopÌc to comc ìnto thc gym. 
ßut thcn you start to wìn and a fcw pcopÌc comc, and thcn morc 
pcoplc comc. Ad thcn wc startcd wìnnìng a lot." Jo  datc,  Iarry 
has dìscusscd thc rcbìrth of Mìncr  County wìth communìty Ìcad-
crs from thìrty-thrcc  dìhcrcnt statcs. 
8. 
A raiÌroad and a South Lakota smaÌÌ town.  ßoth crumbÌìng. ßoth 
wìth a dcnsc thìckct ol probÌcms and no rcaÌ rcsourccs  to  usc ìn 
untangÌìng thcm. In cach sìtuatìon, an unÌìkcÌy Ìcadcr cmcrgcd~
a young man frcsh out of busìncss  schooÌ  and a hìgh  schooÌ  bas-
kctbaÌÌ coach. And both succccdcd by formuÌatìng solutìons that 
wcrc strìkìngly smalÌcr than thc probÌcms  thcy wcrc ìntcndcd to 
soÌvc.  (Vc`vc  sccn thìs  asymmctry bclorc,  ìn  thc storìcs of |crry 
Stcrnìn ìn Vtctnam and  ßobby thc troublcd tccnagcr.) 
Jhc chaÌÌcngcs facìng Mìncr County wcrc bìg and sprawÌìng. 
thc dccÌìnc  of an ìndustrìaÌ basc, thc agìng of a popuÌatìon. Jhc 
cìtìzcns undcrstood thcsc chaÌÌcngcs wcÌÌ, but thc knowÌcdgc was 
JßL-truc  but uscÌcss.  It was  paralyzìng knowÌcdgc. 
Jo  thc Rìdcr, a bìg probÌcm caÌÌs for a bìg soÌutìon.  ßut ìl you 
scck out a  soÌutìon  that`s  as  complcx  as  thc  problcm,  you`ÌÌ  gct 
thc Food Iyiamìd and  nothìng wìÌÌ changc.  (Jhc Rìdcr wìÌl just 
spìn hìs whccÌs  tryìng to  makc scnsc of ìt.) Jhc Rìdcr has to bc 
/Z D l K b L T T N b K l D b K
j arrcd out of ìntrospcction, out of anaÌysìs. Hc nccds a scrìpt that 
cxpÌains how to act, and that's why thc succcsscs wc'vc  sccn  havc 
invoÌvcd such  crìsp dìrcctìon. Bu¡1Xmi/k. Donts¸endcashun-
hssitmakescash. Sho¸a/itt/emoreinMinerCounç.
Vc  aÌl hcar a Ìot  of ¨common scnsc"  wìsdom about changc. 
lcopÌc don't Ììkc to changc, pcopÌc rcsìst changc, pcopÌc arc sct ìn 
thcìr ways,  pcopÌc  arc  stubborn.  But hcrc wc'vc  sccn somcthìng 
cÌsc  cntìrcÌy.  raìÌroads  madc  prohtabÌc,  towns  rcborn,  dìcts 
changcd, and chìÌd abuscrs rcformcd. 
CÌarìty dìssolvcs rcsìstancc. 
4
Ï0ÌDI I0 IhE ÜE5IIDðII0D
!. 
Crystæ |oncs joìncd Jcach Ior ^mcrìca ìn 2003. Shc was assìgncd 
to  tcach  thc  hrst-gradc  class  at  an  cIcmcntary school  ìn ^tlanta, 
Ccorgìa.  Jhc  school  had  no  kìndcrgartcn,  so  lor  many  ol thc 
kìds, |oncs would bc thcìr hrst tcachcr. 
^t thc bcgìnnìng ol thc ycar,  thc skll gaps among hcr studcnts 
wcrc dauntìng.  Shc saìd,  "I had  two  or thrcc studcnts who could 
rccognìzc  kindcrgartcn  sìght  words,  and  I  also  had  somc  that 
couldn´t cvc  hoId thcìr pcncìls. Jhc oncs who had ncvcr bccn to 
school-thcìr bæìc bchavìor wasn´t whcrc ìt nccdcd to bc lor thcm 
to bc ìn thc cIassroom.  I had studcnts that, ol coursc, dìdn´t know 
thcìr  alphabct  or thcìr  numbcrs . . . .   Jhcy wcrc  all  on  dìhcrcnt 
lcvcls,  and  no  onc was  rcally whcrc  thcy  nccdcd  to  bc  lor  hrst 
gradc.¨ 
|oncs  lcl t conhdcnt that shc could clcvatc  thc  kìds´  abìlìtìcs. 
Shc could crcatc grcat lcsson plans and actìvìtìcs (shc could scrìpt 
/4 Ol K b L T T h b K l Ob K
thc criticaÌ movcs) . ßut to vhat cnd: Hov do you shov a room-
Iul oI hrst gradcrs vhcrc thcy`rc hcadcd and vhy going thcrc is
vorth thc chort-in tcrms thcy can undcrstand:
VcÌl, hcrc`s a vay not to do that, Irom anothcr Jcach
Ior Amcrica tcachcr, vho rcportcd hcr goaÌs Ior thc ycar as
IoÌÌovs.
Vith rcspcct to rcading lor thc school ycar, Î adminis-
tcrcd thrcc diagnostics. CVJ, ^scssmcnt ol Comprc-
hcnsion, and Monstcr Jcst. !sing rbc CV!, Î idcntihcd
my cÌasscs` avcragc as gradc lcvcÌ I . ; in Scptcmbcr. My
goaÌ is to incrcasc my studcnts` vord idcntihcation so as
to cnsurc a cÌass avcragc oI J. O. Lpon anaÌying thc rc-
sults ol thc Asscssmcnt ot Comprchcnsion, I idcntihcd
my cÌasscs' avcragc as a 4I % in Scptcmbcr. My goaÌ is to
incrcasc my studcnts' comprchcnsion so as to cnsurc a
class avcragc ol 8O%. Lsing tbc Monstcr ¯cst, Í  idcnri-
hcd my classcs` avcragc scorc as Scmiphonctic/Phonctic.
My goaÌ is to incrcasc my studcnts` phonics and spclÌing
skiÌÌs to Jransitional.
Jhat ambitious and spccihc sct oI goals vas probab|y quitc usc-
mÌ to thc tcachcr in hcr planning. ßut it obviously von`t bc usc-
IuÌ in Ìighting a hrc in thc hcarts oI hrst gradcrs.
CrystaÌ |oncs, in contrast, kncv that il shc vantcd to moti-
vatc thc kids, shc had to spcak thcir Ìanguagc. At thc bcginning
ol thc schooÌ ycar, shc announccd a goaÌ Ior hcr c|ass that shc
kncv vouÌd captivatc cvcry studcnt. ßy thc cnd oI this schooÌ
ycar, you´rc going to bc thirdgaders. (Mot ÌitcraÌÌy, oI coursc,
but in thc scnsc that thcy vouÌd bc at third-gradc skiÌÌ ÌcvcÌs.)
Jhat goaÌ vas taiÌor-madc lor thc hrst-gradc psychc. Iirst
gradcrs knov vcry vcÌÌ vhat third gradcrs Ìook likc-thcy arc
F o Ì h t t o t h e Oe $ t Ì a a t Ì o h 1b
bìggcr,  smaricr, and coolcr.  You  know thc lccÌìng you gct whcn 
you'rc  admìrìng  thc  gracc  and  powcr  ol an  Olympìc  athÌctc: 
Jhat`s thc lccÌìng hrst gradcrs gct about thìrd gradcrs. 
|oncs  chosc  thc  goal  carcluÌly.  Shc kncw  cxact|y  what  thc 
thìrd-gradc standards  ìn Gcorgìa rcquìrcd,  and shc kncw whcrc 
hcr kìds wcrt startìng. Shc gcnuìncÌy thought shc couÌd cÌosc thc 
gap. 
Onc ol hcr hrst cûorts was to cultìvatc a cuÌturc ol Ìcarnìng 
in hcr cÌassroom, caÌlìng hcr studcnts "schoÌars¨ and askìng thcm 
to  addrcss  onc anothcr that way.  Vhcn pcoplc vìsìtcd hcr c|ass-
room,  shc  ìntroduccd  hcr cÌass  as a group ol scholars  and askcd 
thcm  to  dchnc  thc  tcrm  for  thc  gucst.  Jhcy  wouÌd  shout,  "A 
schoÌar  ìs  somconc  who  Ììvcs  to  Ìcarn  and  ìs  good  at  ìt.¨ Jhc 
schoÌars wcrc cncouragcd to go homc and sharc what thcy Ìcarncd 
wìth thcìr  lamìÌìcs. 
Onc  day,  a  schoÌar was  caÌÌcd  out  ol thc cÌassroom  lor  ad-
mìnìstratìvc  rcasons, and somc ol thc othcrs ìn thc room startcd 
groanìng.  In  most  cÌassrooms  ìt wouÌd  havc  bccn  a  groan  ol 
jcalousy÷Cct meouto¡here, too.|oncs  rcaÌìzcd,  to hcr surprìsc, 
that ìt was a groan ol pìty-Ihatkidisgoingtomisssome¨scho/r
uork. "At that momcnt, |oncs  saìd,  ¨! kncw ! had thcm.¨ 
By sprìngtìmc, thc kìds' tcst scorcs had rcachcd sccond-gradc 
Ìcvcl.  So |oncs  thrcw a graduation  ccrcmony rìght bclorc sprìng 
brcak.  Ior thc rcst ol thc ycar,  thc kìds took grcat pÌcasurc ìn rc-
lcrrìng to  thcmsclvcs as  "sccond gradcrs.¨ And by thc cnd ol thc 
ycar, ovcr º0 pcrccnt ol thc kìds wcrc rcadìng at or abovc a thìrd-
gradc ÌcvcÌ. 
Jhcsc wcrc somc ol thc samc kìds who,  nìnc months carlìcr, 
dìdn't know thc a|phabct. 
CrystaÌ |oncs`s cha|Ìcngc ìs rcmìnìsccnt ol what |ìm  CoÌÌìns 
and |crry lorras,  ìn Bui/ttoLast, thcìr grcat study ol Ìong-Ììvcd 
busincss organìzatìons, mcmorabÌy calÌcd a BHAG.  a Bìg, Haìry, 
/b D l K b L T T N b K l D b K
Audacìous Goal. Hcnry Ford`s BHAG carÌy ìn thc rwcntìcth ccn-
tury was  to  "dcmocratìzc thc automobìlc", VaÌ-Mart,  ìn  I ºº0, 
sct thc goal of quadrupÌìng ìn sìzc to bc a S I 25 bìlÌìon company 
by thc ycar 2000.  CoÌÌìns  and  Iorras dchncd  a  BHAG  as  "an 
audacìous  I 0-to-50-ycar goaÌ to progrcss towards an cnvìsìoncd 
mturc," and thcìr rcscarch showcd that scttìng thcsc bìg,  motì-
vatìng goals was a practìcc that dìstìnguìshcd Ìastìng companìcs 
from lcss  succcssfuÌ oncs. 
ln crcatìng changc, though, wc`rc ìntcrcstcd ìn goals  that  arc 
closcr at hand-thc kìnds of thìngs that  can  bc tacklcd by parcnts 
or mìddÌc managcrs or socìal actìvìsts. Vc want a goaÌ that can bc 
tackÌcd ìn months or ycars, not dccadcs. 
Vc  want what wc  mìght  caÌl  a destination¸ostctrd-avìvìd 
pìcturc lrom thc ncar-tcrm futurc that shows what  could  bc pos-
sìblc.  Jhat`s  thc  mìssìng  pìccc  of what  wc`vc  dìscusscd  so  far. 
Vc'vc  sccn  thc  ìmportancc  ol pursuìng brìght  spois,  and wc'vc 
dìscusscd ways  of ìnstructìng  thc  Rìdcr  hou to  bchavc,  but wc 
havcn`t  answcrcd a vcry basìc qucstìon.  Vhcrc  arc  wc  hcadcd ìn 
thc cnd: Vhat`s thc dcstìnatìon: 
CrystaÌ |oncs provìdcd a grcat dcstìnatìon postcird:  KuIl/e
thirdgraderssoon!Iotìcc  that  thc  goaÌ  shc  sct  for  Hcr  studcnts 
dìdn`t  onÌy dìrcct  thc  Rìdcr,  ìt  aÌso  motìvatcd  thc  Llcphant.  It 
was ìnspìratìonaÌ. It tappcd ìnto fccÌìng. CoÌÌìns and lorras kc
that goaÌs  should  havc  an  cmotìonaÌ  componcni-a  BHAG 
shouldn`t  j ust  bc  bìg and compcÌÌìng,  ìt  shouÌd  "hìt you  ìn thc 
gut. ¨ Jo a hrst gradcr,  bccomìng a thìrd gradcr ìn nìnc months ìs 
a gut-smackìng goaÌ. 
¿.  
Vomcn wìth brcast canccr hcw to San Francìsco to bc trcatcd by 
Iaura !sscrman,  a surgcon  and  an  assocìatc  profcssor of surgcry 
F o l h t t o t h e D e $ I t h ð t l o h ÌÌ 
at thc \nivcrsity oI LaÍiIornia at San írancisco (\LSí). íaticnts
Íovcd Lsscrman Ior hcr warmth and cmpathy. Shc gavc out hcr
pcrsonaÍ ccÍÍ phonc numbcr to hcr paticnts, and shc somctimcs
sang paticnt· to sÍccp in thc opcrating room as thcir ancsthcsia
took chcct.
Lsscrman's human touch was in sharp contrast to thc usuaÍ
trcatmcnt aI|ordcd womcn diagnoscd with brcast canccr. ^ iI
thc diagnosis itscÍI wcrcnt Irightcning cnough, womcn wcrc ohcn
bounccd around Irom pÍacc to pÍacc during thc trcatmcnt cycÍc,
adding strcss. ín a typicaÍ progrcssion, dcscribcd by a StanIord
casc study, a woman hrst noticcs a Íump on hcr brcast during a
monthÍy scÍI-cxam. Axious, shc caÍÍs a doctor and waits a Icw
days (or wccks) Ior an appo
¡
ntmcnt. Jhc doctor conhrms that
thc Íump shouÍd bc cxamincd, so thc paticnt is rcIcrrcd to a ra-
dioÍogìst at anothcr IaciÍity to gct a mammogram. Lctting thc
rcsuÍts oI thc scan takcs anothcr agonizing Icw days.
Jhc mammogram shows somcthing suspicious, so shc is rc-
Icrrcd to a surgcon, who mccts hcr and again vcrihcs that thc
Íump is prcscnt. LnIortunatcÍy, thc mammogram imagcs didn´t
arrivc at thc surgcon's omcc bcIorc thc visit, so thcrc´s anothcr
dcÍay whiÍc radioÍogy i
¸
contactcd. Jhc surgcon conducts a
biopsy, which is scnt to thc pathoÍogy dcpartmcnt to dctcrminc
whcthcr thc growth contains canccrous ccÍÍs. Jhc woman is scnt
homc to wait by thc phonc Ior thc answcr.
íI canccr is dctcctcd, shc undcrgocs surgcry, and thcn thc sur-
gcon rcIcrs hcr to a radiation thcrapist Ior radiation trcatmcnt
and to a mcdicaÍ oncoÍogist Ior chcmothcrapy. Kadiation and
chcmothcrapy arc conductcd at diIIcrcnt sitcs with diIIcrcnt
booking proccdurcs and dcÍays. ín an attcmpt to smooth thc
proccss, a paticnt might havc to coÍÍcct hcr own rccords, hÍms,
and pathoÍog
'
y sÍidcs and carry thcm around hcrscÍI, somctimcs
cvcn within thc samc hospitaÍ. Jhc scqucncc might takc wccks to
¯t  D l K b L T T N b K l D b K
unIoÍd, and aÍÍ whiÍc thc woman is wondcring, Zm1goingto/ioe
through this?
Jhis anxicty-hÍÍcd proccss appaÍÍcd Laura Lsscrman, and shc
had a vision oI how it couÍd bc dihcrcnt. ¤at iI thcrc wcrc a
brcast carc cÍinic whcrc a woman worricd about a |ump in hcr
brcast couÍd waÍk in at thc bcginning oI thc day and waÍk out at
thc cnd oI thc day with an answcr--cithcr knowing that thc lump
was no probÍcm, or iI it was a probÍcm, having a trcatmcnt pÍan
aÍrcady in hand:
Jhc main barricr to this vision was thc Íack oI coordination
among mcdicaÍ dcpartmcnts. ÏI thcy couÍd bc intcgratcd morc
tightÍy, thcn wccks oI agonizing waiting couÍd bc cÍiminatcd, thc
paticnt wouÍd not havc to Ícavc thc buiÍding, and thc cxpcricncc
wouÍd bc dcsigncd around thc paticnt's nccds, not thc dcpart-
mcnts´. Jhat was Lsscrman´s dcstination postcard, and it was an
admirabÍc onc.
But as an associatc proIcssor at a Íargc univcrsity mcdicaÍ ccn-
tcr, !sscrman was Iar down thc totcm poÍc, with Icw rcsourccs at
hcr disposaÍ. Lvcn iI shc couÍd start a brcast carc cÍinic, shc wouÍd
ncvcr bc abÍc to hirc or hrc thc pcopÍc who might work Ior it,
and shc couÍdn´t cvcn sct thcir saÍarics. Jhc mcdicaÍ dcpartmcnts,
such as radioÍogy and pathoÍogy, controÍÍcd thc pursc strings and
thc rcsourccs. Jhc two most commonÍy uscd dcscriptions oI thc
mcdicaÍ schooÍ at LCSí wcrc ¨burcaucratic¨ and ¨poÍiticaÍ. ¨
¨Jhc dcpartmcnts havc moncy, and thc dcpartmcnts havc turI
and you can´t bring thcm togcthcr,¨ said Ncrcdithc NcndcÍsohn,
who bccamc !sscrman´s chicI administrativc dircctor.
!sscrman said, "Jhc radiation oncoÍogists rcport to radiation
oncoÍogy. Jhc surgcons rcport to thc SchooÍ oI Ncdicinc. Jhc
mcdicaÍ oncoÍogists rcport to mcdicaÍ oncoÍogy. Jhc nurscs and
stah rcport to thc mcdicaÍ ccntcr. Jhc psychoÍogists and sociaÍ
workcrs rcport somcplacc cÍsc. 5o it's an organizationaÍ chaÍlcngc
F o l h t t o t h e D e $ t Ì h ð t Ì o h J9
to makc pcopÍc IccÍ Íikc thcy bcÍong to somcthing. ¨ Bccausc
Lsscrman wicÍdcd so ÍittÍc institutionaÍ powcr, hcr bcst asscts Ior
crcating changc wcrc hcr own tcnacity and hcr abiÍity to scÍÍ a
vision oI what brcast canccr carc couÍd bc.
Lsscrman and NcndcÍsohn startcd smaÍÍ. Jhcy sct up thc
Brcast Larc Lcntcr to opcratc Ior Iour hours onc day pcr wcck.
Jhcy cajoÍcd thc mcdicaÍ dcpartmcnts to start working togcthcr
in morc intcgratcd ways. Ît took practicc, and it took pcrsistcncc.
"KadioÍogy, which docs thc mammographics, works Íikc a train
station,¨ says NcndcÍsohn. "ÍI your appointmcnt´s at ! 2.  ! 5,  
you´rc sccn at I 2. I 5 and that´s how thcy opcratc. ¨ But Lsscrman`s
goaÍ was to buiÍd trcatmcnt around thc paticnts' nccds, and thosc
nccds wcrcnt aÍways prcdictabÍc cnough to conIorm to radioÍ-
ogy's schcdu|c. Lsscrman workcd with thc radioÍogists to hgurc
out how to crcatc somc hcxibiÍity in thcir traditionaÍÍy rigid
proccsscs.
"Ñc couÍdn´t takc up too much oI radioÍogy's timc,¨ said
NcndcÍsohn, so thcy hgurcd out how to improvisc. "Or. Lsscr-
man wouÍd scc thc paticnt in thc morning, and shc was thc onÍy
doctor that wouÍd do it-shc was thc guinca pig-and thcn shc
wouÍd scnd thcm oh, say `Lo havc Íunch. Lo shopping. Lomc
back at ! :00. '  ^nd during Íunch timc shc wouÍd go to radioÍogy,
whcrc shc and thc radioÍogist wouÍd sit and Íook through aÍÍ oI
thc imagcs and dccidc what nccdcd to happcn ncxt.¨
íor thc hrst ycar, thc Lcntcr stuck with thc onc-day-pcr-wcck
modcÍ. Jhcn, oncc thc work was going smoothÍy, Lsscrman cx-
pandcd to two days pcr wcck. Norc surgcons startcd to gct in-
voÍvcd, and thcn nurscs, and counscÍors, and support stah, and
thc snowbaÍÍ bcgan.
LvcntuaÍ|y, thc Brcast Larc Ccntcr achicvcd cnough succcss
that it was oIIcrcd an cntirc hoor in a ncw canccr ccntcr bcing
constructcd by \LSí. ¨Ñhcrc's radioÍogy:¨ askcd Lsscrman
BO D l K b L T T N b K l D b K
whcn shc saw thc Ìayout. Jhc canccr ccntcr mastcr pÌan assumcd 
that thc radioÌogy dcpartmcnt would rcmain in its o!d buiÌding. 
But  that wouÌd  havc  madc  Lsscrman's  "cvcrything  undcr  onc 
rool" vision ímpossibÌc. So shc agrccd to givc up onc-third ol thc 
Brcast  Carc  Ccntcr´s  spacc  to  makc  room  lor a mammography 
unit on thc samc hoor.  ¦OnÌookcrs wcrc shockcd-acadcmìc dc-
partmcnts usualÌy lought hard to sccurc spacc, and Lsscrman was 
giving up somc ol hcrs!) 
Iow Lsscrman had two powcrluÌ  asscts:  a propcr homc lor 
}
hc Ccntcr and a stalI who incrcasíngly cmbraccd hcr vision lor 
a ncw kind ol carc.  laticnts  hockcd to  thc Brcast  Canccr Ccn-
tcr. From  ! ºº7 to 2005, thc numbcr ol patícnts sccn pcr month 
s}rockctcd  lrom  ! 7þ  to  ! ,500.   ln  timc,  thc  Ccntcr bccamc a 
major  sourcc  ol rcvcnuc  lor  LCSF  and  a  rccognizcd  nationaÌ 
lcadcr ín brcast canccr carc and rcscarch. Jhc Ccntcr cvoÌvcd to 
bc  thc  placc  that  Lsscrman  dcscribcd  in  hcr  dcstination  post-
card. 
Hcrc`s how Lsscrman dcscribcs  thc way thc paticnt's  cxpcri-
cncc Ìooks today. 
Wcn a paticnt comcs into thc Brcast Carc Ccntcr, I L
waÌk around thc  corncr and Ìook at hcr blms that day. 
VhiÌc shc's in  thc room, wc can do a biopsy and  gct  thc 
diagnosis  in  hvc  minutcs.  Vc  havc  a gynccologist  on 
stah that  spccializcs  in Icrtility  issucs  Ior womcn with 
brcast  canccr,  and  Í  havc  a  psychoÌogist  and  gcnctic 
counsclor on stah that is onc ol thc nursc practitioncrs. 
Jhc paticnt stays in thc samc pÌacc and docsn't nccd to 
go anywhcrc. 
Jhc Brcast Carc Ccntcr also has a rcÌæing hcaÌing gardcn and 
a  calc  that  scrvcs  cohcc. Jhc  boutíquc  scÌÌs  not  onÌy  thc  usuaÌ 
F o l h t t o t h e D e s I l h ð t l o h b¹
howcrs and gìhs but aÍso wìgs and scarvcs Ior patìcnts undcrgo-
ìng chcmo.
¨íor thc hrst tìmc,¨ saìd Lsscrman, ¨wc put thc woman at thc
ccntcr. ¨
3.
Ñhcn you dcscrìbc a compcÍÍìng dcstination, you´rc hcÍpìng to
corrcct onc oI thc Kidcr´s grcat wcakncsscs-thc tcndcncy to gct
Íost ìn anaÍysìs. Cur hrst ìnstìnct, ìn most changc situatìons, ìs to
ohcr up data to pcopÍc's Bdcrs. Heresuh¡ueneedtochange. Here
arethetab/esandgra¸hsandchartsthat¸rooeit. Jhc Kidcr Íovcs
thìs. Hc'ÍÍ start ponng ovcr thc data, anaÍyìng ìt and pokìng hoÍcs
ìn it, and hc`ÍÍ bc ìncÍìncd to dcbatc wìth you about thc concÍu-
sìons you´vc drawn. Jo thc Kìdcr, thc "anaÍyìng¨ phasc ìs ohcn
morc satisþìng than thc "doìng¨ phasc, and that´s dangcrous Ior
your swìtch.
^oticc what happcns, though, whcn you poìnt to an attrac-
tìvc dcstìnatìon: Jhc Kìdcr starts appÍyìng his strcngths to hgur-
ìng out hou·ogetthere. íor ìnstancc, ahcr Lsscrman announccd
hcr ¨undcr onc rooI¨ vìsìon, hcr tcam couÍd start thìnkìng
through thc impÍìcatìons oI that: Letssee. ue'/neoer¸u/thato¿
un/ess uehaeeaccess to radio/ogy, so ue!/needtogioe u¸ square
/otagetothem.e .
You havc a choìcc about how to usc thc Kìdcr´s cncrgy. By
dcIauÍt, hc´ÍÍ obscss about which way to movc, or whcthcr ìt´s
ncccssary to movc at aÍÍ. But you can rcdìrcct that cncrgy to
hcÍping you navìgatc toward thc dcstìnatìon. íor that to hap-
pcn, you nccd a gut-smackìng goaÍ, onc that appcaÍs to both
Kidcr and Llcphant. Jhìnk oI Lsscrman's "undcr onc rooI´ vì
sìon or oI LrystaÍ |oncs's chaÍÍcngc to hcr kìds to bccomc third
gradcrs.
bÌ U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
Loals ìn most organìzatìons, howcvcr, Íack cmotìonaÍ rcso-
nancc. ínstcad, SNAKJ goals÷goaÍs that arc Spccìhc, Ncasur-
abÍc, ^ctionabÍc, KcÍcvant, and JìmcÍy÷havc bccomc thc norm.
^ typìcaÍ SN^KJ goaÍ mìght bc ¨Ny markcting campaìgn wìÍÍ
gcncratc 4,;00 quaÍìhcd saÍcs lcads Ior thc salcs group by thc cnd
oI Q3´09.¨
Jhc spccìhcìty oI SN^KJ goals ìs a grcat curc Ior thc worst
sìns ot goaÍ scttìng÷ambìguìty and ìrrcÍcvancc (¨Ñc arc going to
de/ightour customcrs cvcry day ìn cvcry way! ¨). But SN^KJ
goaÍs arc bcttcr Ior stcady-statc situations than Ior changc sìtua-
tìons, bccausc thc assumptìons undcrÍying thcm arc that thc goaÍs
arc worthwhìÍc. ÍI you acccpt that gcncratìng 4,;00 Ícads Ior thc
salcs Iorcc is a grcat usc oI your tìmc, thc SNAKJ goaÍ wìÍl bc cI-
Icctìvc. But iI a ncw boss, pushìng a ncw dìrcctìon, assigns you
thc 4, ;00-Ícads goaÍ cvcn though you´vc ncvcr handÍcd Ícad
gcncratìon bcIorc, thcn thcrc mìght bc troubÍc. SN^KJ goaÍs
¸resumethc cmotìon, thcy don´t gcncratc ìt.
În Íooktng Ior a goal that rcachcs thc Llcphant-that hìts pco-
pÍc ìn thc gut÷you can´t bank on SNAKJ goaÍs. (Jhcrc arc somc
pcopÍc whosc hcarts arc sct ahuttcr by goaÍs such as ¨ìmprovìng
thc Íìquìdity ratìo by 30 pcrccnt ovcr thc ncxt ! 8 months.¨
Jhcy´rc caÍÍcd accountants. ) ín thc ! 980s, a major study ot cor-
poratc changc chorts tound that hnanciaÍ goaÍs inspìrcd succcss-
h:Í changc lcss wcÍÍ than dìd morc cmotìonaÍ goaÍs, such as thc
goaÍ to provìdc bcttcr scrvìcc to customcrs or to makc morc usc-
hÍ products. ^ccordìng to thc rcscarchcrs, ¨Lhcctìvc vìsions cx-
prcsscd vaÍucs that aÍÍow cmpÍoyccs to ìdcntiIy wìth thc
organizatìon . . . . Lnc managcr at a gÍass company suggcstcd, `ìt´s
hard to gct cxcìtcd about ! ;% rcturn on cquìty.´ ´´
Ocstìnatìon postcards do doubÍc duty: Jhcy show thc Kidcr
whcrc you'rc hcadcd, and thcy show thc LÍcphant vhy thc j our-
ncy ìs worthwhìlc.
F 0 Ì 0 I I 0 I h 0 Ü 0 5 I Î 0 8 I Î 0 0
L L Î M Î L
H0W LB0 Ý0d Ü0I L0fg0fBIÎ005 I0 ÅV0Î0
åh0Mº10fm ÏhÎ0KÎ0@1
83
blTUÆTlÖM Judy Samue|son heads a po|icy th|nk tank w|thin the Aspen lnst|·
tute ca||ed the Bus|ness and Soc|ety P|og|am. lt's comm|tted to !|ght|ng ¨ sho|t·
te|mism¨ |n the business wo||d. Samue|son points out that it's hard to so|ve
g|obal p|oblems (g|oba| warm|ng, poverty, ene|gy needs) without the help o! the
bus|ness seclo|. A!let a||, some bus|nesses have more |esou|ces than ent||e coun·
t||es. But bus|nesses w|th a sho|t·term !oc0s can't a!!ord to tack|e |ong·te|m
p|ob|ems. Samue|son recounts a conve|sat|on with the CE0 o! a h0ge !inancia|
senices !irm. he te||s he| that he wou|d |ike to be |nvo|ved with the b|g |ssues o!
the day, but he poinIs to the 9U·day ca|endar posted on h|s wa|l and admits, ¨T|s
|s my |ea||ty. ¨ Trans|ation. The pub||c markets are !o|c|ng h|m to adopt a quane|·
by·qua|ler !ocus. how can Samue|son¬the |eader o! a sma|| nonpro!|t¬poss|b|y
|n!|uence such massive !o|ces! how can she !|ght ¨shorl·term|sm¨ ! jT|s is an
actua| s|tuation, ongoing as o! 2OO9. We'|| d|scuss some o! Samuelson's st|ategy
a|ong with some o! our own th|nk|ng.]
WHÆT'b THb bWlTCH ÆMÖ WHÆT'b HÖLÖl MÖ l T BÆCKT We want
execut|ves to act w|th a |onger·term m| ndset. So what's stopping them! ||rst,
there's a b|g Rider problem here. We hope you| |ada| went o!! when you |ead
the ph|ase "short·te|mism.¨ |t's use!u| as a one·wo|d summary o! the p|ob·
|ems that Samue|son is !|ghting, but to p|ovoke change, we've got to sc|ipt the
critica| moves. (A ¨| ong·term m|ndset¨ isn't a behav|or.) Second, the|e's a Path
p|ob|em. The cu|tu|e o! the stock ma|ket encourages sho|t·te|m Ih|nk|ng. ln·
teresting|y, the E|ephant probab|y |sn't the v|||ain he|e. Most execs wou|d prob·
ably p|e!e|, a|l th|ngs being equa|, to have a |onge|·term !ocus. That means
motivat|on p|obab|y |sn`t ou| obstac|e. ||na| |y, |et's be |eal|st|c. Samuelson |s
seek|ng a 0855l90 change. We can't expect to generate a mag|c-bu||et so|u·
t|on. But big changes can start w|th sma|| steps. how can we |mprove Samue|·
son's odds!
84 Ü Î Ñ L L T T H L Ñ l Ü L Ñ
HÖW ÖÖ Wb NÆKb THb bWlTCHT
º Ü/lCCl lOC h/0Cl. T . b£lÍpI Iß6 £f|I|£8Ì m0V6S. Samue|son !|nds a way to
t|ans|ate he| b|g·picture goa| into speci!|c behav|ors. 0ne ins|ght. |et's convince
execut|ves to stop g|ving quarte||y ea|nings guidance. Backstory: |nvesto|s know
the biza|re Kabuk| dance o! earnings guidance, but othe| peop|e may not. Each
qua|ter, a pub||c company ¨sets expectations¨ !or the ea|n|ngs pe| sha|e it wi||
de|iver |n its next qua|ter|y !|nanc|a| repo|t. Ten, when the company !||es its re·
po|t, a mi|ac|e occu|s. The company announces that it beat the expectations by
a penny per sha|el 0h, g|o|yl The markets !ind th|s ||tt|e game |nspi ||ng, but none
o! it |s requ| red by |aw. A company cou|d simp|y !i|e its quaner|y !inancia| repo|ts
w|thout any advance expectat|on·setting. ln other words, Samue|son has |ocated
a 5þ0Cl0C 00089l0I I08IS wlI0l0 I00 C00II0Ì 0Í I00 0X0CUIl90. The expectat|ons
dance is the pedect symbo| o! short·term think|ng. ¿.Î0|ßI I0 Iß6 06SI|ß8IÌ0ß.
Samue|son shou|d se|| the vis|on he|e. how wi|| |i!e be di!|e|ent !o| the p|ogres·
s|ve CE0 who |ids h|mse|! o! the burden o! manag|ng to the quane| |ather than
to the |ong te|m! What's the destination postcard!
º NOîlvdîC îOC tlCÇOBDî. !. bßIÍßK Iß0 c08nge. Wote that by !ocusing on
quarter|y ea|n|ngs gu|dance, Samue|son sh|inks the change. |t's an atta| nab|e
!|rst step on the |oad to |ong·te|m th|nking. ¿.Åpp68Ì I0 Í06ßIÌIÿ. Samue|son
shou|d p|ay up the !act that the CE0s o! some we||·|espected compan|es¬6E,
Microso¤, Coca·Co|a, 6oog|e, and others¬have a|ready made th|s change. |!
othe| CE0s want to act |i ke ¨!onard·thinking CE0s,¨ this | s the :tep they need
to take.
º òOdÇC lOC /dlO. T . buÍÌ0 8 ß80ÍI. Remembe| the sto|y o! 0ona|d Benick
and the campaign to save ! OO,OOO |ives! Ben|ck made |t easy !o| hosp|ta|s to
¡o|n the campa|gn. They s|mp|y subm|Ued the hospita| CL0's s|gnatu|e on a one·
page !o|m. At that po|nt, Berwick's team swooped in to he|p the hosp|ta| bu||d
the new hab|ts. What |! Samue|son cou|d make |t that easy to ¡oin a ¨Wo Earn·
ings 6uidance¨ campa|gn! her team shou|d o!|e| a simp|e check|ist o! things to
F 0 Î 0 I I 0 I h 0 Ö 0 5 I Î 0 8 I Î 0 0 8'
address (|nc|ud|ng |ega|, PR, and operaI|ona| |ssues) and support the companies
as they change. ¿. ßa||y Iß6 ß6f0. Some CE0s are |e|uctant to d|scontinue ea|n·
ings gu|dance. They wo|ry that |nvestors w||| th|nk |t's a s|gna| that the company
is |n t|oub|e and w||| hu||y to se|| o!! Ihe|r stock. Samuelson cou|d he|p CE0s
counter th|s perception by o|gan|t|ng a ¨0rop t
g
e 6u|dance¨ day on a ce|tai n
date. That way, the t|m|ng o! the announcement wou|d be less consp|cuous. A|so,
by |inking togethe| business leaders who a|e int||gued by the idea, Samue|son
cou|d encou|age a bandwagon e!!ect. As we'|| see |ate|, behavior |s contag|ous.
4.
Ocstìnatìon  postcards÷pìcturcs  ol a  hturc  that  hard  work can 
makc  possìblc-can  bc  ìncrcdìbly  ìnspìrìng.  Jhc  hrst  gradcrs 
drcamcd ol bcìng thìrd gradcrs.  !aura Lsscrman´s tcam ìmagìncd 
a ncw kìnd ol brcast carc clìnìc  that would  catcr  to  thc  nccds  ol 
thc patìcnt. 
But what ìl your tcam ìsn´t  ínspìrcd: 
Ñhat  ìI,  ìn  tact,  mcmbcrs  ol your  tcam arc sccrct!y  or  not-
so-sccrctly rcsìstant to thc vìsìon ol thc hturc you`vc  artìculatcd: 
Jhìs ìntroduccs a ncw cncmy. ratìonalìzatìon.  Ior ìnstancc, surcly 
wc´vc  all madc a Ìcw Ycar´s rcsolutìon to  ¨Bc hcalthìcr.´ Ñc  con-
jurc up  a mcntæ ìmagc ol our hturc sclvcs-ht and svcltc÷and 
wc lìkc  what  wc scc.  But,  dccp  ìnsìdc  us,  thc  commìtmcnt  ìsn´t 
thcrc.  ^ lcw days ahcr |anuary  I , wc gct hungry,  and wc scc that 
gorgcous bag ol Chcctos ìn thc  pantry. 
Jhcrc´s  no  qucstìon  what  thc  Llcphant wants.  a bìg  mouth-
hl ol  Chcctoìan goodncss. ^nd whcn  thc Llcphant wants somc-
thìng badly,  thc  Rìdcr can  bc  trustcd  to go along-what choìcc 
docs hc havc:-and hc may actually bcgìn to lormulatc ratìonal-
ìzatìons to cxcusc thc brcach.  Vll uc d:d cul lhul :umd m:l 1hur:-
mj. ¬nd ji Jclc: :ukc, uc bou_hl 1%m:lk ul lhc _rorctj :lorc! V
bb U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
dontuanttogoooer/oardonthisdiet.Z/uCheetosi:areaona/h
reuard/rgood/ehaoior And prcsto! Vc  cat  thc  Chcctos!  Lvcn 
morc imprcssivc than  that, wc`ÌÌ stiÌl bc  convinccd,  in  our  hcart 
of hcarts,  that wc`rc bcìng hcaÌthicr. 
A big-pìcturc goal Ìikc ¨ßc hcaÌthicr¨  ìs ncccssariÌy imprccisc, 
and  that  ambiguity  crcatcs  wigglc  room  for  thc  EÌcphant.  lt 
makcs it casy to rationaÌizc faiÌurc. Onc rcsponsc to ihis diÌcmma 
is to sct supcr-prcscriptivc goaÌs. Your hrm might announcc, ¨Vc 
wiÌÌ  boost  rcvcnuc by  !4. 2 pcrccnt  this ycar. ¨  CcrtainÌy,  that's 
much bcttcr than just  urging cmployccs to do  thcir bcst.  ßut al-
though  numbcrs  thcmscÌvcs  arc  wìggÌc-proof,  thc way wc  dcaÌ 
with numbcrs isn`t.  For instancc, if your hrm achicvcd a !2.3 pcr-
ccnt  incrcasc  in  rcvcnuc,  do  you  rcaÌÌy think anyonc  wouÌd  gct 
hrcd`  Or is it morc ÌikcÌy that a compclÌing ratìonaÌization wouÌd 
smooth ovcr thc  discrcpancy:  2eam, in thiseconomicclimate, ue
shouHconsider!2.µ¸ercentahugeoictoç!
Jhc  dangcr is prcscnt in our pcrsonaÌ livcs, too. !maginc that, 
in hopcs  of rcìnìng  ìn your aÌcohoÌ  consumption, you sct a goaÌ 
of drinkìng no morc than onc gÌass of winc pcr nìght. VcÌ!, Ìct`s 
facc  it,  thcrc wilÌ  comc  a night whcn your LÌcphant  is  goìng  to 
cravc morc than onc,  and that`swhcn thc boundarics arc going to 
gct mzzy. You'lÌ "honor¨ your onc-glass ruÌc-by hÌling your glass 
æÌ  thc  way to  thc  brim.  Or  you'ÌÌ mcntaÌÌy  tradc  an  cxtra  drink 
now for a zcro-drìnk  night  in thc  (spccuÌatìvc)  futurc. Vc`rc  alÌ 
Ìoopholc-cxpÌoiting  !awycrs  whcn  it  comcs  to  our  own  sclf-
controÌ. 
If you´rc worrìcd  about  thc  possìbiÌity  of rationaÌization at 
homc  or at work,  you  nccd to  squcczc  out  thc  ambiguity  from 
your  goal.  You  nccd  a  bÌack-and-whitc  (ßöV)  goaÌ.  A  ßöV 
goaÌ is  an  aÌÌ-or-nothing goaÌ,  and it`s  uscmÌ  ìn timcs whcn you 
worry about backsliding.  Maybc your ßöV goaÌ for your aÌco-
hoÌ  consumption  couÌd  bc  ¨lo  winc  cvcr.¨  Io  wigglc  room 
F 0 Î h I I 0 I h 6 U 6 5 I Î B ð I Ì 0 B b/
thcrc. And what il wc changcd our Mcw Ycar`s rcso|ution lrom
"ßc hca|thicr" to "Gym cvcry day' or cvcn "Mo morc Chcctos":
Jhosc goals |cavc nowhcrc to hidc. Lithcr you`vc got damning
orangc Chccto dust on your hngcrs or you don't.
Motc that ß&V goa|s÷"Mo morc Chcctos," "Mo winc
cvcr"÷arc not inspiring at æ.Jhcy`rc I 00 pcrccnt rcstrictivc. Iur-
thcrmorc, thcy arc scripting critical bchaviors rathcr than painting
a picturc ol a dcstination. Is it possiblc to combinc thc cmotionæ
powcr ol a destination postcard with thc rationa|ization-squashing
strcngth ol a ß&V goa|: Ycs, and to scc how, considcr thc casc ol
ßritish Pctrolcum (ßP). In I ººI , ßP announccd a ß&V goal that
shockcd its cmployccs who had spcnt ycars in thc oi| industry. It
was thc multibi|lion-do||ar cquiva|cnt ol "Mo morc Chcctos."
J. 
For most oI thc twcnticth ccntury, oi| cxp|orcrs had trustcd thcir
gut, which workcd out wc|l, bccausc thcir gut was prctty smart
and oi| rcscrvcs wcrc |argc|y untappcd. ln thc I º60s, |im
Vandcrby, onc ol thc grcat ßP cxp|orcrs, wcnt to Lgypt. Jhc hrst
lour or hvc ho|cs hc dri||cd thcrc wcrc dry. His supcriors at ßP
scnt him a tc|cgram and to|d him to stop trying. Hc didn`t gct thc
tc|cgram, or so hc c|aimcd. Rcgardlcss, hc dri|lcd again, and on
his ncxt try in thc Gu|l ol Sucz, hc tappcd into thc wor|d's hrst
multibi|lion-barrc| oi| hc|d.
ßP`s good lortunc continucd in thc I º60s and I º70s, with
hugc discovcrics such as Prudhoc ßay in AÌaska ( I º68) and Mon-
trosc in thc Morth Sca ( I º7I ) , among othcrs. Joward thc |atc
cightics, though, thc mcga-hits s|owcd down. "Vhat was chang-
ing was that hc|ds wcrc gctting morc dimcu|t to hnd," said Pctc
Ca||aghcr, a scnior |cadcr at Amoco, which mcrgcd with ßP in thc
|atc I ºº0s. ` Jhc o|dcr hclds wcrc huge, visib|c on 2-L scismic
bb U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
tcchno|ogy. Jargcts bccamc sma||cr and morc dimcu|t to scc. So
thc skil| scts changcd."
A thc landscapc changcd, ßP's stratcgy cvo|vcd. In I º8º, its
lcadcrs |ockcd onto thc cxp|oration doctrinc that wou|d guidc
thcm lor thc ncxt hhccn ycars. ¯hcy wou|d locus on|y on /ighc|ds
and stop compcting lor thc sma||cr oncs, thcrcby avoiding com-
pctition with hundrcds ol sma|lcr compctitors. Jhcy a|so dccidcd
to attack costs. At that timc, ßP was considcrcd by many to bc
thc world's most chcctivc cxp|oration company. Evcn so, ßP`s |cad-
·crs bc|icvcd it was spcnding lar too much on cxp|oration. Jhcy
committcd to s|ash cxp|oration costs lrom $5 pcr barrcl to $I .
Pcop|c insidc thc company thought this goal was outragcous.
Jo rcducc costs so drastica||y, ßP nccdcd to minimizc thc
numbcr ol "dry ho|cs" it dri||cd. Jhc historica| succcss ratc lor
dril|ing a ncw wc|| was rough|y I out ol 8. ßP's ratc was much
bcttcr: I out ol 5. Jo cut cxp|oration costs lrom $5 to $I pcr bar-
rcl, though, it wou|d havc to go lrom "good" pcrlormancc to un-
prcccdcntcd pcrlormancc. (Somc said im¸ossi//epcrlormancc.)
Rcscarchcrs at ßP bcgan to invcstigatc past cxp|orations. Cnc
thing thcy studicd was whcthcr cxp|orcrs wcrc good at prcdìcting
thc succcss ol thcir wc|ls. Jhcy rcvicwcd wcl|s that had bccn
dri||cd ovcr a I 0-ycar pcriod and lound that, on avcragc, cxp|or-
crs` prcdictions wcrc cxtraordinari|y accuratc. Jhcir avcragc prc-
diction was that a wc|| had a 20 pcrccnt chancc ol hitting, and on
avcragc, 20 pcrccnt ol wcl|s actua|ly hit.
ßut thc avcragcs concca|cd somc lascinating biascs. For in-
stancc, whcn thc cxp|orcrs gavc thc wc|l a 20 to 70 pcrccnt prob-
abi|ity ol hitting, thcir prcdictions wcrc prctty accuratc. ßut whcn
thc cxplorcrs prcdictcd a grcatcr than 75 pcrccnt chancc ol suc-
ccss, thc wc||s hit ncar|y al| thc timc. A|so, wc||s that had bccn
givcn a I 0 pcrccnt chancc ol succcss actua|ly had morc |ikc a I
pcrccnt chancc. So thc cxp|orcrs` instincts about thc wc||s wcrc
F 0 Î h I I 0 I h 6 U 6 5 I Î h ð I Ì 0 h B9
corrcct÷thcy kncw thc good oncs lrom thc bad oncs. ßut thcrc
was inlormation, cspccia|ly lor high- and |ow-probabi|ity wc|ls,
that thcy wcrcn`t using.
Jraditiona||y, thc cxp|orcrs had bccn sa|csmcn |or thcir wc|ls,
rcssing top managcmcnt |or thc grccn light to dri|l. ln thc
I º80s, thcy had lcarncd that thc way to sc|| managcmcnt was to
usc thc tools ol risk cconomics÷in particu|ar, thc conccpt o| ex-
¸ectedoa/ue.
Lxpcctcd-valuc calcu|ations arc bul|ctproo| in situations
whcrc thc risks and rcturns arc wc|l undcrstood. Il I hip a coin,
you can |cc| conhdcnt that you havc a 50 pcrccnt probabi|ity o|
winning. ßut what arc thc odds ol hitting a gushcr: And il you
hit onc, what`s thc payoh Jhosc arc sub]cctivc cstimatcs. Vhcn
you lccd subjcctivc cstimatcs into an cxpcctcd-va|uc ca|cu|ation,
a prccisc numbcr pops out, giving thc iIIusion o| scicntihc ccr-
tainty. ("Cur cxpcctcd va|uc |or this wc|l is $ I I 2. 8 mi||ion. lt`s a
no-braincr÷lct`s dri|| it.")
It didn`t go unnoticcd among cxp|orcrs that i| thcy rca||y
wantcd to dri|| a wc|l, thcy could simpIy tinkcr around with thc
math in a sprcadshcct. I| thcy ] ackcd up thc hit ratc or thc pay-
on thc cxpcctcd valuc obcdicnt|y indatcd. (Jhis tinkcring prob-
ab|y wasn`t ma|icious or cvcn conscious. Rcmcmbcr, whcn thc
L|cphant rca|ly wants somcthing, thc Ridcr can bc trustcd to hnd
rationalizations |or it.)
Morc subt|y, thc usc ol cxpcctcd valuc madc pcoplc think
about dril|ing as a numbcrs gamc. ^|im Farnsworth, a top |cadcr
in ßP`s cxp|oration unit, said, "Explorcrs think in tcrms ol risk
probabi|itics. Pcop|c gct so caught up in thc numbcrs that thcy
think, 'Vc||, il wc dri|| tcn ol thcsc I -in- I O wc|ls, wc`l| hit at lcast
onc o| thcm and wc`l| al| makc a |ot o| moncy. ßut whcn you do
thc ana|ysis, you rcalizc that somcthing that is I in I 0 neoer
works, so it`s a lalsc scnsc ol statistica| carity. "
UÛ U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
Jhc odds-p|aying gavc cvcryonc a la|sc scnsc ol comlort. H¸
q uedndsomedç hohs, oneo/theotherho/esuidhitandmakeu¸
/rit. Explorcrs wcrc likc vcnturc capita|ists, hoping lor an cßay
or a Goog|c to bai| thcm out ol an othcrwisc |ousy portlolio.
ll you wcrc an cxccutivc at ßR hoping to cut your cxp|oration
costs by 80 pcrccnt, your hrst mission wou|d bc to rcmovc this
la|sc scnsc ol comlort. Jhc ambiguity in thc goa| is a||owing
rationa|ization to crccp in. So how could you changc your tcam`s
bchavior so that cvcry singlc dri|ling opcration is takcn scriously:
How cou|d you |cavc your tcam`s Ridcrs with nowhcrc to hidc:
Considcr thc a|tcrnativcs lor your ncw stratcgic ra||ying cry·
"Vc'|| doub|c our strìkcs!" "Mo morc dumb ho|cs!" "Lct's mæi-
mizc cxpcctcd valuc'" Somc ol thcm sound promising, but noticc
thc mdgc room in a|l ol thcm. "Mo morc dumb ho|cs" wou|d bc
casy lor any compctcnt Ridcr to dodgc. Vou|d any sell-rcspccting
cxp|orcr think hc was dri||ing a dumbho|c: "Ooub|tng strikcs" is
bcttcr, but thcrc`s sti|| room to rationa|izc a |ot ol dry ho|cs. And
as lor "maximizc cxpcctcd valuc," wc||, lct's ]ust movc on.
Ian Vann, ßP's hcad ol cxp|oration at thc timc, hgurcd out a
way to c|iminatc thc mdgc room. Hc announccd his ncw vision.
"Mo dry ho|cs."
Monc.
Exp|orcrs wcrc iratc. Jhcy thought thc goa| was prcpostcr-
ous. Jhcir |cadcrs wcrc asking thc impossib|c. Ory ho|cs had a|-
ways bccn a norma| and acccptablc part ol doing busincss.
Rcmcmbcr, thc numbcr ol dry ho|cs outnumbcrcd succcsscs by
a lactor ol 4. Mow Vann was dchning thcm as lai|urc.
"Mo dry holcs" was a painlul ß&V goa|. Probabilistic prc-
dictions had a|ways providcd a covcr lor lai|urc. As |im
Farnsworth said, "Vc wantcd to gct away lrom thc |anguagc ol
probabi|ity, lrom pcop|c hiding bchind a notion t|at il a !-in-5
wc|| didn`t work, `l to|d you it was I in 5 so I was right.` `Mo dry
F 0 Î h I I 0 I Þ 6 U 6 5 I Î h ð I Î 0 h JI
ho|cs` was an attcmpt to makc pcoplc go to thc absolutc cxtrcmc
limit, to makc surc thcy'd |ookcd at cvcry piccc oI data and donc
thc right ana|ysis."
A cxp|orcrs bcgan ta|king about "Mo dry ho|cs," thcy startcd
taking oh thcir cxp|orcr hats and putting on thcir gc,o|ogist hats.
Lots oI things had to go right to crcatc a productivc oi| hc|d, and
gco|ogists had prcvious|y dcviscd dihcrcnt tcsts to cva|uatc cvcry
gco|ogic Icaturc. Vas thc right carbon-rich substratc avai|ab|c to
Iorm oi|: Vas thcrc a hardcr, impcrmcablc basc |aycr undcrncath
thc oi| to capturc and contain it iI it Iormcd: Lvcn iI thc oi| had
Iormcd at somc point in gcologic history, could subscqucnt un-
dcrground prcssurcs or tcmpcraturcs havc dcgradcd thc oi|:
Jhc idca oI c|iminating dry holcs promptcd gcologists to
bccomc morc systcmatic about mapping and aggrcgating thc
inIormation thcy had. Jhcy coIor-codcd maps÷grccn Ior as-
pccts that might support an oi| hc|d, ambcr Ior arcas whcrc
inIormation was missing, and rcd Ior c|car countcr indications.
Jhcn thcy ovcr|aid thc co|or-codcd maps on top oI onc anothcr,
cach |aycr rcprcscnting a dihcrcnt gco|ogic tcst. Jhcy dccidcd to
dri|l on|y in rcgions that wcrc grccn on cvcry conccivab|c
dimcnsion.
"Mo dry ho|cs" was chcctivc in stamping out ~o kinds oI ra-
tiona|izations Ior poor|y conccivcd dri||ing opcrations. Cnc was
"|carning"~¡hc convcnicnt notion that cvcn iI a particu|ar wc||
docsn`t hit, thc tcam wi|| lcarn so much Irom thc proccss that m-
turc opcrations wi|| bc morc succcssml. Vann said, "l can givc
you a hundrcd cxamp|cs whcrc pcoplc madc a mistakc bccausc
thcy didn`t usc know|cdgc thcy alrcady had, Ior cvcry onc cxam-
p|c whcrc wc lcam somcthing that is vaIuablc Ior ncxt timc." Jhc
othcr common rationa|ization was that ccrtain wc|ls had "stratc-
gic va|uc. " Cal|aghcr said, "Jhc |ast dcIcnsc oI thc char|atan is
a|ways that somcthing is 'stratcgic.' 'Jhis is a stratcgic wc||, so wc
U2 U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
havc to driÌÌ it.' " "lo dry hoÌcs" rcmovcd thc mdgc room. ^ wcÌÌ
might bc stratcgic, or it might not bc, but cithcr way, it bcttcr
not bc dry.
Oavid ßam|ord, ßP's chic| gcophysicist during much o| this
pcriod, said, "I can think o| scvcral cxampÌcs o| whcrc tcchnicaÌ
tcams kncw a proposcd wcÌl would bc dry and yct scnior man-
agcmcnt wantcd to driÌÌ it bccausc o| prcssurc |rom govcrnmcnt
or busincss partncrs. " IrcviousÌy it was hard |or |rontÌinc pcoplc
to ob]cct to thcsc dccisions. Vhcn your managcr is thc only onc
who knows what thc "partncr prcssurc" consists oI how can you
possibÌy raisc a crcdibÌc objcction:
Jhc "Mo dry hoÌcs" goa| boostcd thc conhdcncc o| thc |ront-
Ìinc cmpÌoyccs. Jhc Exploration Forum÷thc pccr group ac-
countabÌc |or cxpÌoration dccisions÷bccamc morc outspokcn
and pushcd back on "stratcgic rcasons" to cngagc in Ìow-
probability cxpÌorations. ^cr aÌl, thc stratcgy was "lo dry
hoÌcs," not "Mo dry holcs unÌcss driÌÌing hcÌps to pÌacatc an im-
portant partncr. " Jhc stratcgy had changcd in a way that gavc
Ìowcr-ÌcvcÌ cmpÌoyccs an cqua|Ìy crcdibÌc voicc in thc dccision.
Jhc ß&V goaÌ workcd cxactly as thc managcmcnt tcam had
intcndcd. Vhcn ßP lch nowhcrc |or pcoplc to hidc, its pcoplc
stoppcd trying to hidc. Jhcy tightcncd up thcir analyscs, and thç
madc |cwcr "play-thc-odds" dccisions. Jhcy got scrious about using
cvcry avaiÌablc scrap o| data in thcir dccisions. And thcy tough-
cncd up thcir rcsistancc to govcrnmcntaÌ and partncr prcssurc.
ßy 2000, ßP's hit ratc was an industry-Ìcading Z in 5. ¯hat's
tri¸/ethc succcss ratc o| I º8º. ßP was stiÌÌ hitting dry hoÌcs, but
thc goal had stirrcd improvcmcnts that many had considcrcd im-
possibÌc. ßP trans|ormcd itscÌ| whcn it cÌiminatcd iis own wigglc
room. Vhenuedri//ahoh, itbetternotbed¸
Motc that thc Ìcadcrs at ßP didn't say, "Jwo ot:t o| thrcc÷
F 0 Ì h I I 0 I h 6 U 6 $ I Î h ð I Î 0 h JJ
that´s cÍosc cnough. Lct´s ccÍcbratcl¨ Lvcry dry hoÍc was a IaiÍurc,
and thcrc was no dodging it. Bccausc thcy couÍdn`t casiÍy cxcusc
faiÍurc-Ít uasnategicÍt uaaha¬ingo¸¸ormnip!-thçwcrc
Ích with onÍy onc choicc. OriÍÍ smartcr ncxt timc.
6.
ÏI you worry about thc potcntial Ior inaction on your tcam, or
iI you worry that siÍcnt rcsistancc may sÍow or sabotagc your
changc initiativc, BöÑ goaÍs may bc thc soÍution. But, to bc
cÍcar, you won´t aÍways nccd a goaÍ that's so unyicÍding. LrystaÍ
]oncs´s caÍÍ to bccomc a third gradcr was not a BöÑ goaÍ. Lct's
Iacc it, iI kids got third-gradc-ÍcvcÍ scorcs on math and scicncc
but not on vocabuÍary, wc´d aÍÍ lct thcm ¨graduatc. ¨ Laura Ls-
scrman´s vision Ior thc Brcast Larc Lcntcr wasnt BöÑ and it
didn't nccd to bc.
Ñhat is csscntiaÍ, though, is to marry your Íong-tcrm goaÍ
with short-tcrm criticaÍ movcs. Lsscrman´s vision was compcÍÍing,
but it wouÍd havc bccn cmpty taÍk without Íots oI bchavior-ÍcvcÍ
cxccution.
You havc to back up your dcstination postcard with a good
bchavioraÍ script. Jhat's a rccipc Ior succcss. Ñhat you dontnccd
to do is anticipatc cvcry turn in thc road bctwccn today and thc
dcstination. Ît´s not that pÍotting thc whoÍc ¡ourncy is undcsir-
abÍc, it's that it´s impossibÍc. Jo think that you can pÍot a turn-by-
turn map to thc cnd, Íikc a Ícadcr´s vcrsion oI Nap qucst, is aÍmost
ccrtainÍy hubris.
Ñhcn you´rc at thc bcginning, don´t obscss about thc middÍc,
bccausc thc middÍc is going to Íook dihcrcnt oncc you gct thcrc.
|ust Íook Ior a strong bcginning and a strong cnding and gct
moving.
U4 D l K b L T T h b K l D b K
7.  
Jhc avcragc invcstor might makc stock-picking dccisions by |is-
tcning to |im Cramcr or rcading ncws rcports or compu|sivc|y
watching CMßC. ßut big institutiona| invcstors, such as phi|-
anthropic loundations or tcachcrs` rctircmcnt lunds, gct spccia|
attcntion lrom Va|| Strcct. Historical|y, invcstmcnt banks spon-
sorcd rcscarch dcpartmcnts as a lrcc scrvicc to institutional in-
vcstors. Jhc cxchangc was c|car. Jhc bank hopcd that il it madc
good rccommcndations, thcn thc invcstors wou|d usc thc bank's
tradcrs to buy and sc|| stocks, bringing in rcvcnuc lor thc bank.
ßccausc rcscarch is, in csscncc, a |urc lor big invcstmcnt dol-
|ars, it is takcn vcry scrious|y on Va|l Strcct. Evcry ycar, Institu-
tiona/In:estormagazinc asks big invcstors to asscss thc rcscarch
thcy`vc rcccivcd. ßascd on thosc rcsponscs, thc magazinc ranks
thc rcscarch ana|ysts in cach industry and a|so providcs an ovcr-
a|l ranking lor thc rcscarch dcpartmcnts on VaI| Strcct. Jhcsc In-
stitutiona/Iniestorrankings arc trcatcd likc ho|y writ. Jhcy drivc
(hugc) bonuscs to individua| ana|ysts, and thcy attract customcrs
to thc banks with thc bcst rcscarch dcpartmcnts.
ln I º86, Shcarson Lchman`s rcscarch dcpartmcnt rankcd a
humi|iating hhccnth. Jop cxccutivcs at Shcarson wantcd a ncw
|cadcr, so thcy rccruitcd |ack Rivkin, who had bui|t Iainc
Vcbbcr's rcscarch dcpartmcnt into a powcrhousc. Jhc cxccs` cx-
pcctations lor Rivkìn wcrc clcar. Gct us into thc Jop 5.
Rivkin's hrst imprcssions ol thc dcpartmcnt wcrc not prom-
ising. "Vhcn I got to Lchman, thc rcscarch dcpartmcnt was a
mcss. It got no rcspcct." Cnc ol Shcarson`s top an.uysts, E|ainc
Garzarc||i, said, "Jhc dcpartmcnt wasn't disciplincd . . . . Pcop|c
did whatcvcr thcy wantcd to do. Jhcy didn`t havc to ta|k at rcg-
u|ar mcctings, thcy didn't havc to submit rcports at ccrtain timcs.
Abso|utc|y no mcntion was cvcr madc ol thc Institutiona/In:estor
Al|-Amcrica tcam."
F 0 Î h I I 0 I h e D e 5 I Î h ð I Ì 0 h Ub
Rivkin madc many lormal changcs to thc dcpartmcnt. Hc
hircd a numbcr two, Frcd Fracnkcl. Hc succcsslul|y pctitioncd
Shcarson lor a much |argcr stall and budgct. Hc hrcd dcadwood
on thc tcam. Hc changcd thc compcnsation systcm lor thc
tcam.
Jhcsc changcs wcrc vita|, but u|timatc|y, Rivkin had to in-
hucncc thc day-to-day bchavior ol thc ana|ysts on his tcam. Aan
analogy, considcr a gcncra| managcr (GM) running a bascbal|
tcam. ll you havc morc moncy at your disposa|, you can sign
morc ta|cntc·d p|aycrs. You can tradc undcrpcrlormcrs. You can
ohcr your tcam a bonus lor making thc p|ayohs. Jhcsc changcs
arc important, but thcy don`t dìrcctly inducncc thc way playcrs
p|ay. Jo do that, you nccd a coach.
Rivkin was both GM and coach. As a coach, hc kncw hc
nccdcd mcmbcrs ol his tcam to improvc thcir work dramatica||y,
and that mcant hc nccdcd to script somc ol thcir car|y movcs.
Hc startcd by announcing that hc cxpcctcd ana|ysts to initiatc at
|cast I25 c|icnt convcrsations pcr month. Hc rcquircd thcm to
takc notcs on thcir convcrsations and post thcm to thc intcrna|
nctwork. ßoth thc quantity and thc qua|ity ol ana|ysts` contacts
bccamc a mattcr ol pub|ic rccord. Cnc ncw|y hircd analyst said,
"Cncc thc rcport card on ana|yst contacts was c|cctronical|y
pinncd up on a board, a|| thc ana|ysts bcgan trying to gct to thc
lront scction ol thc rankings, no onc wantcd to bc ncar thc
cnd . . . . Jhc ana|ysts startcd asking onc anothcr. ` How do you
makc so many ca|ls: Vhcrc do you hnd thc timc:` "
Jhc I 25-ca|| bcnchmark ]oItcd thc dcpartmcnt, snappcd it
out ol its |ackadaisica| attitudc. Most ol thc ana|ysts bcgan work-
ing I 2 to I 5 hours pcr day, ncarly cvcry day ol thc ycar. (Motc thc
c|arity ol thc instructions÷this is Rivkin's I % mi|k campaign.)
Rivkìn a|so sought to bui|d a tcam mcnta|ity in thc dcpart-
mcnt, hghting against thc traditiona| culturc ol scll-intcrcstcd
Jb U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
cowboys. Hc dcmandcd that, whcn ana|ysts wcrc making
prcscntations to c|icnts, thcy cìtc thcir co||cagucs` work at |cast
twicc. "l don`t want to hcar `Í-I-Iin thc prcscntation. l want
to hcar `wc,` and I want to hcar othcr pcop|c`s namcs. " Jhc
lorccd (at hrst) sharing ol idcas and crcdit madc thc tcam as a
who|c bcttcr, but it a|so bcnchtcd thc individua| ana|ysts by cx-
posing thcm to inlormation thcy othcrwisc wou|dn`t havc cn-
countcrcd.
Rivkin didn`t ]ust script thc critìca| movcs÷/Uke!2âca//.
andcite¡ourcodeagues'uork-healso pointcd to thc dcstination.
ve'regoingtocracktheÏ. Ï. µnstitutiona| lnvcstor) 7¡ p. Jhat
was somcthing cvcryonc in his dcpartmcnt undcrstood and as-
pircd to.
In lact, thcrc was a jokc that circulatcd in thc dcpartmcnt.
¨ÍÍ or Oic. " ßut thc aspiration was scrìous. Vìthin cightccn
months ol thc turnaround, a lul| º5 pcrccnt ol onc group ol
ncw|y mintcd ana|ysts brokc onto thc individuaÌ ÏÏ ana|yst rank-
ings lor thcir industry. Customcrs wcrc noticìng thc cxtra attcn-
tion thcy got lrom Shcarson ana|ysts, and lor thc hrst tìmc,
Shcarson ana|ysts wcrc top-ol-mind whcn Institutiona/In:estor
magazinc cal|cd invcstors to ask who thcy rc|icd on most.
Jhc dircction sct by Rivkin prcparcd thc dcpartmcnt lor
a contrarian bct that |ch thc dcpartmcnt aÌonc on Va|l Strcct. lt
was a bct that wou|d ccmcnt Shcarson`s p|acc in thc Í1rankìngs.
ln I º88, a Shcarson ana|yst bcgan invcstigating a drug ca||cd
Lpogcn, madc by Amgcn and distributcd by |ohnson & |ohnson.
Lpogcn is a synthctìc vcrsion ol a hormonc ca|lcd crythropoictin,
which incrcascs thc body`s production ol rcd b|ood cc|ls. Rcd
b|ood cc|ls arc rcsponsib|c lor lcrrying oxygcn to al| thc cc|ls ol
thc body. Lpogcn wou|d givc thcm a boost, making thc drug thc
pcrlcct trcatment lor various typcs ol scrious ancmia÷lor
F 0 Î h I I 0 I h 6 D 6 5 I Ì h ð I Î 0 h U7 
cxamplc, in paticnts whosc blood cclls wcrc damagcd by
chcmothcrapy. At thc timc, thc drug was winding its way through
thc drug approval proccss. Vith its rc|casc immincnt, stock in-
vcstors bcgan to makc thcir bcts on how thc drug would scll,
which would in turn drivc Amgcn`s stock pricc.
Cthcr rcscarch dcpartmcnts had idcntihcd onc ma]or mækct
lor thc drug, but Shcarson analysts thought thcrc might bc othcrs.
Surcly, thcy rcasoncd, thcrc`d bc othcr uscs lor a drug that incrcascd
rcd blood ccll production. So thcy divcd into thc rcscarch proccss.
Frcd Fracnkcl said, "Evcry analyst and cvcry assistant madc calls.
Jhcy callcd about I 00 hospita|s and pharmacics around thc world,
cstimating thc markct potcntial lor thc drug. Cncc thcy had thc
data togcthcr, thcy kncw Amgcn had a multibillion-dollar drug on
its hands. No rcscarch dcpartmcnt could havc possibly madc this
cstimation with just onc analyst and an assistant."
Shcarson`s analysts dchcd thc convcntional wisdom by prc-
dicting that Amgcn had a blockbustcr on its hands. Shcarson's
tcam was so conhdcnt, in lact, that it publishcd ads touting its
hndings in thc NeuKrkIimesand wdStreet}ourna/.
Jhcy wcrc right. Lpogcn bccamc Amgcn's hrst blockbustcr
drug and, at that timc, was thc most succcsslul drug ol thc wholc
oiotcch industry. In I ºº0, Shcarson was rankcd at thc top ol thc
Institutiona/In:estorA|l-Amcrica Rcscarch ¯cam. In j ust thrcc
ycars, Shcarson had lcaplroggcd lrom hhccnth to hrst.
Jhc call on ^gcn was somcthing that Rivkin ncvcr could
havc anticipatcd, and it wou|d havc bccn pointlcss to try. Hc lo-
cuscd on what hc could control. Hc providcd a dcstination post-
card ("11 or Oic"), and hc scriptcd somc movcs that womd givc
his pcoplc a hcad start. Hc had thc bcginning right and thc cnd-
ing right, and whcn thc Amgcn situation poppcd up in thc mid-
dlc, thc tcam was rcady.
Ub U l K L L T T h L K l U L K
8.  
So lar wc'vc |camcd a grcat dca| about thc Ridcr and his many
strcngths and wcakncsscs. Cn thc p|us sidc ol thc lcdgcr, thc Ridcr
is a visionary. Hc`s wil|ing to makc short-tcrm sacrihccs lor |ong-
tcrm payohs (which is why hc nghts so ohcn with thc E|cphant,
who gcncra||y prclcrs immcdiatc gratihcation). Hc`s a c|cvcr tac-
tician, too-~givc him a map and hc`|| lo|low it pcrlcct|y. ßut wc`vc
also sccn p|cnty ol cvidcncc ol thc Rdcr`s Haws~-his |imitcd
rcscrvcs ol strcngth, his para|ysis in thc lacc ol ambiguity and
choicc, and his rc|cnt|css locus on prob|cms rathcr th.m so|utions.
Hcrc`s thc good ncws. Jhc Ridcr`s strcngths arc substantia|,
and his daws can bc mitigatcd. Vhcn you appca| to thc Ridcr in-
sidc yoursc|l or insidc othcrs you arc trying to inducncc, your
gamc p|an shou|d bc simp|c.
First, ///outhebrights¸ots.Jhink ol thc Victnamcsc childrcn
who staycd wc|| nourishcd against thc odds, or thc Gcncntcch
sæcs rcps who rackcd up sa|cs against thc odds. ^ you ana|yzc
your situation, you`rc surc to hnd somc things that arc working
bcttcr than othcrs. Oon't obscss about thc lai|urcs. lnstcad, in-
vcstigatc and c|onc thc succcsscs.
Mcxt, gi:edirectiontotheRiderboth a start and a hnish.
Scnd him a dcstination postcard ("You'|| bc a third gradcr soon!"),
and script his criticaÌ movcs ("ßuy ¡ % mi|k") .
Vhcn you do thcsc things, you'|| prcparc thc Ridcr to |cad a
switch. And you`|| arm him lor thc ongoing strugg|cs with his
rcluctant and lormidab|c partncr, thc L|cphant.
Y0T l VAT E
T H E
E | E P h AN T
b
ÎID0 \hE ÎEEÌ IDg
!.  
I n  !992,  Jargcr  was  a  $3  bìllìon  rcgìonal  rcraìlcr,  a  pìp-squcak 
comparcd  ro  ìrs  compcrìrors  Kmarr  ($9  bìllìon)  and Ñal-Narr 
($30 bìllìon) .  Bur ìr aspìrcd ro  bc dìhcrcnr.  Lvcn  ìn rhosc  days, 
rhc  chaìn´s  advcrtìsìng was  hìp  and  lashìonablc.  \nlorrunarcly, 
rhc  srorc´s  mcrchandìsc  dìdn´r  dclìvcr  on  rhc advcrrìsìng's  prom-
ìsc.  Cusromcrs  complaìncd.  Í :cc uü lhc:c _rcul a, bul uhcn Í
romc lo lhc :!orc, jou1c _ol lhc :umc bor:n_ :lu_ N Wl-Àurl.
You  alrcady know  how  rhìs  movìc cnds.  Lvcr  rhc  lollowìng 
hhccn ycars, Jargcr bccamc ¨Jar-Z!^Y,¨  rhc 
$
ó3  bìllìon  gìanr, 
rhc ^pplc ol rhc rcraìlìng world,  rhc kccpcr ol rhc bclovcd bull´s-
cyc,  rhc champìon ol dcsìgn. Jhc  ncw cra srarrcd wìrh rhc  ìconìc 
Nìchacl  Cravcs  tcakcrrlc  and  cxpandcd ovcr rhc ycars  ro Jodd 
Lldham  bcddìng  and  !saac  Nìzrahì  showcr  curraìns  and 
Nossìmo  swcarcrs  and  counrlcss  orhcr producrs  rhar  combìncd 
rhc holy duo ol hìp and chcap. 
! Û2 M UT l VÅ T b T h b b L b P h Å N T
Jhc bcginning and cnd points oI thc Jargct ta|c arc prctty
wc|| known. ßut wc suspcct you don't know much about thc mid-
d|c, and that`s a shamc, bccausc what happcncd in thc midd|c
was thechange. It didn't happcn in thc boardroom. lt happcncd
bccausc oI pcoplc |ikc Robyn Vatcrs.
Vatcrs had no intcntion oI working Ior Jargct. Shc was a sc|I-
dcscribcd Iashion snob, and shc`d vowcd not to comc back to
Minncsota, whcrc shc was raiscd, and whcrc wintcr takcs ovcr
much oI Ia|| and spring. Shc ccrtain|y had no intcntion oI work-
ing Ior a discounter. Shc had an cnviab|c ]ob at thc posh |ordan
Marsh dcpartmcnt storc and was |iving in high sty|c. "Ï was going
to lta|y and attcnding mcctings with Armani and Vcrsacc and
rubbing shou|dcrs with a|l thc Iashionistas, and that was rca||y
cool whcn you'rc in your mid-thirtics. ßut thcn onc day wc a|| got
|aid oh So that's how Ï camc to bc opcn-mindcd. "
Shc ]oincd Jargct in I ºº2 as thc "rcady-to-wcar` trcnd man-
agcr, which madc hcr rcsponsib|c Ior b|ack stirrup pants, swcats,
and Looncy Juncs J-shirts. Shc'd wondcrcd how shc`d managcd
to s|ip Irom Vcrsacc to Jwccty ßird.
Jhc company was at an important inhcction point whcn shc
] oincd. ßob Llrich had ]ust rctircd as CEC, and hc'd bccomc
chairman oI thc board. Hc had a vcry c|car vision ol Jargct as an
"upsca|c discountcr" that would dihcrcntiatc itsc|I through dc-
sign. Hc drcamcd that Jargct`s bul|'s-cyc would bccomc a "|ovc-
mark," as rcspcctcd and wc|| |ovcd as Coca-Cola or thc ßcatlcs or
Lcgo. Hc wantcd thc bu|l's-cyc to bc as ubiquitous as McOona|d's
goldcn archcs.
At thc timc, though, Jargct was a |ong way Irom rcalizing that
vision. Jhc mcrchants at Jargct÷thc pcoplc who sc|cct thc mcr-
chandisc that wi|| show up lor sa|c in various dcpartmcnts÷had
traditiona||y bccn copycats. Vatcrs said thc mindsct among thc
c|othing mcrchants had bccn to "hnd thc bcst sc||cr this ycæ, takc
f Î h 0 I h 6 f 6 6 Î Î h g I 0J
it to Asia, knock it on and sc|| it ncxt ycar at ha|l thc pricc. " For
Jargct to bccomc a dcsign powcrhousc, thc company had to stop
lagging thc trcnds and start riding thc trcnds. Jhat was Vatcrs`s
mandatc in thc trcnd dcpartmcnt.
Jhc prob|cm was that Vatcrs had a|most no powcr to ad-
vancc this "trcnd-right" vision. Jhc mcrchants didn't havc to dcal
with hcr. "l had to win thcm ovcr. l cou|d ncvcr mandatc, `Vc
havc to havc purplc this ycar bccausc that's thc trcnd, ` '' shc rc-
ca||cd.
Vatcrs s|ow|y bui|t up bc|icvcrs. An car|y convcrt was thc
mcrchant rcsponsib|c lor turt|cnccks. Shc was lcd up with us-
ing thc same tircd pattcrns cach ycar÷you know, thc cutcsy
snowhakc-and-rcindccr prints uscd by cvcry discount rctai|cr. So,
at Vatcrs's urging, shc hircd a dcsigncr to crcatc somc lrcsh pat-
tcrns, and as thcy both prcdictcd, sa|cs improvcd dramatica||y.
Jhcsc cai|y-adoptcr cxpcrimcnts gavc Vatcrs much-nccdcd
succcss stories. Sincc Jargct had an analytica|, numbcrs-drivcn
cu|turc, publicizing thc car|y rcsu|ts was critica|. Vatcrs cou|d
point to "hcrocs" in thc organization who'd takcn a risk and suc-
cccdcd. ("Chcck out what thc turt|cncck mcrchant did.")
For a timc in rctai|, trcndy c|othìng was ncutra| in color.
Evcrything was gray, whitc, kaki, tan, or b|ack. Jhcn, onc
scason, co|or cxp|odcd at thc labric shows and in thc rctai|crs in
London and Paris. It wasn`t an obscurc trcnd, it was a big wavc.
So, as thc dcsign champion at Jargct, Vatcrs nccdcd to gct hcr
mcrchants cxcitcd about co|or. ßut thc mcrchants, bcing numbcrs
drivcn, wou|d rcvicw thc past lcw ycars' sa|cs and scc that co|or
hadn`t so|d. ,In this situation, a Ridcr appca| cou|dn't possib|y
succccd bccausc thc data contradictcd Vatcrs's position.)
Vatcrs had to gct crcativc. Shc wcnt to thc candy storc at
FAC Schwarz, whcrc you cou|d buy M&Ms in whatcvcr co|or
you wantcd, and brought hugc bags ml| ol bright-co|orcd M&Ms
I 04 M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
to hcr intcrna| mcctings. Shc pourcd thc candy into a g|ass bowl,
crcating cascadcs ol turquoisc and hot pink and |imc grccn. "Pco-
p|c wou|d go `Vow, ' and l'd say, 'Scc, look at your rcaction to
co|or.' "
Shc brought in samp|cs ol Applc`s rcccnt|y rc|cascd iMac
computcrs÷in |imc, strawbcrry, grapc, and tangcrinc÷which had
bccn a scnsation. For thc hrst timc, consumcrs wcrc choosing thc
co|or ol thcir computcrs with thc samc scriousncss thcy uscd to
choosc thc co|or ol thcir cars. And shc constant|y brought in pho-
tographs lrom boutiqucs around thc wor|d. Shc'd show a mcrchant
thc photo ol a po|o assortmcnt and say, "Scc how thcy havc thrcc
ncutra|s, and a mi|d yc||ow, and thcn thcy add thc bright b|uc lor
a pop." Jhcn shc`d crcatc a mock-up display with actua| c|othing
samp|cs so thc mcrchants cou|d scc lor thcmsclvcs, Iu¸, thatb/ue
co/or¸o¸s.And, soon ahcr, that b|uc po|o shirt wou|d show up on
thc hoor ol Jargct, lor onc c|othing |inc, lor onc scason.
Jhis is how organizational changc happcns.
Vhcn Vatcrs ta|ks about this pcriod, shc is cmphatic that
shc`s not thc "hcro" ol thc Jargct story. Shc says shc was onc pcr-
son among many who managcd to translorm thc company. How-
cvcr you asscss hcr contribution, thc rcmarkab|c thing is that hcr
succcsscs camc dcspitc a |ack ot authority and rcsourccs. Vatcrs
said, "I had no hcad count at thc timc. I was a|ways borrowing
pcop|c, and my budgcts ncvcr balanccd. ßut l kcpt gctting sup-
port lrom mcrchants who wouId say, `Ch, I'vc got an cxtra hcad
count ovcr hcrc. And you can hirc this dcsigncr, but shc`s on|y
going to work on our stuh` And in thc ncxt division thcy'd say,
`Vow, l want onc, too. ` ``
Mot only did Vatcrs |ack contro| ovcr thc mcrchants, shc
didn`t cvcn spcak thcir |anguagc. lndccd, thc biggcst mystcry ol
Vatcrs`s succcss might wc|| bc this. ln thc ana|ytica| cu|turc ol
í Î h 0 I h 6 f 6 6 Î Î h § I O5
Jargct, whcrc numbcrs wcrc thc |ingua lranca, why did a bunch
ol dcmonstrations sccm to makc thc dihcrcncc:
Z.
In IheHear/o¡Change,|ohn Kottcr and Oan Cohcn rcport on
a study thcy conductcd with thc hc|p ol a tcam at Oc|oittc Con-
su|ting. Jhc pro]cct tcam intcrvicwcd ovcr 400 pcop|c across
morc than !J0 companics in thc Lnitcd Statcs, Luropc, Austra|ia,
and South AIrica, in hopcs ol undcrstanding why changc hap-
pcns in |arge organizations. Summarizing thc data, Kottcr and
Cohcn said that in most changc situations, managcrs initia|ly
locus on stratcgy, structurc, culturc, or systcms, which |cads thcm
to miss thc most important issuc:
. . . th:· corc ol thc mattcr is a|ways about changing thc
bchavior of pcop|c, and bchavior changc happcns in
high|y succcsslul situations most|y by spcaking to pco-
p|c`s lcc|ings. This is truc cvcn in organizations that arc
vcry locuscd on ana|ysis and quant|tativc mcasurcmcnt,
cvcn among pcop|c who think ol thcmsclvcs as smart in
an MßA scnsc. ln high|y succcsslul changc cíIorts, pco-
p|c hnd ways to hc|p othcrs scc thc prob|cms or solu-
tions in ways that inducncc cmotions, not just thought.
In othcr words, whcn changc works, it's bccausc |cadcrs arc spcak-
ing to thc L|cphant as wc|| as to thc Ridcr.
Most ol us, in Robyn Vatcrs`s shocs, wou|d crcatc a "busincss
casc" lor thc powcr ol dcsign. Vc`d compi|c a PowcrPoint prc-
scntation with charts and graphs and stratcgica||y sclcctcd quotcs
lrom thc chairman who`d cmbraccd thc dcsign-lorward vision.
! Ub M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
Vhcn wc hnishcd our prcscntation, cvcryonc in thc room would
undcrstand what wc mcant. Jhcy might cvcn agrcc! ßut wou|d
thcy changc thcir bchavior: Kottcr`s rcscarch suggcsts no.
Kottcr and Cohcn say that most pcop|c think changc hap-
pcns in this ordcr. AM^YZL-1HIMK-CHAMGL. You ana|yzc,
thcn you think, and thcn you changc. In a norma| cnvironmcnt,
that might work prctty wc|l. Il you nccd to rcducc dup|ication
costs in your print shop by 6 pcrccnt, or il you nccd to shavc oh
5 minutcs lrom your dai|y commutc, thcn that proccss wil| scrvc
you wc|l. Kottcr and Cohcn notc that ana|ytica| too|s work bcst
whcn "paramctcrs arc known, assumptions arc minimæ, and thc
mturc is not mzzy. "
ßut big changc situations don't |ook |ikc that. In most changc
situations, thc paramctcrs arcn`t wc|| undcrstood, and thc luturc
is mzzy. ßccausc ol thc unccrtainty that changc brings, thc E|c-
phant is rc|uctant to movc, and ana|ytical argumcnts wil| not
ovcrcomc that rcluctancc. (Il somconc is unsurc about whcthcr to
marry hcr signihcant othcr, you`rc not going to tip hcr by taIking
up tæ advantagcs and rcnt savings.)
Kottcr and Cohcn obscrvcd that, in a|most a|| succcsslu|
changc cllorts, thc scqucncc ol changc is not AMALYZE-
JHIMK-CHAMGE, but rathcr SLL-FLLL-CHAMGE. You`rc
prcscntcd with cvidcncc that makcs you lcc| somcthing. Ït might
bc a disturbing |ook at thc prob|cm, or a hopclu| g|impsc ol thc
solution, or a sobcring rchcction ol your currcnt habits, but rc-
gard|css, it`s somcthing that hits you at thc cmotionæ |cvcl. It`s
somcthing that spcaks to thc L|cphant.
ln staging dcmos lor hcr co||cagucs at Jargct, Robyn Vatcrs
was honoring thc SEE-FEEL-CHAMGL philosophy. Shc sct up
displays that |ct thc mcrchants scc what was possib|c. Seehouthat
b/ue¸o/oshirt¸o¸s!Seehouit catches¡ourattention anddraus
¡ourattennon?Shc brought in iMacs and M&Ms and |ct pcop|c
í Î h 0 I h 6 í 6 6 Î Ì h g ! O7 
ooh and a ovcr thcm÷"Scc, |ook at your rcaction to co|or."
(nd[theua¡, uouUntitbenicetobe¸arto/thesamemo:ement
aSte:e}obsandZ¸¸/e?)
Vatcrs thought carcm||y about what hcr co||cagucs wou|d see
bccausc shc kncw what shc wantcd thcm to /e/.cncrgizcd, hopc-
m|, crcativc, compctitivc. Jhcy took thc bait.
Lct`s rcmcmbcr, too, thc story about |on Stcgncr lrom Chap-
tcr ¡ , thc man who crcatcd thc G|ovc Shrinc. Hc kncw his co|-
|cagucs wcrc:it cnthuscd about hìs idca lor ccntralizcd purchasìng,
so hc didn`t bothcr ta|kìng about thc numbcrs. Instcad, hc showcd
thcm somcthing that madc thcm lcc| somcthing. (rea/ç bu¡
a//thesedy rentkindo/g/o:es·)SLL-FLLL-CHAGL.
Jrying to hght incrtia and indihcrcncc with ana|ytìca| argu-
mcnts is |ikc tossìng a hrc cxtinguishcr to somconc who`s drown-
ing. Jhc so|utìon docsn`t match thc problcm.
It can somctimcs bc chal|cnging, though, to distìnguish why
pcop|c don`t support your changc. Is it bccausc thcy don`t un-
dcrstand or bccausc thcy`rc not cnthuscd: Oo you nccd an L|c-
phant appcal or a Ridcr appca|: Jhc answcr isn`t always obvìous,
cvcn to cxpcrts.
3.
Pam Cmidyar, thc loundcr ol HopcLab, kncw thc strugg|cs ol
tccnagcrs with canccr. Jhcy cndurcd wccks ol brutal chcmothcr-
apy in thc hospita| and wcnt homc a mcss-sappcd ol cncrgy,
thcir hair la|ling out, thcir throats raw and tcndcr, thcir immunc
systcm wrcckcd. ßut whcn thcy hna||y wa|kcd out ol thc hospi-
ta| to rcturn homc, thcrc was onc sì|vcr lìning: Jhc worst was
|ikcly ovcr. Going lorward, thcir ob|igations wou|d bc rclativc|y
simp|c. Jhcy'd nccd to immcdiatc|y rcport any symptoms thcy
dcvc|opcd, such as a lcvcr, and takc thcir mcdicinc laithlu||y,
I Ub M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
which might inc|udc a rcgimcn ol antibiotics and |ow-dosagc
chcmothcrapy pi||s lor two ycars.
ßut many tccns simp|y lai|cd to comp|y, pardy bccausc lo|-
lowing thc mcdication rcgimcn wasn`t casy. ¯hc sidc cllccts ol
chcmothcrapy, cvcn at |ow doscs, wcrc rough÷nausca, skin brcak-
outs, tircdncss, irritabi|ity. Jhc sidc chccts ol thc homc rcgimcn,
though, wcrc nothing comparcd to thc horror ol intcnsivc
chcmothcrapy, and by missing thcir doscs, kids wcrc risking a rc-
currcncc ol thcir canccr. Stcvc Co|c, thc rcscarch dircctor lor
HopcLab, says, "Il you skip 20 pcrccnt ol your doscs, you dont
just havc a 20 pcrccnt highcr chancc ol gctting canccr again. Your
odds go up 200 pcrccnt."
How cou|d tccns takc such a tcrriblc risk: Cmidyar was con-
vinccd that tccns simp|y wcrcn't gctting thc mcssagc. Shc sought
a ncw way ol inhucncing thcir bchavior÷somcthing unconvcn-
tiona|, somcthing that spokc in thcir |anguagc. Hcr inspiration.
Vc`|| makc a vidco gamc.
Acr months ol chort, HopcLab dcvc|opcd a gæ:c cal|cd Rc-
Mission. In thc gamc, tccns bccamc Roxi, a si|vcr-suitcd
nanobot who chargcd through thc b|oodstrcam zapping tumor
ccl|s with c|cctric-grccn chcmo-rays. In bctwccn rounds ol gamc-
p|ay, tccns watchcd short "brichng" vidcos lcaturing Smitty, a
mcntor robot, who providcd additiona| inlormation about
chcmothcrapy and rccovcry.
Rc-Mission lcaturcd twcnty |cvc|s ol p|ay, cach |asting an hour
and packcd with inlormation. Jhc tcam at HopcLab was con-
vinccd that il it cou|d gct kids to p|ay thc who|c gamc, any mis-
undcrstandings that could |cad to noncomp|iancc wou|d bc
wipcd out.
Evcntua||y thc tcam |aunchcd thc hrst clinica| trial lor Rc-
Mission. ln 2008, thc rcsu|ts wcrc announccd in thc mcdica|
]ourna| Pedianics.Jo thc tcam`s dc|ight, thc gamc had incrcascd
f Î h 0 I Þ 6 f 6 6 Î Î h g I UJ
kìds' adhcrcncc to thcir mcdìcatìon pÍans. Jhc amount oI
chcmothcrapy drugs cìrcuÍatìng ìn thc bÍood oI kìds who pÍaycd
thc gamc wcnt up by ZU pcrccnt. Jhat may not sound Íìkc much,
but smaÍÍ dìhrcnccs ìn adhcrcncc makc a bìg dìhcrcncc ìn hcaÍth.
Jhc odds oI survìvìng canccr doubÍc iI you can bump up
chcmothcrapy adhcrcncc by ZUpcrccnt.
But thcrc was a surprìsc burìcd ìn thc cvìdcncc oI succcss. ^
Íot oI thc kìds dìdn´t acti)aÍÍy pÍay thc gamc aÍÍ that much, at-
tcmptìng onÍy onc or rwo ÍcvcÍs ìnstcad oI thc twcnty that had
bccn dcsìgncd ìnto thc gamc. Yct cvcn thosc carÍy quìttcrs cndcd
up takìng thcìr mcdìcatìons morc rcguÍarÍy. ín Iact, thc tccns who
pÍaycd onÍy two ÍcvcÍs wcrc changìng thcìr bchavìor as much as
thc kìds who pÍaycd aÍÍ twcnty.
^t hrst gÍancc, that hndìng sccmcd as absurd as ìI you´d dìs-
covcrcd that studcnts got comparabÍc scorcs on thcìr aÍgcbra hnaÍs
whcthcr thcy took onÍy onc wcck oI cÍasscs or a whoÍc scmcstcr.
Kcscarch dìrcctor LoÍc acknowÍcdgcd, ¨LÍcarÍy, ìn onc or two
ÍcvcÍs wc'rc not tcachìng thcm a whoÍc Íot, sìncc thc buÍk oI that
tìmc ìs spcnt hying around thc body bÍowìng things up.¨ Ñhy
had thc undcrutìÍìzcd gamc bccn so chcctìvc at changìng thc kìds'
bchavior:
LoÍc startcd askìng around, tryìng to undcrstand thc puzzÍìng
rcsuÍt. Cnc oI his Iricnds, a markctìng proIcssor at StanIord, said,
¨Jhìnk about thìs Irom a markcrìng pcrspcctìvc. Ñc can changc
bchavìor ìn a short tcÍcvìsìon ad. Ñc don't do ìt with ìnIormatìon.
Ñc do ìt wìth ìdcntìty. `íI í buy a BNÑ í`m goìng to bc this
kìnd oI pcrson. íI í takc that kìnd oI vacatìon, Î'm that kìnd oI
cco-IrìcndÍy pcrson. ´ ¨
^nd ìt dawncd on LoÍc: Ñhcn tccns dìdn´t compÍy wìth thcir
drug rcgìmcn, thc probÍcm wasn´t knowÍcdgc, it was cmotìon.
Hc saìd, ¨ít boiÍs down to an idcntìq thìng. Acr you havc gonc
through intcnsìvc chcmo, you´vc had your ÍiIc stoÍcn Irom you
I T 0 m Ü T l VÆT L T H L L L L F H Æ N T
by canccr. So thc kìds thìnk, `! just want to gct back \ bcìng thc 
orìgìnaÌ  mc.` Jhcy don`t want to  bc  `thc  sìck kìd'  anymorc.' 
Jhc gamc was makìng a gut-Icvcl cmotìonal conncctìon. You 
arc  Roxì,  thc  nanobot,  boldly  dclcatìng  canccr.  You |ucÌ your 
ray gun by takìng chcmothcrapy and antìbìotìcs.  Ncdicìnc mcans 
powcr. ^nd thc cducatìonal vìdcos that pop up occasìonaÌÌy, wìth 
thc  mcntor-robot  Ìccturìng you  about  thc  ìmportancc  ol com-
plìancc,  arc  compÌctcÌy ìrrcÌcvant  to  thc  changc  that`s  goìng  on. 
Jhc changc ìs not onc ol undcrstandìng but onc ol lccÌìng. !t`s rc-
alìzìng that Í cun drh::. Ím :n chur_c. Chcmo ìsn´t  a rcmìndcr ol 
thc  sìckncss,  ìt´s  how you  gct your lìlc back-how you  stcaÌ back 
thc  rcaÌ you  lrom canccr.  Jakc  thc  pìÌÌs,  and you  L stop  bcìng 
a canccr kìd lorcvcr. 
LLÎ M Î L
H0W LB0 Ý00 mBK0 Ü0V0l0g0f5 LBf0 Å00dI
Ih0 c00ºÜ50f1
blTUÆTlÖM At many so!tware companies, the deve|ope|s¬who are respon·
sib|e !o| wr|t|ng new so!Iware p|ograms¬!a|| |n |ove with thei| code. When the||
programs a|e tested by custome|s, they can be skeptica| o! the custome| !eed·
back. At M|croso!t, !or |nstance, one test o! a new !eatu|e showed that s|x out o!
ten use|s cou|dn't !igure out how to use |t. When the test |ab sha|æ the data with
the deve|opers, their |eact|on was, ¨Where'd you !|nd s|x dumb peop| e!¨ Many
compan|es experience a !o|m o! this prob|em. ls |t poss|b|e to convince deve|op·
ers to be mo|e responsive to customer !eedback!
WHÆT'b THb bWlTCH ÆMÖ WHÆ1'b HÖLÖlMÖ lT BÆCKT 0|t|mate|y,
companies need deve|ope|s to tweak their so!tware in response to !eedback !rom
customers, othenise, the programs won't be success!u|. But somet|mes deve|·
ope|s res|st o| dismiss customer !eedback and make on|y ¨token¨ rev|sions |ather
í Í ß d I h 6 í 6 6 Ì Í ß g I I I
than tq|ng to empath|ze with custome|s' d|!!icu|ties. T|s |s probab|y an E|ephant
prob|em¬the deve|opers understand what's be|ng asked o! them but resent
be|ng !orced to change their beaut|!u| code !or the dummies in the|r audience. But
|et's not be too qu|ck to treat deve|opers as a ¨type¨ (e.g., as arrogant techno|·
og|sts). Character ¡udgments | |ke that re!|ect a psycho|og|ca| bias that we ex·
p|ore |n Chapter ö.|et's !ocus on provid|ng deve|ope|s w|th more motivation and
a smoother path.
HÖW ÖÖ Wb NÆKb THb bWlTCHT
º Ü/l0Cl lO0 h/00l. T. Î0ÌßI I0 \ß6 06SIÍß8IÍ0ß. We shou|d pa|nt a p|cture
o! the g|oup g|o|y that w||| result !rom a success!u| product |aunch. The deve|·
opers w||| be so!tware heroes, and they'| | have a ||ne on their resumes that wi||
a|ways be impress|ve. |isten|ng care!u||y to the customer |s s|mp|y a way to ac·
ce|erate that g|o|y. ¿. b£fÍpI Iß6 £fÍIÍ£8Ì m0V6S. Are we being speci!|c enough
about what's needed !rom the deve|opers! lmagine that we te|| them that their
program's ¨ease o! use¨ |s rated as ¨poor'' What |n the wor|d can they do with
that! The|r Riders wì|| sp|n !or hours, tq|ng Io dec|de among dozens o! possib|e
improvements. lt's our responsib|| |ty to de!|ne the crit|ca| moves¬a|ong the |ines
o[ ¨We need to g|ve peop|e a qu|cker way to rotate these ob¡ects.¨
º NOl/vdl0 lO0 Ll0ÇOdDl. 1 . ÎÍß0 Iß6 Í66ÌÍßg. At M|croso!t, the deve|op·
ers were |nvited to v|sit the usab|| |ty test|ng |ab. There, !rom beh|nd a one·way
m|rro( they cou|d watch rea| users strugg||ng w|th the|r programs. lt made a| |
the di!!erence. Te test | ab manager says that when deve|opers see a user |ive,
"Twenty ideas ¡ust |mmed| ate|y come to mi nd. ||rst o! a||, you |mmediately em·
pathite w|th the person. The usua| nonsense answers¬¼e||, they can ¡ust |ook
iotbemaoua|iftbeydoo'tkoowbowtouseit,or'Nyideaisbril|iao(youjust
!ound s|x stup|d peop|e' . . . that k|nd o! stu!! ¡ust goes out the doo|'` ¿. Üf0W
ÿ0uf p60pÌ6. 0eve|opers may worry that, |! the|r code needs revis|ng, it re!|ects
negat|ve|y on the|r ab|| |t|es. (We'|| ta|k about more about this |n Chapter Ì, the
sect|on on the ¨!|xed m|ndset.¨) We shou|d stress that the test o! a great
I I ¿ m Ü T Î V Å T L T H L L L L F H Å N T
deve|ope| isn't the qua|ity o! his o| her !|rst·d|a!t code, |t's how we|| the devel·
ope| codes a|ound the |nevitab|e roadb|ocks. We shou|d make an eho|t to p|a|se
ingenious so|ut|ons to customers' prob|ems.
º òOdÇC lOC /dlO. 1 . buÍÌ0 ß80ÍIS. |s the custome| !eedback com|ng at the
most convenient time |n Ihe code deve|opment cyc|e! 0eve|ope|s have |out|nes
that work !or them. Can we make an e!lo|t to snap the use|·test|ng onto an ex·
|st|ng |out|ne, so we`re not comp|icating the Path! ¿.1W68K Iß6 6ßVÍl0ßm6ßI.
At many compan|es, programmers are given the best compute|s. Tis practice |s
g|eat !or p|oductivity but lousy !or custome| empathy. 0ne manager says that
eve|y t|me h|s deve|opers use machines a generat|on ahead o! thei| customers'
equ|pment, the so!tware they c|eate has usab|||ty p|ob|ems. Why! Because the
deve|ope|s have no |ntu|t|on about how s|ow|y the so!Iware |s running !or typ|·
ca| end users. So|ut|on. Require deve|oµe|s to program on the same machines
customers use. H|s |s another Path solution that has been pu|sued by M|c|oso!t.)
4.
Ñhcn pcoplc push !or changc and ìt docsn't  happcn,  thcy ohcn 
chalk  ìt  up  to  a  lack  ol undcrstandìng.  ^  mom  grouscs,  ¨Il my 
daughrcr just  undr:lood thar  hcr  drìvìng  habìts  arc  dangcrous, 
shc´d changc.¨ ^ scìcntìst says,  "Il wc could j ust gct Congrcss  to 
undcr:lund rhc dangcrs ol globæ warmìng, rhcy´d surcly rakc lcg-
ìslarìvc  actìon.¨ 
Bur whcn pcoplc laìl to changc,  ìt´s not usually bccausc ol an 
undcrstandìng problcm.  Smokcrs  undcrsrand that  cìgarcttcs  arc 
unhcalthy,  but  thcy don´t quìt. ^mcrìcan automakcrs  ìn  thc carly 
twcnty-hrst ccntury kncw rhcy wcrc  too  dcpcndcnt  on thc  salcs 
ol S\s  and rrucks  (and thus  on  low  oìl  prìccs),  but  thcy dìdn't 
ìnnovarc. 
^t  somc  lcvcl,  wc undcrsrand rhìs rcnsìon. Ñc  know thcrc's 
a dìhcrcncc bctwccn knowìng how ro acr  and  bcìng morìvatcd 
f Î h 0 I h 6 f 6 6 Î Î h g I I J
to act.  ßut whcn it comcs timc to changc thc bchavior oI othcr 
pcopÌc,  our hrst  instinct  is  to  tcach  thcm somcthing.  Smoking
isrea/ç unhea/th¡!Kurchemothera¸¡ medicineis rea/ç im¸or-
tant!We speak to thc Ridcr whcn wc shouId bc spcaking to thc 
LÌcphant. 
Jhis  rcalization-that wc  can  makc  an  impcccably rationaÌ 
casc Ior changc and pcoplc stiIÌ won't changc-is prctty Irustrat-
ing. Vhy did Robyn Vatcrs nccd to go through aÌÌ thc troubÌc oI 
staging dcmos Ior hcr coÌlcagucs at Jargct: Shouldn't thc Ìogic oI 
dcsign innovation havc bccn compcIling cnough on its own! 
Vhy  can't  wc  simpÌy  think  our  way  into  ncw  bchavior: 
Jhc answcr  is that, in somc cascs, wc  rcaÌly can`t  trust  our own 
thinking. 
J. 
^you watch, a strangcr waÌks into a room and sits down bchind 
a tabÌc.  Hc picks up  a piccc oI papcr and rcads aloud a gcncric-
sounding wcathcr rcport. "Jomorrow, wc'ÌI scc highs in thc uppcr 
8Os with an ovcrnight Ìow oI 53 ¢ e e . " Hc compÌctcs his "rcport" 
in about ºO scconds and walks  out oI thc room. 
Ncxt, you`rc askcd to gucss his IQ.
You'rc part oI a psychology cxpcrimcnt, and you ob]cct to thc 
absurdity oI thc rcqucst. Idontknouan¡thingaboutthatg¸ He
¸ustcameintoaroomandreadare¸ort.Ituasnte:enhis re¸ort~
¡ouga:eittehim toread!Houam Isu¸¸osedtoknouhisIQ!!
RcÌuctantly,  you makc a wiId gucss.  ScparatcIy,  Fakc Vcath-
crman is askcd to gucss his own I Q. Vho madc a bcttcr gucss: 
AmazingÌy,  you  did,  cvcn  though  you know nothing about 
Fakc Vcathcrman. Jwo psychoÌogists, Ictcr ßorkcnau and Ancttc 
LicbIcr,  Irom  Lnivcrsität  ßicÌcIcÌd  in  Gcrmany,  conductcd  this 
cxpcrimcnt.  and  thcy  Iound  that  thc  strangcrs`  lQ prcdictions 
! I 4 M U T l VÅ T L T H L L L L F h Å N T
wcrc  bcttcr  than  thc  prcdictions  oI thosc whosc  IQ was  bcing 
prcdictcd÷about 66 pcrccnt morc accuratc. 
Jo  bc cÌcar,  it`s  not  so  much that you'rc a briÌÌiant prcdictor, 
it's that hc's a Ìousy scÌI-cvaÌuator. Vc`rc aÌl Ìousy scÌl-cvaluators. 
CoÌlcgc  studcnts  do a  supcrior job  prcdicting  thc  longcvity ol 
thcir raammatcs´ romantic rcÌationships than thcir own. 
Savor, Ior a momcnt,  thc prcpostcrousncss oI thcsc hndings. 
Fakc Vcathcrman has alÌ thc inIormation, and you'vc got nonc. 
Hc`s got dccadcs oI data-ycars` worth oI gradcs, colÌcgc cntrancc 
CÜ scorcs, ]ob cvaIuations, and morc. Fakc Vcathcrman shouÌd 
bc thc worÌd's Iorcmost cxpcrt on  Fakc Vcathcrman! 
II sclI-cvaÌuation hingcd on inIormation aÌonc, thc hndings oI 
thcsc studics would havc bccn impossiblc. Ït`d bc Ìikc discovcring 
that you couÌd bcat randomÌy sclcctcd mothcrs on a trivia qucs-
tion  about how many kIds thcy havc. 
ßut  scÌI-cvaÌuation  invoÌvcs  inter¸retation, and  that's  whcrc 
thc LÌcphant intrudcs. Jhc LÌcphant tcnds to takc thc rosicst pos-
siblc intcrprctation  oI thc Iacts.  ("My 2. I GPA is a sign  oI my 
intcIÌigcncc-it shows that my intcÌÌcct simpÌy isn`t  bcing chaÌ-
Ìcngcd cnough to kccp mc cngagcd. ") 
Vc`vc  aÌÌ hcard thc studics showing that thc vast ma]ority oI 
us considcr ourscÌvcs abovc-avcragc drivcrs.  ln thc psychology Ìit-
craturc,  this  bcÌicI is known  as  a ¸ositi:eidusion. Cur brains  arc 
positivc iÌÌusion Iactorics:  CnÌy 2 pcrccnt oI high  schooÌ scniors 
bcÌicvc thcir Ìcadcrship skiÌIs arc bcÌow avcragc. A IulÌ 25 pcrccnt 
oI pcopÌc bcÌicvc thcy'rc in thc top  I pcrccnt in thcir abiÌity to gct 
aÌong with  othcrs.  Mincty-Iour pcrccnt oI coÌÌcgc proIcssors rc-
port doing abovc-avcragc work. IcopÌc think thcy`rc at lowcr risk 
than thcir pccrs Ior hcart attacks, canccr, and cvcn Iood-rcÌatcd ilÌ-
ncsscs  such as  saÌmoncÌla.  Most dcÌiciousÌy scÌI-dcccptivc oI a¡Ì, 
pcopÌc say thcy arc morc ÌikcÌy than thcir pccrs to providc accu-
ratc scÌI-asscssmcnts. 
r Î h 0 I h e r e e l Î h g I I b
Iositivc  iÌÌusions  posc an  cnormous  probÌcm with  rcgard  to 
changc. ßcIorc pcoplc can changc, bcIorc thcy can movc in a ncw 
dircction, thcy`vc got to havc thcir bcarings.  ßut positivc iÌÌusions 
makc it hard Ior us to oricnt ourscÌvcs÷to gct a cÌcar picturc oI 
whcrc wc are and how wc'rc doing.  How can wc dispcÌ pcoplc`s 
positivc iÌÌusions without raining down ncgativity on thcm: 
6.
Cnc way oI cutting through positivc iIÌusions is suggcstcd by an 
cxampÌc Irom Massachusctts in a statc agcncy caÌlcd thc Ocpart-
mcnt oI Youth Scrviccs.  OYS dcaÌt with dcÌinqucnt kids÷it was 
both a corrcctions agcncy and a sociaÌ  scrvicc organiztion. In thc 
Ìatc  I º7Os, Massachusctts Ìcd a pionccring chort to ovcrhauÌ  its 
juvcniÌc just.cc systcm, scaÌing back its youth  prisons  in Iavor oI 
a nctwork o| nonprohts÷haÌbay houscs,  group  homcs, outpa-
ticnt counscÌing ccntcrs, job ccntcrs, and morc. Jhc goaÌ oI thcsc 
nonprohts was to rchabiÌitatc young ohcndcrs and kccp thcm ìn 
thcir homc communitics. 
AMassachusctts cmbraccd this nctwork modcl, OYS had to 
changc subst.mtiaIÌy. Jhc agcncy startcd working primariÌy through 
vcndors÷such as haÌbay houscs  and counscÌing ccntcrs-rathcr 
than dclivcring scrviccs to kids dircctÌy. Aa rcsuIt, agcncy stahcrs 
had  to  adapt  thc  way  thcy workcd,  and  most  oI thcm  handlcd 
thc transition wclÌ. 
Exccpt Ior thc accounting dcpartmcnt. 
Jhc hcad oI accounting was  an authoritarian managcr who 
ruÌcd his dcpartmcnt with an iron hst. Hc was known as a ycÌÌcr, 
somc  coÌlcagucs  caÌÌcd  him  Attila  thc  Accountant.  AttiÌa  was 
mcticuÌous about IolÌowing thc ruÌcs,  to a Iault. ÏI you submittcd 
an cxpcnsc rcport to his tcam and lch oh a singÌc dctail÷a datc, 
a subtotaÌ-thc accountants wouÌd bouncc thc rcport right back 
I I b M U T l VÅ T L T H L L L L F H Å N T
at you rathcr than simpÌy hlÌing in thc dctaiÌ thcmscÌvcs. ßccausc 
oI  this  pcrccivcd  pcttincss,  Attila  was  "prctty  much  hatcd 
throughout thc  organization,"  rccalÌcd  Sim  Sitkin,  who  at  that 
timc was  thc  dircctor  oI pÌanning and rcscarch  Ior OYS.  AttiÌas 
accounting group saw itscÌI morc as a watchdog than as an intcr-
naÌ scrvicc providcr. 
Vhcn OYS shihcd to thc nctwork modcÌ, thc Iocus oI thc ac-
counting  dcpartmcnt  shihcd,  too.  Now  it was  outsidc  vcndors 
who wcrc submitting thc rcimburscmcnt rcqucsts, not cmployccs. 
And  wc  can  say  onc  thing  Ior  AttiÌa.  Hc  was  consistcnt.  Hc 
trcatcd  thc  ncw  vcndors  with  thc  samc  dictatoriaÌ  styÌc  that  hc 
had uscd with  his in-housc coÌÌcagucs.  lI vcndors  submittcd rc-
ports that wcrcn't pcrIcct, hc rc]cctcd thcm. Jhis crcatcd big prob-
Ìcms,  though. A Sitkin  said,  "Jhcsc  nonprohts didn`t havc  a Ìot 
oI sÌack. Jhcy wcrc Ìiving on a shocstring, and so delays  in pay-
mcnts rcalÌy ]copardizcd thcir abiÌity to  scrvc  kids." 
Sitkin  and GaiÌ Annc HcaÌy,  thc  dcputy  commissioncr  oI 
OYS, bcgan to hcld dcspcratc caÌÌs Irom thcsc nonprohts. ln somc 
cascs,  thcy  couldn`t  makc  payroÌÌ  unlcss AttiÌa cut  thcir  chccks 
quickÌy.  Sitkin and HcaÌy tricd to rcason with AttiÌa,  thcy tricd to 
cxpÌain why it was important to cut thc vcndors  somc  slack.  ßut, 
as wc'vc sccn rcpcatcdÌy, thc knowÌcdgc wasn't cnough to triggcr 
a changc. AttiÌa staycd AttiÌa. 
Frustratcd,  Sitkin  and HcaÌy askcd AttiÌa  to  join thcm  on a 
road trip. Jhc thrcc oI thcm drovc out to visit scvcraÌ oI OYS`s kcy 
scrvicc providcrs. Chcn, thcsc providcrs wcrc opcrating Irom oÌd 
houscs in run-down ncighborhoods. Jhcir omccs Ìookcd diÌapi-
datcd  and  chaotic.  And in thc  midst  ol this  cnvironmcnt,  thc 
stahcrs wcrc  carncstly  trying  to work smaÌÌ miracÌcs.  "Jhc  typi-
caÌ stahcr," said Sitkin, "was Ìikc a combination oI a bcat cop and 
a social workcr.  Somctimcs thcy struck you as pcopÌc who might 
havc oncc bccn in thc samc position as thc kids thcy wcrc trying 
í Î h 0 I h e f e e Î Î h g I I /
to rcach. Jhcy wcrc working hard and obvious|y not making a |ot
ol moncy. "
Ouring thc visits, Atti|a saw hrsthand how busy thç wcrc and
how distracting thc workp|acc was. Jhcy didn't havc c|oscd-door
omccs as hc did. It was noisy, thanks to thc kids who wcrc living
in thc homcs÷thcy wcrc constant|y coming and going, or cook-
ing mca|s, or ]ust hanging around and ta|king. Socia| workcrs
wcrc rushing around, trying to kccp tabs on thc kids, and shut-
t|ing thcm to doctors' omccs or ¡ob intcrvicws.
Atti|a saw and lc|t thc prccarious hnancia| situation ol thcsc
nonprohts. Jhcy wcrc hanging by a thrcad. Vcn hc hc|d up onc
ol thcir chccks, it mcant that thcy cou|dn't pay lor somcthing.
Jhcy might havc to dc|ay payro||, or skimp on lood, or postponc
a doctor's visit lor a kid who ncedcd it. For thc hrst timc, Atti|a
got a gut-chcck about thc harm hc was causing with his nitpick-
ing. Hc camc back to thc omcc a translormcd man.
Mind you, hc was sti|| Atti|a. Hc was sti|| authoritarian, and
hc sti|l yc||cd. ßut hc changcd what hc was yc||ing about. "ßclorc,
hc'd yc|l at his stah, `Vy did you givc mc this lorm whcn it's
got somcthing missing:!' " said Sitkin. "^crwards, hc switchcd
to, 'Oon't you rca|izc what happcns whcn wc don't gct this chcck
out on timc:' Pcop|c havc to makc payro||'' "
Atti|a's translormation rcprcscntcd a victory ovcr positivc i|-
lusions. ßclorc thc hc|d trip, il Atti|a had bccn askcd to asscss his
pcrlormancc as an accountant, hc a|most ccrtain|y wou|d havc
put himsc|l in thc top ! O pcrccnt. In his mind, accounting was
about paying attcntion to dctai|s, maintaining rigorous standards,
and rcsisting po|itica| prcssurc.
Hc wou|d havc bccn right to scorc himscll high|y on thosc
mcasurcs÷but a|so sc|l-scrving. Cnc rcason wc'rc ab|c to bc|icvc
that wc'rc bcttcr-than-avcragc |cadcrs and drivcrs and spouscs and
tcam p|aycrs is that wc'rc dchning thosc tcrms in ways that hattcr
! \ 8  M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
us. (amrea/çagoodteam¸l¡e·. Ícomtantçg:em¡ couorkers
us¸/tqsonhoutoim¸ro:ethemse/:es,Jhc ambiguity in tcrms
Ìikc "lcadcr" or "tcam pÌaycr" cnabÌcs our iÌÌusions÷that`s why it`s
so much hardcr lor us to lancy oursclvcs bcttcr-than-avcragc polc
vauÌtcrs.
Jhc ambiguity in bcing a "good accountant" dissolvcd whcn
AttiÌa mct thc sociaÌ scrvicc workcrs. Vhcn hc saw how hard thcy
wcrc working, and thc raucous conditions they wcrc working in,
hc couldn't hcÌp but cmpathizc with thcm, and that lccÌing ol
cmpathy gavc thc Ìic to his positivc iÌlusions. Ítheughtbeinga
goodaccountantuaaboutrigorbutnouÍseethatitsa/oaboutser-
:ice. Having bccn lorccd to cxpcricncc thc inadcquacy ol his oÌd
approach, hc bccamc a zcaÌot lor thc ncw onc. Ieam,¡oubetterget
those¸a¡checksoutZSZP-¸eo¸/eareuaitingon us!
Jhat may not bc a hcartwarming talc, but it`s a big switch.
AttiÌa thc Accountant was a hard casc. HcaÌy and Siikin managcd
to brcak through his prickly cxtcrior and makc him lccl somc-
thing. And oncc hc lcÌt somcthing, hc changcd. Jhat outcomc
shouÌd givc alÌ ol us hopc that wc can rcach thc AttiÌas in our
own lilc (AttiÌa thc Oad, AttiÌa thc ßoss, or AttiÌa thc Jccnagcr) .
7.  
It's cmotion that motivatcs thc LÌcphant. In hghting lor changc,
wc'vc got to hnd thc lccÌing. ßut uhichlccÌing: Angcr, hopc, dis-
may, cnthusiasm, lcar, happincss, surprisc:
HopcLab built a vidco gamc lor tccnagcrs with canccr that
gavc thcm a lccÌing ol controÌ and powcr. |on Stcgncr's GÌovc
Shrinc shockcd thc cxccs and gavc thcm a dctcrmina:ion to hx thc
mattcr. Jhc Microsoh usabiÌity Ìab madc dcvclopers lccÌ cmpa-
thy lor thcir customcrs. VilÌ connccting with any o|d lccÌing do:
Vc ohcn hcar that pcopÌc changc only whcn a crisis compcÌs
f Ì h 0 I h 6 f 6 6 l Î h g I I J
thcm to, which impÌics that wc  nccd to crcatc a scnsc oI Icar or 
anxicty or doom. Jwo  proIcssors  at  Harvard  ßusincss School, 
writing about organizationaÌ changc, say that changc is hard bc-
causc pcopÌc arc rcIuctant to altcr habits that havc bccn succcss-
mÌ  in thc  past.  "In  thc  abscncc  oI a dirc  thrcat,  cmpÌoyccs  wiÌÌ 
kccp doing vhat thcy`vc aIways donc." ^a rcsuÌt, thc proIcssors 
cmphasizc  thc  importancc  oI crisis:  ¨Jurnaround  Ìcadcrs  must 
convincc pcopÌc that thc organization is truIy on its dcathbcd÷
or,  at thc vcry Icast,  that radicaÌ changcs arc  rcquircd  iI thc orga-
nization is to survivc and thrivc." In othcr words, iI ncccssary, wc 
nccd  to  createa  crisis  to  convincc  pcopÌc thcy`rc  Iacing  a catas-
trophc and havc no choicc but to movc. 
SimiÌar bclicIs about thc importancc oI crisis oncc prcva¡lcd 
among thcrapists, most oI whom bcÌicvcd that aIcohoÌics or drug 
addicts  couÌdn`t bc hcÌpcd  untiÌ  thcy  hit  rock  bottom.  ßack in 
thc  Iº8Os,  at  a  proIcssionaÌ  conIcrcncc,  thc  thcrapist  Ruth 
MaxwcÌÌ gavc  a prcscntation suggcsting to  IcÌÌow thcrapists that 
thc  now-IamiIiar  tcchniquc  oI IamiÌy  "intcrvcntion"  couÌd  bc 
uscd\o con»\ncc add\c\s \o cn\cr a\rca\mcn\ptogtam  cvcn  \\
thcy  hadn't  yct  hit  rock  bottom.  In  hcr  book  Breakthrough,
MaxwcÌÌ wrotc shc was  "ncarIy boocd out oI thc room . . . .   Com-
ing  Irom  backgrounds  dccply stccpcd  in traditionaÌ  psychiatric 
wisdom, thcy hrmly bcÌicvc that pcoplc cannot bc trcatcd unÌcss 
thcy arc  motivatcd  Ior trcatmcnt." And  bcing  ¨motivatcd"  rc-
quircd a rock-bottom crisis. 
Spcaking oI thc  pcrccivcd nccd Ior  crisis, Ìct's taÌk about  thc 
¨burning pÌatIorm," a Iamiliar phrasc in thc organizational changc 
Ìitcraturc.  It rcIcrs to  a horrihc  accidcnt  that happcncd  in  Iº88 
on thc Iipcr Alpha oil pÌatIorm in thc Morth Sca. A gas Ìcak trig-
gcrcd an cxpÌosion that rippcd thc rig in two. Aa rcportcr wrotc, 
¨Jhosc who  survivcd  had  a nightmarish  choicc:  to ]ump  as  Iar 
as  I 5O  h.  down  into  a  hcry  sca  or  Iacc  ccrtain  dcath  on  thc 
I ¿0 M U T î VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
disintcgrating rig." Andy Mochan,  a supcrintcndcnt on  thc  rig, 
said,  "It was Iry or ]ump, so l j umpcd." Hc wæ cvcntuaIIy savcd 
by a rcscuc mission invoIving ÞAJC and thc RoyaI Air Forcc. 
Cut  oI this  human  tragcdy has  cmcrgcd  a rathcr  ridicuIous 
busincss cIichc. Vhcn cxccutivcs talk about thc nccd Ior a "burn-
ing pIatIorm, " thcy mcan,  basicaIly, that thcy nccd a way to scarc 
thcir  cmpIoyccs  into  changing. Jo  crcatc  a burning  pIatIorm  is 
to paint such a gIoomy picturc oI thc currcnt statc oI things that 
cmployccs can`t hcIp  but jump  into thc hcry sca.  (And by "jump 
into thc hcry sca," what wc mcan  is that thcy changc thcir  orga-
nizationaI practiccs.  V!ich  suggcsts  that  this  usc  oI "burning 
pIatIorm" might wcII bc thc dictionary dchnition oI h¡¸er/o/e. )
ln short, thc  "burning platIorm"  is a grcat,  upIihing talc Ior 
your  pcopIc.  "Jcam,  Ict`s  choosc  a dangcrous  pIungc  into  thc 
occan ovcr gctting burncd to dcathl Now gct back to work!" 
Lcaving asidc thc siIlincss oI thc burning-pIatIorm mctaphor, 
Icar can  indccd  bc a powcrml motivator. Jhink oI Iß|`s Iamous 
"Oaisy"  campaign  ad  in  ! º64, in  which  a young  girI  hoIds  a 
howcr whiIc a mushroom cIoud riscs bchind hcr. !I you votc Ior 
GoIdwatcr, thc ad suggcstcd, you might as wcIl nukc your chiId. 
Cr considcr thc slcazy rcaI-cstatc-saIcs boss in Chngar
ç
C/enRoss,
Oavid  Mamct`s  IuIitzcr  Prizc~winning  pIay.  "First  prizc  is  a 
CadiIIac LIdorado  . . . .   Sccond pricc is a sct oI stcak knivcs. Jhird 
prizc is you`rc hrcd." 
HcaIth cducators, too, havc gottcn in on thc act.  Rcmcmbcr 
thc ads showing photos oI smokcrs'  bIack, gnarlcd Iungs,  or thc 
Iamous "Jhis is  your  brain on  drugs"  commcrciaI, which analo-
gizcd  drug  uscrs`  brains  to  Irying cggs  (thosc  visuaIs,  in  turn, 
madc pot smokcrs vcry hungry). 
Jhcrc's  no  qucstion  that ncgativc cmotions arc motivating. 
Mo  onc wants  to  scc  a kid  nukcd.  ßut  what,  cxactIy,  arc  thcsc 
cmotions  motivating: 
Î Î h 0 I h 6 Î 6 6 Î Î h § I Ì I
"II you havc  a stonc i n your shoc, i t hurts  and you'lÌ hx thc 
probÌcm," said Martin Scligman,  a psychoÌogist at thc Lnivcrsity 
oI IcnnsyÌvania.  In a  scnsc,  rcmoving thc  stonc  Irom your shoc 
is what ncgativc cmotions arc  dcsigncd  to do to  motivatc spc-
cihc actions. Vhcn you'rc angry, your cycs narrow and your hsts 
clinch and you gct rcady Ior a conIrontation. Vhcn you'rc  dis-
gustcd, your nosc wrinkÌcs  and you  avoid whatcvcr has  grosscd 
yOtl out. Vhcn you`rc aIraid, your cycs grow widc and your body 
tcnscs up  and prcparcs to hcc.  Cn  a daiÌy basis,  thcn,  ncgativc 
cmotions hcÌp us avoid risks  and conIront probÌcms. 
ßottom Ì|nc. II you nccd quick and spccihc action, thcn ncg-
ativc cmotions might hcÌp. ßut most oI thc timc whcn changc is 
nccdcd, it's not a stonc-in-thc-shoc situation. Jhc qucst to rcducc 
grccnhousc gascs is not a stonc-in-thc-shoc situation, and ncithcr 
is Jargct`s mìssion to bccomc thc "upscaÌc rctaiÌcr," or somconc's 
dcsirc  to  improvc  his  or hcr  marriagc.  Jhcsc  situations  rcquirc 
crcativity and  hcxibiÌity  and  ingcnuity.  And,  unIortunatcÌy,  a 
burning pÌatlorm won't gct you that. 
So what wiÌl! 
8. 
In  Iºº8, æcr psychoÌogists had spcnt dccadcs studying ncgativc 
cmotions, thc psychologist ßarbara Frcdrickson wrotc a provoca-
tivc papcr calÌcd "Vhat Good Arc Iositivc Lmotions:" Jhc papcr 
bccamc  a  classic.  It  cvcntuaÌÌy  would  bc  citcd  ovcr  a  hundrcd 
timcs morc ohcn than a typicaÌ psychoÌogy papcr, and it hcÌpcd 
to mcl thc risc oI thc disciplinc oI positivc psychoÌogy,  which has 
yicÌdcd many popuÌar books on happincss ovcr thc past Icw ycars. 
A Frcdrickson  suggcstcd  in  hcr  titlc,  positivc  cmotions  arc 
a  bit  oI a  puzzÌc.  Lnlikc  ncgativc  cmotions,  thcy don't  sccm 
cnginccrcd  to  producc  particuÌar actions, such as  punching or 
I ¿¿ M U T î VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
hccing or avoiding. Jhcy don't cvcn havc thcir own signaturc la-
cia| cxprcssions. In lact, thc cmotions ol ]oy, contcntmcnt, pridc,
|ovc, and intcrcst a|l tcnd to producc thc samc gcncric ``l`m
plcascd" cxprcssion, which is known as thc DuchennesmiL(|ips
curlcd up at thc corncrs a|ong with a crink|ing in thc musclcs
around thc cycs÷or thc way your spousc looks whcn you ask,
"Havc you |ost wcight:"). Most ol our positivc cmotions arc mn-
nclcd through this samc Ouchcnnc mask, |ikc a symphony
pumpcd through a tuba. Vorsc, wc can't cvcn distinguish rcadi|y
bctwccn a gcnuinc Ouchcnnc smi|c and a lakc Ouchcnnc smi|c,
as gcncrations ol bcauty pagcant winncrs havc i||ustratcd. (Hint·
A gcnuinc Ouchcnnc has thc cyc-crinkling that is hard to lakc.)
Mcgativc cmotions tcnd to havc a "narrowing cUcct" on our
thoughts. ll your body is tcnsing up as you wa|k through a dark
a||cy, your mind isn't |ikc|y to wandcr ovcr to tomorrow`s to-do
|ists. Fcar and angcr and disgust givc us sharp locus÷which is
thc samc thing as putting on b|indcrs. Po|icc dctcctivcs, lor in-
stancc, lrcqucnt|y arc lrustratcd by thc tcstimony ol gun-crimc
victims, who ohcn can providc a rich dcscription ol thc gun hc|d
by thc pcrpctrator but can`t rcca|l whcthcr thc pcrpctrator had a
bcard.
Frcdrickson argucs that, in contrast with thc narrowing cl-
lccts ol thc ncgativc cmotions, positivc cmotions arc dcsigncd to
"/roadnand /uiH"our rcpcrtoirc ol thoughts and actions. |oy,
lor cxamp|c, makcs us want to p|ay. I|ay docsn`t havc a script, it
/roadnsthc kinds ol things wc considcr doing. Vc bccomc wi||-
ing to loo| around, to cxp|orc or invcnt ncw activitics. And bc-
causc ]oy cncouragcs us to p|ay, wc arc /uiHingrcsourccs and
ski||s. For instancc, kids |carn physica| skil|s through rough-and-
tumb|c p|ay, thcy |car to work with objccts by p|aying with toys
and b|ocks and crayons, thcy |carn to gct along with othcrs by
prctcnding to bc anima|s or supcrhcrocs.
f Î n 0 I h 6 f 6 6 Î Î h g ! 2J
Jhc positìvc cmotion ol intcrcst broadcns what wc want to in-
vcstigatc. Vhcn wc'rc intcrcstcd, wc want to gct invoÌvcd, to Ìcarn 
ncw things, to tackÌc ncw cxpcricnccs. Vc  bccomc morc opcn to 
ncw idcas.  Jhc positivc cmotion ol pridc, cxpcricnccd whcn wc 
achicvc a pcrsonal  goal,  broadcns thc  kinds  ol tasks wc contcm-
pÌatc lor thc  mturc, cncouraging us to  pursuc cvcn biggcr goaÌs. 
Most ol thc big probÌcms wc cncountcr in organiztions or so-
cicty arc ambiguous and cvoÌving. Jhcy don't Ìook Ìikc burning-
pÌatlorm  situations, whcrc wc  nccd pcopÌc to  buckÌc down and 
cxccutc  a hard but wclÌ-undcrstood gamc pÌan. Jo  soÌvc biggcr, 
morc  ambiguous  probÌcms,  wc  nccd  to  cncouragc  opcn  minds, 
crcativity,  and hopc. 
Jhis  brings  us  back to  Robyn Vatcrs, who was a mastcr ol 
positivc cmotions. Shc didn't try to  crcatc  a burning pÌatlorm. 
"VaÌ-Mart is cating our Ìunchl Jargct is on its dcathbcd|  Comc 
with mc into thc hcry scasl" Instcad, shc lound a way to  cngagc 
thc  lrcsh  thinking and cnthusiasm ol hcr  coÌÌcagucs.  whatque
hadcokrsthat ¡o¸¸ed"/iketheseiMacs?ZndkokatthisParis/ou-
nquesdis¸/¸uhatq uecouHarrangeoursueaters/ikethat?
Vatcrs hclpcd shih an  cntrcnchcd cuÌturc, product by prod-
uct, bccausc shc lound a way to instiÌÌ hopc and optimism and cx-
citcmcnt in hcr  coworkcrs.  Shc  lound thc lccÌing. 
b
bhIIDk IhE LhðDgE
!.  
Ìn 200/, two rcscarchcrs, ^lìa Lrum and LlÌcn !angcr,  publìshcd 
a study ol hotcl maìds and  thcìr cxcrcìsc habìts. Jhc topìc oI thc 
study may  sound  unrcmarkablc,  but  thc  rcsults wcrc so surprìs-
ìng that you mìght hnd thcm hard to  bclìcvc.  (Ìn lact, wc´ll arguc 
that  thc  rcscarchcrs thcmsclvcs  camc  to  thc wrong conclusìon ìn 
cxplaìnìng thcìr hndìngs.) 
!ct`s start at thc bcgìnnìng, wìth thc maìds. 
Jhc  avcragc  hotcl  maìd  clcans hhccn rooms  a day,  and cach 
room  takcs  20  to  30  mìnutcs  to  complctc. Jakc  a  momcnt  and 
ìmagìnc  an  hour  ìn  thc  lìlc  ol onc  ol thcsc  maìds.  II you  last-
lorward  through  your  braìnhlm,  you´ll  scc  thc  maìds  walkìng, 
bcndìng, pushìng, lìhìng, carryìng, scrubbìng, and dustìng. Ñhat 
thcy´rc  doìng,  ìn short,  ìs  cxcrcìsìng.  ^  lot.  In  lact,  thcy arc  dra-
matìcally cxcccdìng thc  daìly  doscs  ol cxcrcìsc  rccommcndcd by 
cvcn  thc  most  cxcrcìsc-conscìous  Surgcon  Ccncral. 
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   J Zb
ßut thc maids don't sccm to rccognizc what thcy'rc doing as
cxcrcisc. ^t thc bcginning oI thc study, 67 pcrccnt oI thc maids
rcportcd to Crum and Langcr that thcy didn't cxcrcisc rcguIarIy.
Morc than a third said thcy didn't gct any cxcrcisc at aII. Huh: It's
Iikc a third o| taIk-show hosts compIaining that thcy ncvcr gct to
mcct anyonc ncw.
Jhcn again, what is "cxcrcisc¨: II wc acccpt thc cuIturaI dcb-
nition oI cxcrcisc as somcthing wc do on a trcadmiII in a htncss
cIub, whiIc surroundcd by spandcxcd womcn and pcrspiring
mcn, thcn thc maids wcrc corrcct. ßut our bodics don't makc
styIc distinctions÷a caIoric burncd is a caIoric burncd.
Jhc rcscarchcrs wcrc curious about what wouId happcn iI thc
maids wcrc toId, to thcir surprisc, that thcy wcrc cxcrcisc supcr-
stars. Cnc group oI maids got thc good ncws. Jhcy rcccivcd a
documcnt dcscribing thc bcncbts oI cxcrcisc, and thcy wcrc toId
that thcir daiIy work was sumcicnt to gct thosc bcncbts. Lxcrcisc
docsn't havc to bc hard or painIuI, thcy wcrc inIormcd÷and it
ccrtainIy docsn't havc to bc in a gym. It simpIy rcquircs you to
movc your muscIcs in a way that burns caIorics. Jhc maids in
this group wcrc givcn cstimatcs oI thc amount oI caIorics thcy
burncd doing various activitics. 40 caIorics Ior changing Iincns
Ior I 5 minutcs, I 00 caIorics Ior a haII hour oI vacuuming, and so
on. Mcanwhuc, maids in anothcr group rcccivcd thc samc inIor-
mation about thc bcncbts oI cxcrcisc, but thcy wcrcn't toId that
thcir own work was a good Iorm oI cxcrcisc (nor did thcy gct thc
caIoric-burning stats) .
Iour wccks Iatcr, thc rcscarchcrs chcckcd in again with thc
maids and Iound somcthing incrcdibIc. Jhc maids who'd bccn
toId that thcy wcrc good cxcrciscrs had Iost an avcragc oI I . 8
pounds. Jhat`s aImost a haII pound a wcck, which is a prctty sub-
stantiaI ratc oI Ioss. Jhc othcr maids hadn't Iost any wcight.
Crum and Langcr invcstigatcd possibIc cxpIanations. Jhc
! ¿b  M U T l VÅ T L   T h L   L L L F h Å N T  
wcight Ioss wasn't simpIy a statisticaI huctuation. Jhcrc wcrc too
many maids Ior a hukc cxpIanation oI that kind, and mrthcr-
morc, thc maids who Iost wcight had a corrcsponding drop in
body Iat. Mor had thc maids caught thc "cxcrcisc bug¨÷thcy
wcrcn't cxcrcising any morc outsidc oI work than thcy had
bcIorc.
Jhc rcscarchcrs a!so ruIcd out a bunch oI othcr possibiIitics.
Jhc maids wcrcn't working any morc hours. Jhcy hadn't changcd
thcir consumption oI aIcohoI, cahcinc, or tobacco. Jhcir dictary
habits hadn't changcd in any mcaningIuI way÷thcy wcrcn't cat-
ing morc vcgctabIcs or consuming Icwcr sugary Ioods. ßut stiII
thcy wcrc Iosing wcight.
Vhat was making thcm sIim down:
2.
^ IocaI car wash ran a promotion Icaturing IoyaIty cards. Lvcry
timc customcrs bought a car wash, thcy got a stamp on thcir
cards, and whcn thcy bIIcd up thcir cards with cight stamps, thcy
got a Ircc wash.
^nothcr sct oI customcrs at thc samc car wash got a sIightIy
dihcrcnt IoyaIty card. Jhcy nccdcd to coIIcct tcn stamps (rathcr
than cight) to gct a Ircc car wash÷but thcy wcrc givcn a "hcad
start. ¨ Vhcn thcy rcccivcd thcir cards, two stamps had aIrcady
bccn addcd.
Jhc "goaI¨ was thc samc Ior both scts oI customcrs. ßuy cight
additionaI car washcs, gct a rcward. ßut thc psychoIogy was diI-
Icrcnt: In onc casc, you'rc 20 pcrccnt oI thc way toward a goaI,
and in thc othcr casc, you'rc starting Irom scratch. ^ Icw months
Iatcr, onIy I º pcrccnt oI thc cight-stamp customcrs had carncd a
Ircc wash, vcrsus 54 pcrccnt oI thc hcad-start group. (^nd thc
hcad-start group carncd thc Ircc wash Iastcr.)
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! ¿7 
IcopIc hnd it morc motivating to bc partIy hnishcd with a
Iongcr journcy than to bc at thc starting gatc oI a shortcr onc.
Jhat`s why thc convcntionaI wisdom in dcvcIopmcnt circIcs is
that you don`t pubIicIy announcc a Iund-raising campaign Ior a
charity untiI you`vc aIrcady got 50 pcrccnt oI thc moncy in thc
bag. (Acr aII, who wants to givc thc brst $I 00 to a $I miIIion
mnd-raising campaign:)
Cnc way to motivatc action, thcn, is to makc pcopIc IccI as
though thcy`rc aIrcady cIoscr to thc bnish Iinc than thcy might
havc thought.
J.
Jhc rcscarchcrs Crum and Langcr chaIkcd up thc maids` wcight
Ioss to a pIaccbo cIIcct. In othcr words, thcy concIudcd that
awarcncss oI thc cxcrcisc vaIuc oI thcir activitics triggcrcd thc
wcight Ioss, indcpcndcnt oI any physicaI changcs in thc maids` bc-
havior.
Jhc pIaccbo chcct is onc oI thc most rcIiabIc phcnomcna in
modcrn mcdicinc, so at brst gIancc, this cxpIanation sccms rca-
sonabIc. Vc`vc aII got Iricnds who swcar by thc hcaIing powcrs oI
qucstionabIc rcmcdics÷stinkwccd suppIcmcnts or goat horn cx-
tract. Maybc thc maids got a simiIar mcntaI boost Irom thcir ncw
knowIcdgc.
ßut noticc what pIaccbo-chcct situations havc in common:
Jhcy appIy to conditions that arc scII-rcportcd. ¥ou takc a pain
piII, and thc doctor asks you ahcrward, "How much pain do you
IccI now:¨ ¥ou takc an antidcprcssant, and six wccks Iatcr, thc
thcrapist asks, "How do you IccI:¨ So it`s undcrstandabIc (though
stiII IundamcntaIIy wcird) that thc paticnts who gct pIaccbos,
rathcr than ^dviI or Irozac, might rcport IccIing a bit bcttcr.
ßut this isn't onc oI thosc situations. Mo onc was asking thcsc
¡ 2B  M U T l VÅ T L   T h L   L L L F h Å N T  
maids how thcy IcIt or whcthcr thcy pcrccivcd thcmscIvcs to bc
hcaIthicr. Jhc maids simpIy stcppcd onto a scaIc, and thc scaIc rc-
portcd a Iowcr wcight. ScaIcs arcn't subjcct to pIaccbo chccts.
CK, but iI you'vc suddcnIy discovcrcd that you'rc a good cx-
crciscr, might not that triggcr somc kind oI mind-body cIIcct:
CouIdn't it kick your mctaboIism into ovcrdrivc or somcthing: It's
not impossibIc, wc supposc, but Ict's bc honcst: II thc powcr oI
thinking couId indccd makc you skinnicr, that would bc a scicn-
tibc rcvcIation on par with coId msion (as wcII as a biIIion-doIIar
scII-hcIp book÷Jh:nk 1uur:cg Jh:n) .
Vhat's much morc IikcIy is that wc'rc sccing a rchcction oI
thc car wash study. Jhc maids wcrc givcn a stamp card with two
stamps on it. In othcr words, thcy wcrc astonishcd to discovcr
that, contrary to thcir own scII-asscssmcnt, thcy wcrc cxcrc::cr:.
Jhcy wcrc 20 pcrccnt oI thc way to thc dcstination, not 0 pcr-
ccnt. ^nd that was a trcmcndousIy motivating rcaIizttion. Jm no!
u :Ío!bJm un ±crc::crÍ
Jhink about how you'd IccI in thcir shocs. Vhat iI a scicntist
camc to you and said that, unbcknownst to you, your whitc-coIIar
job is an acrobic wondcrIand: Vith cvcry cIick oI thc mousc, you
burn 8 caIorics| Lvcry timc you chcck Iantasy-bascbaII stats, you
run a miIc| VouIdn't you IccI a rush oI satisIaction: Í¿ Íook hou
_ood Jm do:n_Í
^nd hcrc's thc main thing÷it aImost ccrtainIy wouId changc
thc way you bchavc Irom that momcnt Iorward. Cncc you rcaI-
izcd that cxcrcisc couId comc Irom IittIc things, maybc you'd bc
on thc Iookout Ior ways to gct a smidgcn morc activc.
SimiIarIy, thc maids, gctting a joIt oI cnthusiasm Irom thc
good ncws, might havc startcd scrubbing thc showcrs a IittIc
morc cncrgcticaIIy than prcviousIy. Maybc thcy startcd making
muItipIc trips back to thcir carts as thcy changcd Iìncns, just to
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! ¿J 
add a bit morc waIking. Maybc thcy took thc stairs to Iunch
rathcr than thc cIcvator. ^nd thcy cxcrtcd that cxtra cIIort bc-
causc somconc put two stamps on thcir cxcrcisc cards. SuddcnIy,
thcy Iound thcmscIvcs cIoscr to thc goaI Iinc than thcy cvcr
imagincd.
Jhat scnsc oI progrcss is criticaI, bccausc thc LIcphant in us
is casiIy dcmoraIizcd. It's casiIy spookcd, casiIy dcraiIcd, and Ior
that rcason, it nccds rcassurancc, cvcn Ior thc vcry hrst stcp oI
thc journcy.
II you'rc lcading a changc cIIort, you bcttcr start Iooking Ior
thosc hrst two stamps to put on your tcam's cards. Rathcr than
Iocusing soIcIy on what's ncw and diIIcrcnt about thc changc to
comc, makc an chort to rcmind pcopIc what's aIrcady bccn con-
qucrcd. "Jcam, I know thc rcporting structurc Iooks dihcrcnt,
but rcmcmbcr that wc aIrcady had somc practicc working in
thcsc groups on thc RayCom account.¨ "Honcy, Iosing Iorty
pounds isn't going to bc casy, but you'vc aIrcady givcn up soda,
and I bct that aIonc wiII knock oII bvc pounds bcIorc thc cnd oI
thc ycar. ¨
^ busincss cIichc commands us to "raisc thc bar. ¨ ßut that's
cxactIy thc wrong instinct iI you want to motivatc a rcIuctant LIc-
phant. ¥ou nccd to Iowcr thc bar. Iicturc taking a high-jump bar
and Iowcring it so Iar that it can bc stcppcd ovcr.
II you want a rcIuctant LIcphant to gct moving, you nccd to
:hr:nk !hc chun_c.
4. 
II you'rc Iikc us, you Iovc a cIcan housc but drcad housccIcaning.
^nd your drcad mounts, bccausc with cach hour, cach day, that
passcs bctwccn cpisodcs oI cIcaning, thc piIcs oI papcr in thc oI-
! J0  M U T l VÅ T L   T h L   L L L F h Å N T  
hcc grow taIIcr, thc Ioads oI Iaundry piIc up, and thc dust on thc
sidcboards accumuIatcs. A thc probIcm gcts worsc. so docs thc
drcad, which dctcrs housccIcaning, which Icads to a dirticr housc,
which . . . Vicious cycIc, anyonc:
ßut what is it, cxactIy, that wc drcad: Jhink about it: Oocs
picking up an undcrshirt oh thc hoor and tossing it in thc ham-
pcr inspirc drcud: Mopc. Mor docs rinsing out a gIass and putting
it in thc dishwashcr, or putting a singIc IoIdcr in thc bIing cabi-
nct, or spraying gIass cIcancr on thc bathroom mirror. So why
docs drcad cmcrgc Irom a combination oI individuaI actions that
sccm prctty drcad-Ircc: IartIy it's bccausc wc Icar that, in ordcr to
"cIcan housc¨ propcrIy, our work must (by dcbnition) cnd with
a housc that's cIcan. And whcn wc cnvision our way to that cnd
statc, picturing aII that wc wiII havc to conqucr to gct thcrc-thc
cIoscts and dishcs and carpcts and toiIcts and hoors-wc simpIy
can't bcar opcning that door. It IccIs Iikc too much.
¥ct wc don't drcad saving Ior rctircmcnt on thc grounds that
wc'vc got to accompIish it in onc mongo-dcposit. Vc undcrstand
that rctircmcnt savings accumuIatc onc IittIc bit at a timc. ßy thc
samc Iogic, wouIdn't it bc casicr just to makc thc housc ckuncr
rathcr than cÍcun: Can wc Ircc ourscIvcs Irom drcad by scaIing
down thc mission:
Jhat's thc insight bchind a cIcvcr scII-hcIp tcchniquc caIIcd
thc "5-Minutc Room Rcscuc," proposcd by MarIa CiIIcy, a homc-
organizing guru who caIIs hcrscII thc IIy Lady (think oI zooming
through your housccIcaning with wings) . Hcrc's what you do:
Gct a kitchcn timcr and sct it Ior 5 minutcs. Jhcn go to thc worst
room in your housc÷thc onc you'd ncvcr Ict a guest scc÷and,
as thc timcr ticks down, start cIcaring a path, and whcn thc timcr
buzzcs, you can stop with a cIcar conscicncc. Oocsn't sound so
bad, docs it:
Jhis is an LIcphant trick. Jhc LIcphant hatcs doing things
b h f Ì B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! J!
with no immcdiatc payoh. (II you'vc cvcr sccn somconc strain to
puII a muIc in a dircction it didn't want to go, you'vc got thc right
mcntaI imagc.) Jo gct thc LIcphant oh its duh you nccd to rc-
assurc it that thc task won't bc so bad. 1cck, :!: ju:! 3 m:nu!c:.
1cu hud cun :! hc´
Vhat good is a 5-minutc scssion oI cIcaning: Mot much. It
gcts you moving, though, and that's thc hardcst part. Starting an
unpIcasant task is aIways worsc than continuing it. So oncc you
start cIcaning housc, chanccs arc you won't stop at 5 minutcs.
¥ou'II bc surpriscd at how Iast things turn around. ¥ou'II start to
takc pridc in your accompIishmcnts÷starting with thc cIcan
sink, thcn thc cIcan bathroom, thcn thc cIcan downstairs arca÷
and that pridc and conbdcncc wiII buiId on itscII. ^ virtuous cir-
cIc. ßut you couIdn't havc cnjoycd thc virtuous circIc without
brst shrinking thc changc.
b.
Stcvcn Iarrar, a storc owncr on cßay, and his wiIc ^manda, a
pharmacist, had gottcn thcmscIvcs into a hnanciaI pickIc. "It aII
startcd ahcr wc graduatcd, Ioadcd with $60,000 in studcnt-Ioan
dcbt, wc did what was normaI. Vc bought a housc, two ncw cars,
and took on an additionaI $55,000 in crcdit card dcbt. Vc just
didn't bothcr÷wc wcrcn't trying to kccp up with anyonc or buy
a Iot oI misccIIancous stuII ovcr timc÷wc just IaiIcd to carc. ¨
LvcntuaIIy, panic sct in. Jhc Iarrars rcaIizcd thcy wcrc onc acci-
dcnt or onc job Ioss away Irom bankruptcy. Jhcy kncw thcy
nccdcd hcIp, so thcy turncd to thc work oI pcrsonaI bnancc guru
Oavc Rmscy.
Ramscy, in his youth, had a transIormativc cxpcricncc. ^t agc
26, hc and his wiIc owncd rcaI cstatc that was worth ovcr $4 miI-
Iion, but thcn, abruptIy, thcir wcaIth unravcIcd. In his book Jhc
! d¿ Ñ Û 1 Î VP1 Ë 1 Ñ Ë Ë L Ë F Ñ P N 1
ÏluÍ ÀonQ Àukcoucr Ramscy says, "Vc wcnt through hnanciaI
hcII and Iost cvcrything ovcr a thrcc-ycar pcriod oI timc. Vc wcrc
sucd, IorccIoscd on, and bnaIIy, with a brand-ncw baby and a
toddIcr, wc wcrc bankrupt. òcurcd docsn't bcgin to covcr it.
Cru:hcd comcs cIosc, but wc hcId on to cach othcr and dccidcd
wc nccdcd a changc. ¨
Ramscy cmcrgcd Irom this hnanciaI ncar-dcath cxpcricncc
with a dctcrmination to hcIp othcrs avoid thc mistakcs hc had
madc. In his books and on his radio show, hc providcs bnanciaI
advicc to individuaIs and IamiIics who arc struggIing, and most
ohcn, thcir numbcr-onc probIcm is too much dcbt.
Cnc oI Ramscy's bcst-known and most controvcrsiaI dcbt-
hghting tcchniqucs is thc "Ocbt SnowbaII.¨ Vhcn thc Iarrars
Iound thcmscIvcs with ovcr $ I 00,000 in dcbt (not incIuding
thcir mortgagc) , thcy startcd working on thc Ocbt SnowbaII.
Jhc hrst stcp was to Iist aII thcir dcbts÷cvcrything Irom crcdit
cards to ovcrduc cIcctric biIIs to studcnt Ioans÷and thcn arrangc
thcm in ordcr Irom smaIIcst to Iargcst. Mcxt, thcir instructions
wcrc to makc onIy thc minimum paymcnts on cvcry dcbt, with
onc cxccption. ^Itcr thc minimum paymcnts wcrc madc, cvcry
avaiIabIc doIIar wouId bc put toward thc hrst dcbt on thc Iist. ßc-
causc thc brst dcbt was thc smaIIcst onc, it couId bc paid oh rcI-
ativcIy quickIy, and thc Iarrars couId cross it oh thc Iist and thcn
dircct cvcry avaiIabIc doIIar to paying oh thc sccond dcbt, thcn
thc third, thcn thc Iourth. A thcy crosscd oh cach dcbt, thcy
wcrc abIc to cIiminatc a minimum paymcnt, which gavc thcm
morc cash to attack thc ncxt dcbt. Jhat's why thc stratcgy is
caIIcd 3  Ocbt SnowbaII. Vith cach dcbt that is conqucrcd, thc
"snowbaII¨ oI moncy appIicd to thc ncxt dcbt grows and roIIs a
IittIc Iastcr.
Moticc what's missing hcrc. any mcntion oI intcrcst ratcs. II
thc Iarrars' smaIIcst dcbt was a past-duc utiIity biII, with no in-
å h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! JJ
tcrcst chargcs whatsocvcr, Ramscy stiII adviscd thcm to pay it oh
bcIorc tackIing any oI thcir crcdit card biIIs, which might havc in-
tcrcst ratcs oI 20 pcrccnt or abovc.
Jhis advicc makcs thc avcragc bnanciaI adviscr cringc. Acr
aII, simpIc math tcIIs us that wc'rc hnancia!Iy bcttcr-oh iI wc pay
down high-intcrcst dcbt hrst. ßut Ramscy knows cxactIy what
hc's doing.
ßcing a ccrtibcd ncrd, I aIways uscd to start with mak-
ing thc math work. I havc Icarncd that thc math docs
nccd to work, but somctimcs motivation is morc im-
portant than math. Jhis is onc oI thosc timcs . . . . Iacc
it, iI you go on a dict and Iosc wcight thc hrst wcck, you
wiII stay on that dict. II you go on a dict and gain wcight
or go six wccks with no visibIc progrcss, you wiII quit.
Vhcn training saIcspcopIc, I try to gct thcm a saIc or
two quick|y bccausc that brcs thcm up. Vhcn you start
thc Ocbt SnowbaII and in thc brst Icw days pay oh a
coupIc oIIittIc dcbts, trust mc, it Iights your brc. I don't
carc iI you havc a mastcr's dcgrcc in psychoIogy, you
nccd quick wins to gct brcd up. And gctting hrcd up is
supcr-important.
Most bnanciaI adviscrs rccommcnd that thcir cIicnts pay
down high-ìntcrcst dcbt brst in ordcr to optimizc thc impact oI
thcir moncy. ßut Ramscy's not trying to soIvc an optimization
probIcm, hc's trying to soIvc an LIcphant probIcm. Jhc rcason
pcopIc gct thcmscIvcs into hnanciaI troubIc, hc knows, is that
thcy Iosc controI. Jhcy bcgin to IccI powcrIcss in thc Iacc oI a
mountain ol dcbt. And you can't combat powcrIcssncss with
math. ¥ou combat it by proving to pcopIc that thcy can win. II
you pay $I 85 toward a $20,000 dcbt on a high-intcrcst crcdit
T J4 % Ü J Î VP J L J H L L L L F H P N J
Catd, yOutC stÍÍ! _OÍn_ tO ÍCCÍ hOQCÍCss. Dut ÍÍ yOu COmQÌCtCÍy Qay
OU a ÖId3 OVCtduC utÍ!Íty bÍÍÍ, yOu Can CtOss Ít OU yO t ÍÍst. YOuVC
WOn a VÍCtOty OVCt dCbt.
hamsCy Ís usÍn_ thC samC sttatC_y as thC !Íy !dy WÍth hCt
3-AÍnutC hOOm hCsCuC-ÍÍ QCOQÍC atC ÍaCÍn_ a dauntÍn_ tasK,
and thCÍt ÍnstÍnCt Ís tO aVOÍd Ít, yOuVC _Ot tO btCaK dOWn thC tasK.
ohrÍnK thC Chan_C. AaKC thC Chan_C smaÍÍ CnOu_h that thCy Cant
hCÍQ but sCOtC a VÍCtOty. LnCC QCOQÌC CÌCan a sÍn_ÍC rOOm, Or Qay
OU a sÍn_ÌC dCbt, thCÍt dtCad starts tO dÍssÍQatC, and thCÍt QtO_tCss
bC_Íns tO snOWbaÍ!.
CLl Nl C
h0w L&n Y0u LuI Ihe budgeI WÎIh0uI
Lfe&IÎng & F0lÎIÎt&l MeSSÎ
bÏTUÆ1lOM Mð|y Lð|| |5 I06 L|Û 0Í ð u0|v6|5|Iy I0ðI |5 6kµ6||60C|0g 5|g0|Í|Cð0I
0|0µ5 |0 60|0||060I. W|I0 Í6W6| 5Iu060I5, I06 u0|v6|5|Iy5 Iu|I|00 |6v60u6 |5 06·
C||0|0g, |6ð0|0g I0 ð 0u0g6I 500|IÍð| |. Lð||5 ]00 |5 I0 0v6|566 06ð0|0gÍu| 0u0g6I
CuI5 ðC|055 ð00uI I0| |Iy 0|ÍÍ6|60I 06µð|I060I5. [Ü|5 Wð5 ð |6ð| 5lIuðI|00.]
WHÆ1´b 1Hb bWÏTCH ÆMO WHÆ1´b HOLOÏMÖ l1 BÆLKT Lð|| 06605
I06 06ð05 0Í I06 u0|v6|5|Iy5 06µðG060I5 I0 CuI 06µðG060Ið| 0u0g6I5 W|I00uI
|0I5 0Í |65|5Ið0C6 0| µ0||I|Cð| |0Í|g0I|0g. b06 0ð5 ð||6ð0y 0ð06 5006 µ|0g|655 00
C|ð||Íy|0g I06 g0ð|. H6| ð0ð|y5|5 |6v6ð|5 I0ðI 06µðlI060I 06ð05 W||| 0660 I0 CuI
0u0g6I5 0y b µ6|C60I. M05I 0Í I060 u006|5Ið00 ð00 ðgl66 W|I0 I06 0660 I0 CuI
0ðCK, 0uI Lð|l I0|0K5 I06|6 | 5 ð 0ð0g6| 0Í µ60µ|6 0|ðgg|0g I06|| 066|5. b06 06605
I0 0ðK6 5006 qu|CK µ|0g|655 00 I06 0u0g6I CuI5, ð00 I0ðI 06µ6005 µ||0ð|||y 00
06| ð0|||Iy I0 00I|vðI6 I06 06µð|I060I 06ð05 L|6µ0ð0I5.
HOW OO WE MÆKE THE bWlTCHT
º L/lECI IDE KIOEl. 1 . Î0ÌÌ0w 1hE ßlÌgh1 Sþ01S. Lð0 Lðll Î| 00 5006 5uCC655
5I0l|65 ð00uI 06µð|I060I 06ð05 W00 Í|gu|60 0uI 00W I0 5ðv6 0006y |0 C|6ðI|v6
5 h r Ì B k I h 6 L h 8 B g 6 l Jb
Wðy5 [Í0| 6kð0µ|6, 0y |05Ið|| |0g 56050|·C00I|0||60 ||g0I| 0g|06ðI|0g 0| 0y 0uI·
50u|C|0g ð00|0|5I|ðI|v6 Íu0CI|005)! lÍ 50, 506 500u|0 06|µ I0 C|006 I06 5uCC655
ðC|055 06µð|I060I5.
º NOI/vdIE IDE cÌEÇDdOI. T . bBfÌBk IB6 CB8Bg6. !06 0660 I0 CuI b µ6|·
C60I |5 C|6ð|, 0uI CuII|0g |5 I06 K|00 0Í Ið5K I0ðI |05µ||65 0|6ð0. ` Û60µ|6 I600 I0
µð0|C ð ||II|6 W060 y0u 5ðy, W6 0ðv6 I0 CuI 0u| 0u0g6I 0y Í|v6 µ6|C60I, ` 5ðy5
Lð||. H0W Cð0 506 0|6ðK 00W0 I06 Ið5KÌ W6||, ð5 |I Iu|05 0uI, Mð|y Lð|| |5 ð Î|y
Lð0y Íð0, ð00 506 IðK65 |05µ| |ðI|00 Í|00 I06 b·M|0uI6 K000 K65Cu6. b0 506 µ|CK5
IW0 0| I0|66 0u0g6I ||065 6v6|y W66K¬5ðy, 0ÍÍ|C6 5uµµ| |65, Ilð|0|0g, ð00 I|ðv6|·
ð00 ð5K5 I06 06µðR060I 06ð05 W06I06l I06y Cð0 CuI b µ6|C60I 0uI 0Í I0056 ||06
|I605. Lð|| |6µ0R5, `||CK|0g 0uI I|0y C0u0K5 0Í W0|K ðI ð I|06 5Iðy5 I06 µð0|C.`
Lð|| |5 50||0K|0g I06 C0ð0g6, 0ðK|0g |I |655 ||K6|y I0 60gðg6 I06 L|6µ0ð0I`5 |6·
5|5Ið0C6. Z. Üf0w ÿ0uf þ60þÌ6. Û0C6 I06 06µðlI060I 06ð05 0ðv6 IðCK|60 I06
Í||5I I0|66 0u0g6I | |065, Lð|| Wð0I5 I0 K66µ I06 00060Iu0 g0|0g. b06 I6||5 I060,
`W6`|6 ð| |6ð0y 006 I0||0 0Í I06 Wðy I06|6Í ` b06 |5 µuII|0g IW0 5Ið0µ5 00 I06||
Cð|·Wð50 Cð|05¬|6II|0g I060 K00W I0ðI 106y`v6 ð||6ð0y 0ð06 g|6ðI µ|0g|655
I0Wð|0 I06 g0ð|.
º bDdÇE IDE ÍdID. T . buÌÌ0 B8ßÌ1S. Lv6|y M000ðy, ||K6 C|0CKW0|K, Lð|| 56005
0uI 0u0g6I uµ0ðI65. b06 |6qu65I5 uµ0ðI65 ð00 g|v65 5|0µ|6 ðCI|00 |I605, 5uC0 ð5,
¯|Í y0u 000I I0|0K y0u|| 06 ð0|6 I0 066I I06 b µ6|C60I CuI |0 I|ðv6|, Cð|| 06
I00ðy.` by u5|0g ð v6|y C005|5I60I ð00 µ|60|CIð0|6 µ|0C655, Lð|| I||65 I0 0ðK6 I06
CyC|6 0Í 0u0g6I CuI5 00|6 |0uI|06, 00|6 ðuI00ðI|C. Z. K8ÌÌÿ 1B6 B6f0. ÅI 006
µ0|0I |0 I06 0u0g6I CuII|0g, ð|| I06 06µð|I060I 06ð05 ðII600 I06|| y6ð||y µ|ð00|0g
|6I|6ðI. Û0 I06 Í||5I 0ðy, 6v6|y006 5665 W0ðI CuI5 ð|| I06 06µðR060I5 0ð06 |0 I06
|0|I|ð| |0u00. !060 6ðC0 06µðR060I 06ð0 5µ6005 5006 I|06, 0v6|0|g0I, µ|ð00|0g
ð |0u00 0Í 066µ6| CuI5. !06 06kI 00l0|0g, I06y 50ð|6 I06|| µ|0µ0560 CuI5 W|I0 006
ð00I06|. Lð|| 5ðy5, ` Lv6|y006 g0I I0 566 W0ðI 6ðC0 µ6|500 Wð5 ð||6ð0y CuII|0g
ð00 I06 |0µ| |CðI|005 0Í ÍuIu|6 CuI5. Å00 K00W|0g I0ðI, I06 W00|6 000y 0ð06 06·
C|5|005, 00I ]u5I |00|v|0uð| 06µðR060I 06ð05. bv6|y006 Wð5 |00K|0g ðI I06 u0|·
v6|5|Iy ð5 ð W00|6. | 0 65560C6, I06 06µðR060I 06ð05 ð|6 6k6|C|5|0g µ05|I|v6 µ66|
I Jb % Ü J Î V P J L J H L L L L F H P N J
µ|655ul6 00 006 ð00I06|. |I ß6C0065 I06 50C|ð| 00l0 I0 I0|0K 0Í CuI5 Í|00 I06 µ6l·
5µ6CI|v6 0Í I06 u0|v6l5|Iy ð5 ð W00|6 [ð 5Il00g, 50ð|60 |060I|Iy), |ðI06| I0ð0 Íl00
I06 µ6|5µ6CI|v6 0Í |00|v|0uð| 06µð|I060I5.
b.
LnC Way tO shtÍnK Chan_C, thCn, Ís tO ÌÍmIt thC ÍnVCstmCnt yOutC
asKÍn_ ÍOt-OnÌy 3 mInutCs OÍ hOusCCÍCanÍn_, OnÌy OnC smaÍÌ
dCbt. ]OthCt Way tO shtInK Chan_C Is tO thÍnK OÍ :muü u:m-
mIÌCstOnCs that atC WÍthÍn tCaCh. |Lut dad, !tCd !Cath, WhO
WOtKCd OVCt thÍtty yCats ÍOt ÎDA, WOuÍd tCÍÍ hÍs tCams that WhCn
`mÍÍCstOnCs´ sCCmCd tOO dIstant, thCy shOuÍd ÌOOK ÍOt `ÍnCh QCb-
bÍCs.´ ÏÍCC OnC, Íad.)
oay that yOutC ttyIn_ tO mOtIVatC yOut tCCna_Ct tO dO sOmC
hOusCCÍCanÍn_. YOu mÍ_ht CmbtaCC thC 3-AInutC hOOm hCsCuC tO
OVCtCOmC hÍs ÍnÍtÍaÍ tCsÍstanCC. Dut What ÍÍ yOu aÍsO Qut a bÍt OÍ
sttatC_IC thOu_ht ÍntO WhÍCh tOOm hC statts WIth: YOu mÍ_ht asK
hIm tO statt hIs WOtK Ín tbC tÍny _uCst bathtOOm, bCCausC yOutC
COnhdCnt that aHCt 3 mÍnutCs OÍ WOtK, hCB haVC Ít _ÍCamÍn_. ÅhC
OVCtaÍÍ _OaͬÍCanÍn_ thC WhOÍC hOusC-Ís tOO dÍstant tO bC mO-
tÍVatÍn_, but ÍÍ yOu Can Cn_ÍnCCt a smaÍÍ WIn Ín thC htst 3 mInutCs,
Ít mI_ht buy yOu CnOu_h CnthusÍasm tO QutsuC thC nct mÍÌCstOnC.
|ÅhCn a_aIn, WCtC tæKÍn_ tCCna_Cts, sO dOnt COut Ít.)
ÎÍ yOuVC CVCt ÍaCCd a tCaÍÍy ÍOn_ dtIVC, nO dOubt yOu usCd thÍs
tCChnÍQuC On yOutsCÍ! AaybC yOu thOu_ht abOut yOut ]OutnCy
OnC tOWn at a tÍmC, Ot an hOut at a tÍmC, Ot maybC yOu QtOmÍsCd
yOutsCÍÍ a COUCC stOQ aHCt thC nCXt ¯3 mIÍCs. Îts a |Ot CasICt tO
thInK `¯3 mÍÍCs tO COUCC´ than tO thÍnK `d. 3 mOtC bOuts OÍ sÍt-
tÍn_ hCtC untÍÌ Îm at !tandmas. ´
YOu Cant COunt On thCsC mIÌCstOnCs tO OCCut natuIaÌÍy. ÅO mO-
tÍVatC Chan_C, yOuVC _Ot tO QÍan ÍOt thCm.
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! J1
Vc`vc bccn taIking about smaII wins at an individuaI IcvcI~
using thcm to motivatc a road-trip drivcr or a tccnagc housc-
cIcancr. ßut thc samc conccpt gocs Ior Iargc organizations. Ior
cxampIc, a man namcd Stcvcn KcIman had to bgurc out a way to
crcatc smaII wins in thc IcdcraI govcrnmcnt.
KcIman, a proIcssor oI pubIic managcmcnt at Harvard \ni-
vcrsity`s Kcnncdy SchooI oI Govcrnmcnt, got a caII Irom thc
CIinton administration in I ºº5, asking him to Icad thc CIbcc
oI IcdcraI Irocurcmcnt IoIicy (CIII). Athc hcad oICII[ hc
wouId bc rcsponsibIc Ior rcIorming thc govcrnmcnt's procurc-
mcnt chorts. Irocurcmcnt is thc proccss by which pcopIc buy
things, and thc govcrnmcnt docs a Iot oI procuring. ín 2005, it
spcnt $520 biIIion on purchascs oI discrctionary goods and scr-
viccs, a bgurc that incIudcs cvcrything Irom papcr cIips to hcIi-
coptcrs Ior thc MationaI Iark Scrvicc. Vith that kind oI moncy
at stakc, you can`t havc pcopIc running down to ßcII HcIicoptcr
and pIopping down a crcdit card Ior a ncw hcIicoptcr. (Cn thc
othcr hand, think oI thc airIinc miIcs.)
KcIman was rcIuctant to hcad up CII[ knowing thcrc was
a prctty good chancc that dcspitc his bcst chorts nothing wouId
changc, but in thc cnd hc acccptcd thc job. Hc kncw cxactIy what
nc was gctting into, bccausc thrcc ycars carIicr, hc`d writtcn a book
about procurcmcnt rcIorm.
Jhcrc wcrc Iots oI probIcms with procurcmcnt. Cvcr thc
ycars, thc govcrnmcnt had cstabIishcd many protocoIs and pro-
tcctions to prcvcnt abuscs oI various kinds. Jhcrc wcrc good in-
tcntions bchind thcsc protcctions, but as thcy buiIt up, Iaycr
upon Iaycr, thcy bcgan to causc morc harm than thc abuscs
thcy`d bccn dcsigncd to prcvcnt. Ior instancc, whcn making
purchasc dccisions, procurcmcnt omciaIs couId not usc cvidcncc
oI vcndors` "past pcrIormancc.¨ Aan cxampIc, Ict`s say thc gov-
! JU  Ñ Û 1 Î VP 1 Ë 1 Ñ Ë Ë L Ë F Ñ P N 1
crnmcnt gavc thc company CodcLords a contract to dcvcIop
soItwarc, and thc product CodcLords dcIivcrcd was absurdIy
bchind schcduIc and incxcusabIy poor in pcrIormancc. Jhc gov-
crnmcnt wouId bc barrcd Irom using that pcrIormancc data
whcn cvaIuating CodcLords Ior a dihcrcnt job| (Imaginc iI you
had to scIcct a hairdrcsscr without rcgard to thc way hc cut your
hair in thc past.)
Somctimcs, too, thc shccr quantity oI ruIcs was smothcring
common scnsc. In onc Iamous cxampIc, thc OcIcnsc Ocpart-
mcnt sought a suppIicr oI chocoIatc-chip cookics Ior thc troops
and pubIishcd a 20-pagc sct oI "miIspccs,¨ dctaiIcd spccihcations
that dictatcd, among othcr things, ingrcdicnts, cookic sizc, and
baking proccss. Jhcsc rcquircmcnts Icd to outragcousIy high
cookic priccs bccausc companics that actua|Iy undcrstood how to
producc Iots oI cookics cmcicntIy÷say, KccbIcr or Mabisco~
wouId ncvcr bid on thc job bccausc somc part oI thc miIspccs in-
cvitabIy conhictcd with thcir standard way oI doing things.
McanwhiIc, thc contract did not cvcn stipuIatc that thc cookics
tastc good.
Phcad oI CII[ KcIman wouId Icad procurcmcnt rcIorm,
but hc didn't havc much structuraI powcr. Hc had a stah oI about
twcnty pcopIc, nonc oI whom purchascd anything signibcant.
Jhc actuaI purchasing dccisions wcrc sprcad across dozcns oI
Iargc IcdcraI agcncics. KcIman wouId havc to rcIorm procurc-
mcnt by rcIorming thc hchuu:cr oI purchasing agcnts scattcrcd
across thc govcrnmcnt.
II cvcr thcrc was an undcrdog story, this is it. Jo put thc gov-
crnmcnt's $520 biIIion in discrctionary purchascs in pcrspcctivc,
that's about thc samc amount oI moncy it wouId takc to purchasc
cvcrything that's produccd in a ycar by thc cntirc computcr hard-
warc industry÷aII thc OcII Iaptops, IßM mainIramcs, Scagatc
drivcs, and othcrs. ^nd thcn you'd stiII havc cnough moncy Ich
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   I JJ 
ovcr to buy cvcry car and cvcry car part produccd by thc auto-
mobiIc industry.
Jhousands oI pcopIc in thc govcrnmcnt arc invoIvcd in pro-
curcmcnt, and thcir dcsirc to pIcasc ßiII CIinton, thc ncw prcsi-
dcnt in I ºº5, is tcmpcrcd by thc knowIcdgc that CIinton wiII bc
gonc in Iour ycars (or, worst casc, cight). Into this vast, sprawIing
sand trap oI incrtia waIks onc guy namcd Stcvcn. Hc's a proIcssor,
no Icss. Hc wrotc a good book about thc sand trap. Mow hc's on
thc hook to hx it, yct hc docsn't controI any oI it (cxccpt Ior twcnty
grains oI sand on thc castcrn pcriphcry) . ¥ou might as wcII hirc a
computcr-savvy rcportcr namcd IhiI to ovcrhauI thc computcr
industry.
KcIman kncw hc'd havc to makc somc progrcss quickIy or cIsc
hc'd bc dismisscd. "II an cxampIc oI succcssIuI changc couId
somchow bc achicvcd quickIy, it might bc possibIc to usc that to
sct othcr changcs in motion,¨ hc wrotc Iatcr. Hc sought a victory
that wouId bc Iast, achicvabIc, and visibIc÷a smaII win that
wouId work lor aII oI his constitucnts, whcthcr thc OcIcnsc Oc-
partmcnt or thc HcaIth and Human Scrviccs Ocpartmcnt. II hc
couId gct thcìr LIcphants moving with an casy mission÷thc gov-
crnmcnt cquìvaIcnt oI thc 5-Minutc Room Rcscuc÷hc thought
hc wouId bc abIc to kccp thcm moving.
Cnc day, a convcrsation with a govcrnmcnt cmpIoycc sparkcd
an idca. Jhc cmpIoycc toId KcIman that whcn shc nccdcd sim-
pIc, incxpcnsivc itcms, such as a Icw computcr disks, thc pro-
curcmcnt ruIcs madc it impossibIc Ior hcr to waIk to thc
computcr supcrstorc across thc strcct and buy thcm. Shc Iound
this Iimitation was inmriating.
KcIman spottcd an opportunity. Hc wcnt to thc scnior pro-
curcmcnt cxccutivcs and issucd a chaIIcngc. Juun! jou !o muhk
jour u_cnQ: u:c oq_oucmmcn! crcd:! curd oucr !hc ncx! jcur (Mo-
ticc thc prccision oI thc chaIIcngc, àIa thc I ºmiIk campaign. ßy
! 4U Ñ Û1 Î VP 1 Ë 1 Ñ Ë Ë L Ë F Ñ P N 1
bcing spccibc about thc bchavioraI changc, KcIman was dirccting
his constitucnts' Ridcrs.) In his vision, anytimc cmpIoyccs nccdcd
somcthing smaII÷computcr disks or a rcpIaccmcnt hard drivc
or a carton oI omcc papcr÷thcy shouId bc abIc to march across
thc strcct, armcd with thcir crcdit cards, and purchasc what thcy
nccdcd on thc spot. KcIman askcd thc agcncics to makc a IormaI
"IIcdgc¨ to cmbracc thc idca. Jhc agcncics wcrc supportivc, so
KcIman pushcd Iurthcr. Cvcr thc ncxt ycar, hc organizcd Iour
morc pIcdgcs.
Jhc sccond pIcdgc was a biggic: KcIman askcd thc agcncics to
brcak with thc tradition oI ignoring past pcrIormancc. Hc kncw
this wouId bc a tough scII, so hc dccidcd to push Ior it pubIicIy
onIy whcn hc was surc hc had at Icast cight agcncics onboard. Hc
hit thc phoncs, and his cmpIoyccs and adviscrs raIIicd thc pcopIc
in thcir nctworks. LvcntuaIIy, his tcam had cight agcncics signcd
up, but hc wasn't bnishcd. "cr wc got to ninc agcncics, partic-
ipation startcd snowbaIIing, and soon wc couId say to thc hoId-
outs, `AImost cvcryonc but you is participating.' '' (Jhis outcomc
Iorcshadows a point that wc makc in Chaptcr I 0 about bchavior
bcing contagious. KcIman managcd to addrcss aII thrcc parts oI
thc Iramcwork÷dirccting thc Ridcr, motivating thc LIcphant,
and shaping thc Iath.)
In thc cnd, twcnty dihcrcnt agcncics agrccd to takc thc "Iast-
IcrIormancc IIcdgc.' Jo cnsurc that thc pIcdgc wouId bc takcn
scriousIy, KcIman proddcd thc agcncics to idcnti[ bhy-cight up-
coming contracts in which thcy wouId cxpIicitIy considcr past
pcrIormancc.
Vith thc pIcdgcs, KcIman turncd an unspcakabIc IcvcI oIbu-
rcaucratic incrtia into dcmonstrabIc Iorward momcntum. Iivc
ycars Iatcr, in an intcrnaI survcy, 70 pcrccnt oI IrontIinc cmpIoy-
ccs said that thcy wcrc proponcnts oI procurcmcnt rcIorm. Jhc
ßrookings Institution, a wcII-rcspcctcd think tank, pubIishcd a
b h f Ì B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! 4!
study in I ºº8 that gradcd thc succcss oI various "rcinvcnting gov-
crnmcnt¨ initiativcs attcmptcd ovcr thc prcvious cight ycars. KcI-
man's procurcmcnt rcIorm was thc onIy initiativc that carncd an
`¬.'' ^ singIc guy had managcd to comc in and cataIyzc a big
changc in thc IcdcraI govcrnmcnt.
7.
Vhcn you cnginccr carIy succcsscs, what you'rc rcaIIy doing is
cnginccring hopc. Hopc is prccious to a changc chort. It's LIc-
phant mcI.
Cncc pcopIc arc on thc path and making progrcss, it's im-
portant to makc thcir advanccs visibIc. Vith somc kinds oI
changc, such as wcight Ioss, progrcss is casy to mcasurc÷pcopIc
can stcp on a scaIc. \nIortunatcIy, thcrc's no oh-thc-shcII scaIc Ior
"ncw-product innovation¨ or "rcduccd carbon impact.¨ Vhcrc
do you bnd a yardstick that can mcasurc thc kind oI changcs
you'rc Icading:
SoIutions-Iocuscd thcrapists, whom wc mcntioncd in Chap-
tcr 2 in thc Ridcr scction, crcatc thcir own yardsticks. RccaII that
thcy ask thcir paticnts thc MiracIc Qucstion: "ímaginc that in
thc middIc oI thc night, whiIc you arc sIccping, a miracIc hap-
pcns, and aII thc troubIcs you brought hcrc arc rcsoIvcd. Vhcn
you wakc up in thc morning, how wiII you know:¨
Jhcsc thcrapists know that thc miracIc can sccm distant to
thcir paticnts and that thcy nccd to kccp thcir paticnts motivatcd
and hopcmI cn routc to thc dcstination. Jo do so, thcy'vc dcviscd
a way oI quanti[ing progrcss toward thc miracIc. Jhcy crcatc a
m:rucÍc :cuÍc ranging Irom Ü to I 0, whcrc I 0 is thc miracIc. In
Iact, in thc vcry hrst scssion thcy ohcn ask thcir paticnts whcrc
thcy'd scorc thcmscIvcs. Iaticnts ohcn rcport back that thcy'rc at
2 or 5, which prompts an cnthusiastic rcsponsc Irom thc thcra-
! 4¿ Ñ Û 1 Î VP 1 Ë 1 N Ë Ë L Ë F N P N 1
pists. WuÍ Íurc uÍrcudj 20]crccn! oq!hc uuj !hcrcÍ Sound Ia-
mi|iar: Jhc thcrapists arc putting two stamps on thcir paticnts'
car-wash cards.
Athc scssions continuc, thc thcrapists continue to track pa-
ticnts' sc|I-rcportcd progrcss. Jhc thcrapists arc traincd to cc|-
cbratc cvcry incrcmcnta| victory÷to rcact with dcIight whcn a
paticnt rcports advancing Irom 5 to 4. Jhis rcsponsc is countcr-
intuitivc Ior most oI us. How many sa|cs managcrs dancc a jig
upon hcaring that thcir rcps arc 40 pcrccnt oI thc way to a
quota: ßut this cncouragcmcnt is critica|, bccausc it's sc|I-
rcinIorcing. »cn you'vc cc|cbratcd moving Irom I to 2, and
thcn Irom 2 to 5, you gain conhdcncc that you can makc thc
ncxt advancc.
Jhc othcr advantagc oI sca|ing thc mirac|c is that it dcmysti-
hcs thc journcy. Lct's say you'rc working with your junior-high-
agc son who is painIu||y shy. Maybc thc mirac|c lor your son
wou|d bc thc abi|ity to ask a gir| to thc schoo|'s homccoming
dancc. Jhis Icat is prcscnt|y unthinkab|c to your son, but you
and hc havc bccn ab|c to ta|k about his shyncss÷hc acknow|-
cdgcs it and dis|ikcs it÷and by virtuc oI that convcrsation, hc
may a|rcady bc at 2 on thc sca|c.
P SIßJ thcrapist wou|d ask your son, "Vhat wou|d it takc
to gct you to 5: Lct's not ta|k about how wc can po|c-vau|t up to
thc mirac|c÷wc'rc not thcrc yct. Lct's ta|k about 5. `
Maybc Ior your son, rcaching 5 wou|d invo|vc somcthing sim-
p|c |ikc asking a groccry storc cmp|oycc whcrc thc toothpastc ais|c
is. II hc did that, hc'd provc that hc cou|d intcract succcssIu||y
with a tota| strangcr, and in doing so, hc'd gct to scc himsc|I mov-
ing toward thc mirac|c. Jhc va|uc oI thc mirac|c sca|c is that it Io-
cuscs attcntion on sma|| mi|cstoncs that arc attainablc and visib|c
rathcr than on thc cvcntua| dcstination, which may sccm vcry rc-
b h f l B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   ! 4J
motc. It's Iikc cIimbing a taII Iaddcr and Iocusing on thc ncx! stcp
rathcr than gawking up at thc top. Jhcrc may bc many morc stcps
to go, but you can takc comIort that you'rc making rcaI progrcss
in thc right dircction.
Moticc, oncc again, how oItcn LIcphant appcaIs and Ridcr
appcaIs can ovcrIap. In this casc, your son's Ridcr is gctting vcry
cIcar dircction÷7sk !hc cÍcrk uhou! !hc !oo!h]u:!c-at thc samc
timc as his LIcphant is gctting IittIc boosts oI hopc÷Àu¡hc J
mnt hurc !o hc :o :hj jrcrcr.
ßy using thc miracIc scaIc, you aIways havc a cIcar idca oI
whcrc you'rc going ncxt, and you havc a cIcar scnsc oI what thc
ncxt smaII victory wiII bc. ¥ou'rc moving Iorward, and, cvcn bct-
tcr, you'rc gctting morc conbdcnt in your uh:hq to kccp moving
Iorward.
U.
MIL coach ßiII IarccIIs, who won two Supcr ßowIs 3  coach oI
thc Mcw ¥ork Giants, supports thc notion that "cvcn smaII suc-
ccsscs can bc cxtrcmcIy powcrIuI in hcIping pcopIc bcIicvc in
thcmscIvcs.¨ ín an articIc pubIishcd in 1urrurd Du::nc:: Þcr:cu,
bc continucd.
In training camps, thcrcIorc, wc don't Iocus on thc uIti-
matc goaI÷gctting to thc Supcr ßowI. Vc cstabIish a
cIcar sct oI goaIs that arc u:!h:n :mmcd:u!c rcuch: wc'rc
going to bc a smart tcam, wc'rc going to bc a wcII-
conditioncd tcam, wc'rc going to bc a tcam that pIays
hard, wc'rc going to bc a tcam that has pridc, wc'rc going
to bc a tcam that wants to win coIIcctivcIy, wc'rc going
to bc a tcam that docsn't criticizc onc anothcr.
! 44  Ñ Û 1 Î VP 1 Ë 1 Ñ Ë Ë L Ë F Ñ P N 1
Vhcn wc start acting in ways that IuIhII thcsc goaIs,
I makc surc cvcrybody knows it. I acccntuatc thc posi-
tivc at cvcry possibIc opportunity, and at thc samc timc
I cmphasizc thc ncxt goaI that wc nccd to IuIhI|. II wc
havc a particuIarIy good practicc, thcn I caII thc tcam
togcthcr and say, "Vc got somcthing donc today, wc cx-
ccutcd wcII. I'm vcry pIcascd with your work. ßut hcrc's
what I want to do tomorrow: I want to scc hawlcss spc-
ciaI tcams work. II you accompIish that, wc wiII bc rcady
Ior thc gamc on Sunday. ¨
Vhcn jou :c! :mul/ u:::Þlc _ouB, und ]co]lc uchícuc
!hcm, !hg :!ur! !o _c! :! :n!o !hc:r hcud !hu! !hg tun :uc-
cccd Jhcy brcak thc habit oIIosing and bcgin to gct into
thc habit oI winning. jcmphasis addcd]
Iormcr \CL^ coach ]ohn Voodcn, onc oI thc grcatcst coI-
Icgc bækctbaII coachcs oI aII timc, oncc said, "Ñhcn you improvc
a IittIc cach day, cvcntuaIIy big things occur . . . . Oon't Iook Ior
thc quick, big improvcmcnt. Scck thc smaII improvcmcnt onc
day at a timc. Jhat's thc onIy way it happcns÷and whcn it hap-
pcns, it Iasts. ¨
Coachcs arc mastcrs oI shrinking thc changc. ßy pushing thcir
tcams to attain a scqucncc oI "smaII, visibIc goaIs, ¨ thcy buiId
momcntum. IsychoIogist KarI Vcick, in a papcr caIIcd "SmaII
Vins: Rcdchning thc ScaIc oI SociaI IrobIcms,¨ said, "^ smaII
win rcduccs importancc (`this is no big dcaI') , rcduccs dcmands
(`that's aII that nccds to bc donc' ), and raiscs pcrccivcd skiII IcvcIs
(`I can do at Icast that' ). ¨ ^II thrcc oI thcsc Iactors wiII tcnd to
makc changc casicr and morc scII-sustaining.
Lct's not gct too rosy-cycd hcrc, though. ^ny important
changc is not going to IccI Iikc a stcady, incvitabIc march toward
victory. It won't simpIy bc an unbrokcn string o| smaII wins.
b h f Ì B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   \4b 
(Oon`t Iorgct thcrc arc Iots oI coachcs who rctircd having ncvcr
won a championship.) Morc typicaIIy, you takc onc stcp Iorward
and I .5 stcps back and 2.7 stcps Iorward and thcn 6 stcps to thc
sidc, and at that momcnt, a ncw CLC wiII comc in and dccIarc
a ncw dcstination.
Mo onc c.m _urun!cc a smaII win. Lots oI things arc out oI
our controI. ßut thc goaI is to bc wisc about thc things that urc
undcr our controI. ^nd onc thing wc can controI is how wc
dcbnc thc uItimatc victory and thc smaII victorics that Icad up
to it.
¥ou want to scIcct smaII wins that havc two traits. ( I ) Jhcy'rc
mcaningmI. (2) Jhcy'rc "within immcdiatc rcach," as ßiII IarccIIs
said. And iI you can't achicvc both traits, choosc thc Iattcr| (Jhc
5-Minutc Room Rcscuc wasn't vcry mcaningIuI by itscIl but it
madc grcat changc possibIc.)
Oavid AIIcn, author oI Õcl!:n_ Jh:n_: Lonc, thc quintcsscn-
tiaI pcrsonaI productivity book, cchocs thc importancc oI sctting
goaIs that arc within rcach. Hc says that most pcopIc makc a mn-
damcntaI mistakc whcn thcy crcatc thcir to-do Iists. Jhcy dash oh
Iots oI itcms. "coIIcct cxpcnscs, " "dcaI with HcIcn, " "work on
sIidcshow," "tircs," and so on. In AIIcn`s judgmcnt, thcsc pcopIc
arc sabotaging thc IikcIihood oI action by bcing too murky. Hc
says it`s criticaI to ask yourscII "Vhat's thc ncxt action:" Hcrc`s
AIIcn.
IcopIc in my scminars ohcn havc things on thcir Iists
Iikc "Gct a tunc-up Ior thc car. " Is "Gct a tunc-up" a
ncxt action: Mot unIcss you`rc waIking out with wrcnch
in hand, drcsscd íor grcasc.
"So what`s thc ncxt action:" ¸said AIIcn]
`\h, I nccd to takc thc car to thc garagc. Òh, ycah,
I nccd to bnd out it thc gatagc can takc it. I gucss I nccd
! 4b Ñ Û 1 Î VP1 Ë 1 Ñ Ë Ë L Ë F Ñ P N 1
to caII thc garagc and makc thc appointmcnt." jsaid a
scminar participant]
"Oo you havc thc numbcr:"
"Oarn, no . . . I don't havc thc numbcr |or thc
garagc. £rcd rccommcndcd that garagc to mc, and I
don't havc thc numbcr. I kncw somcthing was missing
in thc cquation."
^nd that's oItcn what happcns with so many things
Ior so many pcopIc. Vc gIancc at thc projcct, and somc
part oI us thinks, "I don`t quitc havc aII thc pi::ccs bc-
twccn hcrc and thcrc. " Vc know somcthing is missing,
but wc'rc not surc what it is cxactIy, so wc quit.
Vhcn a task IccIs too big, thc LIcphant wiII rcsist. It is no ac-
cidcnt that ^IcohoIics ^nonymous chaIIcngcs rccovcring aIco-
hoIics to gct through "onc day at a timc." A is shrinking thc
changc. Jo an aIcohoIic, going a IiIctimc wtthout anothcr drink
sounds impossibIc. ßut going 24 hours sounds doabIc.
Hcrc is thc way ^I-^non cxpIains thc "onc day at a timc"
mantra: "In most cascs, wc cannot anticipatc cvcry possibIc turn
oI cvcnts, and no mattcr how diIigcntIy wc arc prcparcd, wc arc
cvcntuaIIy caught oh guard. McanwhiIc, wc'vc cxpcndcd so much
timc and cncrgy trying to prcdict mturc cvcnts, soothc Iuturc
hurts, and prcvcnt mturc conscqucnccs that wc havc misscd out
on today's opportunitics. ^nd thc magnitudc oI thc task wc havc
sct Ior ourscIvcs has Ich us draincd, ovcrwhcImcd, and dis-
traught."
9.
SmaII targcts Icad to smaII victorics, and smaII victorics can ohcn
triggcr a positivc spiraI oI bchavior. Marriagc thcrapist MichcIc
å h f Ì B k   I h 0   L h ð B g 0   !47 
Vcincr-Oavis wrotc about hcr cIicnts IauIa and Gcorgc, who'd
bccn marricd Ior cight ycars but had bccn bghting consistcntIy Ior
thc prcvious two. Vcincr-Oavis had bccn counscIing thc coupIc
Ior a whiIc, æ:d thcy`d madc somc progrcss but nothing dramatic.
Jhcn camc thc brcakthrough÷a kiss.
Cnc morning, Gcorgc kisscd IauIa. Jhc kiss surpriscd hcr,
caught hcr oh guard a IittIc, and madc hcr happy. ßcing happy
promptcd hcr do a IittIc thing shc hadn't donc in a whiIc. Shc
brcwcd a pot oI cohcc. "Vc uscd to drink cohcc togcthcr ohcn,
but IatcIy thc tradition has IaIIcn by thc waysidc,¨ shc toId thc
thcrapist.
Gcorgc smcIIcd thc cohcc and camc down Ior a cup. Hc and
IauIa had a pIcasant convcrsation. ßoth oI thcm said thc morn-
ing madc thcm IccI morc "rcIaxcd and Iighthcartcd. ¨ IauIa rc-
portcd that hcr coworkcrs noticcd thc dihcrcncc in hcr attitudc
that day. Lvcn Gcorgc and IauIa's kids sccmcd ahcctcd by thc
haIo oI good IccIings÷thcy wcrc morc rcIaxcd that cvcning, Icss
argumcntativc. Gcorgc's kiss Iaunchcd a positivc spiraI.
Vhy did such a IittIc thing mattcr so much: ßccausc it gcn-
cratcd hopc that changc was possibIc.
It's a thcmc wc'vc sccn again and again÷big changcs comc
Irom a succcssion oI smaII changcs. It's CK iI thc brst changcs
sccm aImost triviaI. Jhc chaIIcngc is to gct thc LIcphant moving,
cvcn iI thc movcmcnt is sIow at brst. So don't ask thc indcbtcd
coupIc to pay down thcir high-intcrcst crcdit card biII, ask
thcm to wipc out thcir utiIity biII. Oon't ask govcrnmcnt cm-
pIoyccs to cmbracc a ncw rcgimc oI procurcmcnt, ask thcm to
doubIc thcir spcnding on govcrnmcnt crcdit cards. Oon't ask a
coupIc to stop bghting, ask thc husband to givc his wiIc a simpIc
good-morning kiss.
Jhc LIcphant has no troubIc conqucring thcsc micro-
miIcstoncs, and 3  it docs, somcthing cIsc happcns. Vith cach
I 4b M U T î VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
stcp, thc EÌcphant lccÌs Ìcss scarcd and Ìcss rcÌuctant, bccausc
things arc working. Vith cach stcp, thc EÌcphant starts /e/ingthc
changc. ^ ]ourncy that startcd with drcad is cvoÌving, slowÌy,
toward a lccÌing ol conhdcncc and pridc. And at thc samc timc
thc changc is shrinking, thc Elcphant is grouing.
7
ÜI0W T0uI ÏE0þÌ E
!.  
Jhc  St.  !ucìa  !arrot  cxìsts  only on thc  Carìbbcan  ìsland ol St. 
!ucìa.  It´s gorgcous, wìth a vìvìd turquoìsc bluc lacc, lìmc grccn 
wìngs,  and  a  strìkìng  rcd  shìcld  on  ìts  chcst.  In  I 9//, only onc 
hundrcd  St.  !ucìa  !arrots wcrc  lch  on  thc  ìsland. Jhc  popula-
cìon  had  bccn  dccìmatcd  by  habìtat  dcstructìon,  huntcrs,  and 
pcoplc who  trappcd  thcm  to  usc  as  pcts.  Jhc  St.  !ucìa  !arrot 
sccmcd doomcd,  ìn thc words ol onc bìologìst, thc spccìcs "could 
not cscapc  oblìvìon  by  thc ycar 2000.` 
Lntcr an unlìkcly savìor. collcgc studcnt !aul Butlcr.  In I 9//,
Butlcr  was  hnìshìng  hìs  last  ycar  ol  studìcs  at  Ìorth-Last  !on-
don !olytcchnìc. Butlcr's passìon was conscrvatìon, and hc'd prc-
vìously spcnt hvc wccks complctìng a hcld rcscarch cxpcdìtìon ìn 
St.  !ucìa, whcrc  hc'd  studìcd  thc  pærot  and  submìttcd  rccom-
mcndatìons  |or prcscrvìng thc spccìcs. 
|ust bclorc graduatìon-"wìth  uncmploymcnt starìng mc  ìn 
I b0 M U T l VÅ T t T h t t L t F h Å N T
thc  Iacc," said ßutÌcr÷hc  rcccivcd a Ìcttcr Irom thc hcad  oI St. 
Lucia's  Iorcstry dcpartmcnt. Jo  ßutÌcr`s astonishmcnt, hc was oI-
Icrcd  a job.  Imprcsscd with ßutÌcr's rccommcndations, thc hcad 
oI  Iorcstry  askcd  iI  ßutlcr  was  intcrcstcd  in  rcturning  Ior  six 
months  as  thc  dcpartmcnt's  conscrvation  adviscr.  Jhc  ]ob  paid 
$2OO a month, and ßudcr couÌd stay in a govcrnmcnt "rcst hut." 
ßudcr could barcly bclicvc his Ìuck. Hc was 2I  ycars old, and thc 
govcrnmcnt  oI a bcautimÌ  Caribbcan  isÌand  was  asking  Ior his 
hcÌp in saving an cndangcrcd spccics. 
ßutÌcr's  rccommcndations  to  thc  govcrnmcnt  had  bccn 
straightIorward:  ( I )   ßccI up  thc punishmcnt Ior  capturing  or 
kiÌling thc parrot,  Irom a triviaÌ h nc to an cnormous  hnc pÌus a 
] aiÌ tcrm.  (2) Lstablish within an cxisting Iorcstry rcscrvc a ¨par-
rot  sanctuary"  that wouÌd protcct thc  parrot's  habitat.  (3) Raisc 
moncy  Ior thc  opcration  oI thc  rcscrvc  by Ìiccnsing  "rain-Iorcst 
tours," which wouÌd ohcr  tourists  thc chancc  to  scc thc  rcscrvc 
and its star attraction. 
A  quick  timc-out.  Noticc  that  thcsc  rccommcndations÷
changing Ìaws, cnIorcing ncw pcnaltics÷arc cxactÌy thc sorts oI 
things  that wc  shy away Irom in this  book,  bccausc  most  ol us 
don`t havc thosc tooÌs  in our kit.  ßut hcrc's thc thing.  ßutlcr didn`t 
havc  thosc  tooÌs, cithcr. And ncithcr did thc Iorcstry scrvicc. For 
ßutlcr`s rccommcndations to bc put into practicc,  thc isÌand`s Ìaws 
wouÌd nccd  to  changc,  which  mcant,  in  turn,  that  thc  pubÌic 
wouÌd havc  to gct bchind thc  initiativc.  So  ßutÌcr,  Ircsh  out oI 
coÌÌcgc, working with thc Iorcstry dcpartmcnt, and armcd with a 
budgct in thc hundrcds oI doÌÌars, had to hgurc out Hway to raÌÌy 
thc pcopÌc oI St. Lucia bchind a parrot that most oI thcm took Ior 
grantcd (and somc oI thcm atc). 
Jhcrc was  no cÌcar  cconomic  casc  Ior  saving  tHc  parrot.  It 
wasn't  thc Ìinchpin oI an  ccosystcm,  and thc sad truth was that 
most  St.  ¡ucians  probabÌy  wouÌdn`t  noticc  iI it  disappcarcd 
Ü l 0 W Y0 u l F 6 0 g l 6 l b 1
compÌctcÌy.  ßutÌcr kncw hc  couldn't makc an anaÌytical casc Ior 
protccting thc bird. Hc'd havc to makc an cmotional casc. 
In csscncc, ßutlcr's goaÌ was to convincc St. Lucians that thq
uerethekindo/¸eo¸huho¸rotectedtheiroun. In  pubÌic cvcnts, 
ßutÌcr strcsscd,  ¨Jhis parrot is ours. Nobody has this but us. Vc 
nccd  to  chcrish  it and Ìook ahcr  it."  Hc did  cvcrything in his 
powcr to makc thc pubÌic morc IamiÌiar with thc bird. Hc hostcd 
St. Lucia Iarrot puppct shows, distributcd J-shirts, ca]oÌcd a ÌocaÌ 
band  to  rccord  songs  about  thc  bird,  convinccd  ÌocaÌ  hotcÌs  to 
print up bumpcr stickcrs, rccruitcd voluntccrs to drcss up in par-
rot costumcs and visit ÌocaÌ schooÌs, and askcd ÌocaÌ ministcrs to 
citc rcÌcvant  ßiblc vcrscs ¸Ior instancc, vcrscs that instructcd bc-
Ìicvcrs to bc good stcwards oI thc things that wcrc in thcir trust) . 
Hc cvcn taÌkcd a tclccom  company  into  printing  up  St.  Lucia 
Iarrot caÌling cards. Cn onc card,  thc parrot was  displaycd ncxt 
to  thc bald  caglc, which was  likc  putting  ScÌma Hayck ncxt to 
Oick Chcncy.  It was cÌcar who  had  thc  bcttcr-Ìooking national 
bird. 
Jhc  St.  Lucians  bcgan to cmbracc  thcir parrot,  as  though it 
had aIways  bccn a part oI thcir  national idcntity.  IoÌÌs  commis-
sioncd by ßutIcr showcd a dramatic risc in public support Ior thc 
bird.  Jhc wavc oI public  support  madc  it  possibÌc  to  pass  into 
Ìaw thc  rccommcndations  that  ßutÌcr and thc  Iorcstry  dcpart-
mcnt, hcadcd up by GabricÌ CharÌcs, had proposcd. 
As  thc ycars passcd,  thc  spccics  camc  back Irom thc  brink. 
At Ìast count, thcrc wcrc bctwccn  six hundrcd and scvcn hun-
drcd parrots-an  astonishing  incrcasc  Ior  a  spccics  that  had 
bccn writtcn oII.  Ioaching stoppcd compÌctcÌy.  "No St. Lucian 
has bccn caught shooting a parrot Ior hhccn ycars," said ßutlcr 
in 2OO8. 
Ïn  I º88, thc govcrnmcnt gavc ßutÌcr mÌl citizcnship and Ìatcr 
awardcd him thc St. Lucia McdaÌ oI Mcrit,  onc oI thc  country's 
I b2 M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
highcst  honors.  Hc  had  shown  St.  Lucians  what  it  mcant  to 
takc pridc  in  thcir idcntity,  and  in  thc  proccss,  hc'd  bccomc  a 
St.  Lucian himscÌI. 
¿. 
Cthcr pcopIc noticcd what ßutIcr accompÌishcd.  ln thc mid-
Iº8Os, a board mcmbcr Irom Rarc, a conscrvation organization, 
askcd ßutIcr iIhc wouÌd comc to St. Vinccnt and do what hc had 
donc in St. Lucia.  lntrigucd, ßutIcr ]oincd Rarc, working aIong-
sidc  St.  Vinccnt's  Iorcstry  division  and  its  chicI Iorcst  omccr. 
Vithin  a ycar,  thc  isIand  passcd  Iaws  to  protcct  its  own  nativc 
parrot. 
ßutÌcr and thc othcr Ìcadcrs oI Rrc rcaÌizcd thcy had crackcd 
onc  oI thc most prcssing probIcms oI conscrvation.  lt`s vcry diI-
hcult to protcct thc prccious arcas oI thc world without thc sup-
port oI thc rcsidcnts oI thosc arcas, but Rarc had provcd it couÌd 
inspirc thosc rcsidcnts to carc about thcir cnvironmcnt.  So  Rarc 
conscrvationists  rcsoIvcd  to launch  simiIar projccts,  which  thcy 
bcgan to calI "Iridc campaigns," alÌ around  thc worÌd.  ßy 2OOº, 
Rarc had succcssmlÌy Ìaunchcd  I2O  Iridc campaigns  in  5O diI-
Icrcnt countrics Irom Ianama to Indoncsia.  (FuÌl discIosurc.  ln-
spircd by this work, Oan Hcath joincd Rarc's board oI trustccs in 
2OOº.) Iridc campaigns Iocuscd on animaÌs ranging I¡om thc Iog-
gcrhcad turtÌc to thc MapoÌcon wrassc, a briÌliant bIuc hsh whosc 
habitat is coral rccIs. 
Vc'vc sccn that onc way to motivatc a switch is to shrink thc 
changc, which makcs  pcopÌc IccÌ  "big"  rcÌativc  to  thc chaIlcngc. 
ßut  hcrc  wc'rc  sccing  somcthing  diIIcrcnt.  IauÌ  ButÌcr  didn't 
shrink thc changc.  lnstcad, hc grcw thc pcopÌc.  Hc madc thc St. 
Lucians swcÌI with pridc ovcr thcir parrot÷a spccics  that cxists 
nowhcrc  clsc.  Hc  inspircd  thcm  to  IccI morc  dctcrmincd,  morc 
Ü f 0 W Y0 u l P 0 0 g Î 0 I bJ
rcady,  morc motivatcd. And whcn you  build pcopÌc up in this 
way,  thcy d:·vcÌop thc strcngth to act. 
3.
Rarc`s  succcss in motivating pcopÌc  in hhy countrics  suggcsts 
that somcthing univcrsaÌ is at work hcrc.  Conhrmation  oI that 
comcs Irom thc rcscarch oI |amcs March,  a proIcssor oI poÌiti-
cal scicncc at StanIord Lnivcrsity.  March says that whcn pcopÌc 
makc choices, thcy tcnd to rcÌy on onc oI two basic modcÌs oI 
dccision making. thc consequencesmodcÌ or thc identiçmodcÌ. 
Jhc conscqucnccs modcÌ  is IamiÌiar to studcnts oI cconomics. 
Ït assumcs that whcn wc havc a dccision to makc, wc wcigh thc 
costs  and  bcnchts  oI our  options  and  makc  thc  choicc  that 
maximizcs  our satisIaction.  lt`s  a rationaÌ,  anaÌytical approach. 
Jhis  is  thc  approach  that  Iaul  ßudcr  kncw wouÌd  IaiÌ with 
St.  Lucians, bccausc thcrc simpÌy wasn`t a  strong cost/bcncht 
casc Ior thc parrot. 
ln thc idcntity modcÌ oI dccision making, wc csscntiaÌÌy ask 
ourscÌvcs thrcc qucstions whcn wc havc a dccision to makc:  who
amÍwhatkindo/sitvationothis?whatuouHsomeone/ikeme
dinthosituanon·Noticc what's missing: any calculation oI costs 
and  bcnchts. Jhc  idcntity modcÌ  cxpÌains  thc way  most  pcopÌc 
votc, which contradicts our notion oI thc "scÌI-intcrcstcd votcr. " 
Ït  hclps  to  shcd  Ìight  on why an  auto  mcchanic  in CkÌahoma 
wouÌd votc against a Ocmocrat who'd givc him hcaÌth insurancc, 
and why a  SiÌicon  VaÌÌcy milÌionairc would votc  against  a  Rc-
publican who`d cut hcr tæcs. 
GcncraÌÌy, whcn wc usc thc word identigwc`rc taÌking about 
an  immutabÌc  trait  oI somc  kind÷such  Û a  raciaÌ,  cthic,  or 
rcgionaÌ  idcntity.  ßut  that's  a rclativcÌy narrow usc oI thc  tcrm. 
Vc`rc not ]ut bom with an idcntity, wc a¸tidcntitics throughout 
J 54 M U T î VA T L T h L L L L P h A N T
our  Ìivcs.  Vc  aspirc  to  bc  good  mothcrs  or  Iathcrs,  dcvout 
CathoIics or Muslims,  patriotic  citizcns,  and so on. 
Cr considcr a proIcssionaÌ idcntity,  such as bcing d "scicntist." 
CÌcarÌy,  you`rc  not born a scicntist.  lt`s an idcntity you scck out 
and onc that othcrs, such  as your proIcssors  and mcntors,  con-
sciousÌy cultivatc in you. Ayou dcvclop and grow in that  idcn-
tity,  it bccomcs an incrcasingIy important part oI your sclI-imagc 
and triggcrs  thc kind  oI dccision  making that March  dcscribcs. 
For instancc, imaginc that as a scicncc proIcssor tcaching chcm-
istry, you had a Iucrativc opportunity to  consult on thc toxicity 
study oI a ncw drug Ior a big pharmaccuticaI  company.  From a 
conscqucnccs point oI vicw, thc dccision to acccpt thc ]ob wouId 
bc a  no-braincr÷thc  work might  pay Iar morc  than your  uni-
vcrsity salary.  ßut Irom an idcntity point oI vicw, thc dccision to 
acccpt  thc  ]ob wouId  sccm  Ìcss  clcar-cut.  You`d  wondcr  what 
strings  wcrc  attachcd,  what  subtÌc compromiscs you`d havc  to 
makc to pÌcasc thc cÌicnt. You`d wondcr, "Vhat would a scicntist 
Ìikc mc do in this situation:" 
ßccausc  idcntitics  arc  ccntraÌ  to  thc  way  pcopÌc  makc 
dccisions,  any  changc  cIIort  that  vioÌatcs  somconc's  idcntity 
is  ÌikcÌy  doomcd  to  IaiÌurc.  (Jhat's  why  it`s  so cÌumsy whcn 
pcopÌc  instinctivcIy  rcach  Ior  "inccntivcs"  to  changc  othcr 
pcopÌc`s  bchavior. )  So  thc  qucstion  is  this.  How  can  you 
makc  your changc  a  mattcr oI idcntity rathcr  than  a mattcr oI 
conscqucnccs: 
4. 
LovcÌacc  HospitaI Systcms  in Albuqucrquc,  Ncw Mcxico, was 
conccrncd about thc rapid turnovcr among its nurscs.  Ïts turnovcr 
ratc wasn`t any worsc  than thc nationaÌ avcragc  (bctwccn  I 8 and 
5O  pcrccnt pcr  ycar),  but  that was  smaÌÌ  comIort. Vhcn  nurscs 
Ü f 0 W Y 0 u f P 0 0 g Î 0 I bb
Ìch, rcpÌacing thcm cost a Ìot ol moncy,  moralc suhcrcd, and pa-
ticnt carc was put at risk during thc transition pcriod. 
Kathlccn  Oavis,  a rcgistcrcd nursc and vicc prcsidcnt oIhos-
pitaÌ  opcrations,  dccidcd  to  try an unconvcntionaÌ  approach  to 
analyzing thc turnovcr probÌcm.  Shc  hircd Susan Vood,  a con-
suÌtant  who  spcciaÌizcd  in Apprcciativc  Inquiry,  a  proccss  Ior 
changing organizations by studying what`s working rathcr than 
what's not (this is anothcr cxampÌc oI thc bright-spots Iocus that 
wc discusscd in Chaptcr 2). 
Vood  and Oavis  dccidcd  not  to  invcstigatc  why  so  many 
nurscs wcrc Ìcaving.  !nstcad,  thcy bcgan  to  cxplorc why othcr 
nurscs wcrc :ta¡ing. In a hospitaÌ with thrcc hundrcd nurscs, thc 
tcam intcrvicwcd  morc than onc hundrcd. Vood askcd nurscs 
what madc thcir ]obs satis|ing. Shc rccaÌÌcd, "Jhcsc nurscs wcrc 
bcatcn down and ovcrworkcd,  but as  soon as wc startcd thcm in 
a convcrsation about what thcy wcrc good at, thc tonc changcd. " 
Oavis and Vood Iound that thc nurscs who staycd at thc hos-
pitaÌ wcrc hcrccÌy ÌoyaÌ  to  thc  prolcssion  oI nursing.  In  othcr 
words,  thcir satisIaction was an idcntity thing÷thc  nobiÌity ol 
thc nursing proIcssion gavc mcaning to thcir work. Cncc thc hos-
pitaÌ  administrators  rcaÌizcd  this,  thcy kncw  thcy`d  havc  to  do 
morc to hcÌp thc nurscs cuÌtivatc thcir idcntity.  For instancc, thcy 
bcgan to hnd way to rccognizc pcopÌc Ior cxtraordinary nursing 
pcrlormancc. Jhcy dcvcÌopcd  a ncw oricntation  program  that 
strcsscd thc inhcrcntÌy admirabÌc naturc oI nursing work. Jhcy 
crcatcd mcntorship programs to hcÌp nurscs improvc thcir knowÌ-
cdgc and skilÌs. 
Jhc hrst hint  that  somcthing had  changcd was cvidcnt  on 
thc annuaÌ  cmpÌoycc  satisIaction  survcy.  Nursing  satisIaction 
scorcs  incrcascd  markcdÌy in  multipÌc  catcgorics,  particuÌarly 
"communication"÷aÌÌ thosc intcrvicws and convcrsations about 
idcntity had an impact. ßut thc impact wcnt bcyond thc survcy. 
I bb M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
LVct thc lO!!OWÌn_ycar, tutnOVct dcCtcascd by pUQctCcnt. Pnd
thcn thc suCCcss madc an uncXQcCtcd !caQ. Ln tc_ÌOna! sutVcys,
LaVÌs and NOOd stattcd sccÌn_ ÌmQtOVcd tatÌn_s On ¸atient
satÌsÍaCtÌOnWÌth ÍOVc!aCc ÏOsQÌta!.
Ïts CtÌtÌCa! tO tcaÌÌZcthatthcscÌdcntÌtystOtÌcs arcnt¡ustsQc-
CÌa! CascsÌtuatÌOns,COnbncdtOsCÌcntÌstsOtnutscsOt bt. LuCÌans.
ÏdcntÌty Ìs _OÌn_ tO Q!ay a tO!c Ìnncat!ycVcryChan_c sÌtuatÌOn.
ÏVcn yOurs. Nhcn yOu thÌnk abOut thc QcOQÌc WhOsc bchaVÌOt
nccdstOChan_c, askyOutsc!lWhcthctthcyWOu!d a_rccWÌth thÌs
statcmcnt: `Ï asQÌtc tO bc thc kÌnd OlQctsOn WhO WOu!d makc
thÌs Chan_c. ´ ÏlthcÌtansWcr Ìs ycs, thatsan cnOrmOus ÍaCtOt Ìn
yOurlaVOt. ÍlthcÌtansWctÌsnO, thcnyOu!!haVctOWOtkhatdtO
shOWthcm that thcyshOu!d asQÌrc tO adÌHcrcnt sc!Í-Ìma_c. Pnd
thatscXaCt!yWhatÏau!Dut!ctdÌdÌn bt. ÍuCÌa. ÏcCOnVÌnCcdthc
Ìs!ands CÌtÌZcns tOthÌnk, `ÅhÌs ÌsOutbÌtd-ÌÍWcWant tO bc _OOd
bt. ÍuCÌans,WcdbcttctQtOtcCt Ìt.´
ÅO sccWhatthÌs mcans Ìna busÌncssCOntcXt, COnsÌdctahtm
that inoentedan ÌdcntÌtythatsubscQucnt!ybcCamcthccn_ÌncOl
Ìts suCCcss. Åhc htm Ìs DrasÌ!ata-Ìts a \b$ Ì /U mÍl!ÌOn manu-
laCtutÌn_htm Ìn DtaZÌ!thatQtOduCcsVarÌOuskÌnds Olstcc! Cans.
AyOud Ìma_Ìnc, thc Can manuÍaCtutÌn_ Ìndustty Ìs tc!atÌVc!y
matutc-nOtmuCh_tOWth, nOt muCh cXCÌtcmcnt. Dut DrasÌ!ata
dchcs thcstctcOtyQcOlabOrÌn_, stuCk-Ìn-ÌtsWaysmanulaCturct.
Ín laCt, Ìt has Onc Olthc bcst rcQutatÌOns lOt ÌnnOvatÌOn OÍany
COmQanyÌn ÍatÌn PmctÌCa.
ÏOW dOcs a manulaCtutct OlCans bcCOmc KnOWn as an Ìn-
nOVatOt: DtasÌ!ata´s lOundctsWctcÌnsQÌtcdby thcQhÌ!OsOQhyOl
)aQancsc Cat manuÍaCtutcts !Ìkc ÏOnda andÅOyOta, WhÌCh cm-
QOWcrcd thcÌt ltOnt!Ìnc cmQ!Oyccs tO takc OWncrshÌQ OÍthcÌt
WOtk. ÍOtÌnstanCc,atÅOyOta, anycmQ!OyccWhOsQOttcdadcÍcCt
COuÌd stOQ thc asscmb!y !Ìnc (thÌs WOuld haVc bccn unthÌnkab!c
Ìn LctrOÌt atthc tÌmc) .ÅOyOtaand ÏOnda a!sO aCtÌVc!ysO!ÌCÌtcd
Ü t 0 W Y0 u f P 0 0 g Î 0 ! b/
idcas Ior innovation Irom thcir cmpÌoyccs. ln I º87, thc Ioundcrs 
oI ßrasiÌata Ìaunchcd an cmpÌoycc-innovation program modclcd 
on thc |apancsc Iorcrunncrs. 
A  ncw idcntity was  thc  corc oI thc  program.  EmpÌoyccs  oI 
ßrasiÌata bccamc known as "invcntors,' and whcn ncw cmployccs 
]oincd thc hrm,  thç wcrc askcd to sign an "innovation contract." 
Jhis  wasn't  simpÌy IccÌ-good Ìanguagc. Jop  managcmcnt chaÌ-
Ìcngcd cmpIoyccs to bc on thc Ìookout Ior potcntiaÌ innovations÷
idcas  Ior  how  to  crcatc  bcttcr  products,  improvc  production 
proccsscs, and squcczc costs out oI thc systcm.  Iroccdurcs dcvcl-
opcd within thc Iactory madc it casy Ior invcntors to submit thcir 
idcas.  Jhc  program succccdcd  bcyond  any rcasonablc  cxpccta-
tions.  In 2OO8, cmpÌoyccs submittcd  J54, 846 idcas÷an avcragc 
oI I45.2 idcas  pcr invcntor' Jhis  hgurc puts ßrasilata on  par with 
thc |apancsc trcndscttcrs that had inspircd thc program. 
Many oI thc suggcstions Ìcd to thc dcvcÌopmcnt oI ncw prod-
ucts. For instancc, in Ìatc 2OO8, ßrasiÌata camc up with a ncw ap-
proach  Ior stccI  cans  dcsìgncd to  carry dangcrous  or hammabIc 
Iiquids. Jo  mcct Lnitcd Nations standards, such cans  must bc 
abÌc to withstand a drop Irom  I . 2 mctcrs (roughÌy 4 Icct) . Jradi-
tionalÌy, most manuIacturcrs had rcachcd this standard by thick-
cning  thc  mctal  Iaycrs,  which  uscd  up  morc  raw  matcriaÌ  and 
rcquircd  ncw production proccsscs. And  thc rcinIorccd dcsigns 
wcrcn't  IooÌprooI÷thc  mctaÌ scams wcrc pronc to spÌit iI a can 
Ìandcd on an  cdgc. 
ßrasiÌatº`s  invcntors  suggcstcd a  ncw dcsign,  inspircd  by car 
bumpcrs that coÌÌapsc on impact. Jhcir ncw stccÌ can dcIormcd 
sÌightIy on impact, rcducing strcss on thc criticaÌ scam. Jhc ncw 
dcsign  rcsistcd impact bcttcr whiÌc aÌso rcducing thc amount oI 
stccÌ in thc can. 
Jhc  invcntors  havc  Icd  ßrasilata  through  cmcrgcncics.  ln 
2OOI ,  a scvcrc  cncrgy crisis-thc "bÌackout syndromc" ÷Iorccd 
I bb M U 1 l VÅ 1 t 1 h t t L t P h Å N 1
thc govcrnmcnt  oI ßraziÌ to ration cncrgy.  ßusincsscs rcccivcd a 
strict quota oI cÌcctricity. Jhc invcntors wcnt to work drcaming 
up powcr-saving idcas÷hundrcds oI thcm. Vithin Ú Icw wccks, 
ßrasilatas cncrgy consumption was rcduccd by 55 pcrccnt, IaÌling 
bcÌow thc company`s quota and aÌÌowing thc company to rcscÌÌ its 
cxtra cncrgy. 
Anothcr uncxpcctcd  idca was ]ointÌy suggcstcd  by two  cm-
pÌoyccs: E/iminateour ¡o/s;th
ç
+enotnecessaçan¡more.Jhc idca 
was  acccptcd,  but  thc  company Iound  a ncw pÌacc  Ior thc  cm-
pÌoyccs.  ßrasiÌata  has  a no-dismissaÌ  poÌicy and  aÌso  distributcs 
I 5  pcrccnt  oI its  nct prohts  to  cmpÌoyccs.  It's  no  surprisc  that 
ßrasiÌata  consistcntÌy  appcars  on  "bcst  pÌaccs  to  work"  Ìists  in 
ßraziÌ. 
!ct`s rcmcmbcr  somcthing.  Jhis  "invcntor"  idcntity, which 
has IucÌcd busincss succcss and cmpÌoycc satisIaction, was madc 
up.  Monc oI ßrasiÌata's  cmpÌoyccs  wcrc  born  "invcntors." Jhc 
idcntity was introduccd to thcm,  and thcy Ìikcd thc sound oI it. 
It sccmcd to  bc a mantÌc worth wcaring.  ßcing an invcntor has 
bccomc a sourcc oI pridc and strcngth. 
3.  
II cultivating an idcntity sounds  daunting,  takc  hcart.  P cÌassic 
study in psychoÌogy shows that you can start with smaÌÌ stcps.  Ïn 
thc  Iº60s, two psychoÌogists Irom StanIord Lnivcrsì ty, }onathan 
Frccdman and Scott Frascr, askcd a rcscarchcr to go door-to-door 
in an upscaÌc ncighborhood in PaÌo AIto, CaÌiIornia. Vhcn homc 
owncrs answcrcd thc door,  thc  rcscarchcr announccd himscÌI as 
a  voÌuntccr  Ior  "Citizcns  Ior SaIc  Oriving"  and  askcd whcthcr 
thcy  wouÌd  aÌÌow  a  biÌÌboard  rcading  "Orivc  CarcIulÌy"  to  bc 
instaÌlcd  on  thcir  lawns.  Jhcy  wcrc  shown  a  photo  oI  thc 
biÌlboard  on  thc  Ìawn  oI a  diIIcrcnt  housc,  and  it  was  a  rcaÌ 
Ü f 0 W Y0 0 f F 0 0 g Î 0 I bJ
cycsorc-crudcÌy constructcd and so  cnormous  that it obscurcd 
much ol thc lront ol thc  housc. Jhc  homc owncrs wcrc assurcd 
that thc sign wouÌd makc "just a smaÌÌ holc in your Ìawn. " 
Io doubt ìl thìs voÌuntccr knockcd on your door, you`d havc 
a colorml  rcsponsc. ^nd,  indccd,  83 pcrccnt ol thc homc owncrs 
passcd  on thc  "opportunity. ¨  But  hcrc's  thc  twist.  ln  a  dihcrcnt 
ncighborhood, thc rcscarchcrs uscd a simplc tcchniquc that morc 
than quadruplcd thc  numbcr ol ycsscs! 
Jhc tcchniquc was rcmarkabÌy subtÌc. Jwo wccks carÌicr,  thc 
samc homc owncrs had bccn approachcd by a voÌuntccr cÌaiming 
to  rcprcscnt  a  dihcrcnt  drivcr-salcty  organization.  Jhcy wcrc 
askcd  to  put  a  tiny  "Bc  a  Salc  Lrivcr"  sign-lcss  than  haÌl thc 
sizc ol a postcard-in thc window ol thcir car or homc. Jhc voÌ-
untccr said thc sign was intcndcd to makc citizcns morc awarc ol 
thc  nccd  to  drivc  carcmÌÌy.  Jhis  sccmcd  such  a  trivia!  commit-
mcnt that aÌmost aÌÌ ol thc homc owncrs said ycs. Jhcir ÌittÌc-ycs 
sccmcd  to  pavc  thc way lor  thc  big-ycs.  Vhcn  thc  rcscarchcrs 
camc back two wccks Ìatcr and askcd thc homc owncrs to instaÌÌ 
thc  cycsorc  bilÌboard,  76  pcrccnt  acccptcd  it.  Irccdman  and 
Irascr caÌÌcd this stratcgy a "loot in thc door¨ tcchniquc. ^cccpt-
ing thc tiny drivcr-salcty sign grcatly incrcascd thc ÌikcÌihood that 
thc homc owncrs wouÌd acccpt thc gigantic drivcr-salcty sign. 
Jhcn thc rcsuÌts  got cvcn  strangcr.  VoÌuntccrs approachcd  a 
third group ol homc owncrs with a dihcrcnt rcqucst. Rathcr than 
bcing prcscntcd with  thc  tiny sign  about  driving salcty,  homc 
owncrs in thc third group wcrc askcd to sign a pctition to "Kccp 
CaÌilornia beautimÌ.¨ Hard to opposc that, so again a!most cvcry-
onc compÌicd.  Jhcn  two wccks Ìatcr, thosc pctition-signcrs wcrc 
approachcd about hosting thc cycsorc biÌÌboard, and haÌl ol thcm 
said ycs! Jhat's threetimesthc acccptancc ratc ol thc homc own-
crs who hadn't signcd thc pctition.  
Jhis rcsuÌt conmscd cvcn  Irccdman and Irascr. Jhcy hadn`t 
1 bU M U T l V Å T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
cxpcctcd  thc  "Kccp  CaÌiIornia  bcautimÌ"  pctition  to  bc a  "Ioot 
in  thc  door"  Ior  a  commitmcnt  to  drivcr`s  saIcty. ¯hc  two  do-
mains  wcrc  compÌctcÌy  unrcÌatcd.  AItcr  somc  rchcction,  thcy 
spcculatcd that thc pctition signing might havc sparkcd a shih in 
thc  homc  owncrs`  own  scnsc  oI idcntity.  Frccdman  and  Frascr 
wrotc, "Cncc jthc homc owncr| has agrccd to thc rcqucst, his at-
titudc may changc, hc may bccomc, in his own cycs, thc kind  oI 
pcrson who  docs  this  sort oI thing, who agrccs to  rcqucsts  madc 
by strangcrs, who  takcs  action  on  things  hc bcÌicvcs  in,  who co-
opcratcs with good causcs. " 
In a scnsc, signing thc pctition bccamc cvidcncc to  thc homc 
owncrs that thcy wcrc ¨conccrncd citizcns," and this subt|c shih 
in idcntity lcd to a shih in thcir bchavior. Jwo wccks Ìatcr, whcn 
thcy wcrc approachcd with thc option to put a biÌÌboard on thcir 
Ìawns, thcy subconsciousÌy askcd thcmscÌvcs ]amcs March`s thrcc 
idcntity qucstions:  whoam1whatkindo¡situationothis?what
uouHsomeone/ikemedointhissituation?II you  considcr your-
scÌI to bc a "ht in with thc ncighbors pcrson," you'ÌÌ dcny thc rc-
qucst.  Il  you  considcr  yourscÌI  to  bc  an  "immacuÌatc  Ìawn 
pcrson," you  might  assauÌt  thc rcscarchcr.  ßut  iI you`rc a ncwÌy 
hatchcd  "conccncd citizcn," you'ÌÌ hnd it honorabÌc to  host thc 
sign. 
6.
Now,  Ìct`s bc cÌcar: Jhc Frccdman-Frascr study is kind oI sÌcazy. 
Vc'Ì| try  to  scparatc thc slcazy part Irom thc  scicncc part. 
Jhc slcazy part is thc dcccption. Jhc homc owncrs arc bcing 
trickcd into doing somcthing stupid.  Nonc  oI thc  othcr cxam-
pÌcs  wc`vc  providcd  oI buiÌding  idcntity  hingcs  on  this  kind  oI 
dcccption.  Is  it dcccptivc  to  pcrsuadc  pcopÌc  to  raÌÌy  bchind  a 
nationaÌ  bird:  Jo  cuÌtivatc  proIcssionaÌ  pridc  in  nurscs!  Jo 
Ü f 0 W Y0 B f F 0 0 g Î 0 ! 6!  
cnCOuta_ccmQ!OyccstOaCtÌÌkcÌnVcntOts:Ll COutsc nOt.ÏOOnc
at DtasÌ!ata WOu!d haVc bccn CÌstutbcd tO hcat thc LÏL say,
`Nctc ttyÌn_ tO_ctyOu tO thÌnkand aCt mOtc ÌIkc an `ÌnVcntOt
bcCausc that WÌÌ! makc Out COmQany mOtc COmQctÌtÌVc and Ìn-
nOVatIVc. ´Åhcyatd-sI_nstudyÌsdIHctcnt: ÏOmc OWnctsWOu!d
Ìndccd haVc bccn Ollcndcd ÌlÍtccdman and Ítasct had COmc
C!can and suÌd, `Nctc askÌn_ yOu tO sÌ_n thIs QctÌtÌOn sO that,
tWOWccksttOm nOW, Wc Can duQcyOu IntO QuttÌn_ a_ÌantbÌ!!-
bOatdOnyOut!aWn. ´
ÍcaVÌn_ asÌdc thc s!caZc laCtOt, tDc sCÌcnCc Olthc bÌ!ÌbOatd
studysays sOmcthÌn_Qtcttytcmatkab!c. ÏtshOWs us that QcOQ!c
atctcCcQtÌVc tO dcVcÌOQÌn_ncW ÌdcntÌtÌcs, thatÌdcntÌtÌcs `_tOW´
ltOm sma!! bc_ÌnnÌn_s. LnCc yOu statt sccÌn_yOutsc!las a `COn-
CcmcdCÌtÌZcn,´yOu!!WanttOkccQaCtÌn_!ÌkcOnc.Åhatsttcmcn-
dOus!y_OOd ncWslOtsOmcOnc !cadÌn_ aChan_c cHOtt. Ïtmcans,
lOtcXamQ!c, thatIlyOuCan shOWQcOQ!cWhythccnVÌtOnmcntÌs
WOtthCatÌn_abOut,ÌtWOnttakcycats lOtthcmtOthÌnkOlthcm-
sc!Vcs as `cnVItOnmcnta!Ìsts.´ÍttOOkOn!yalcWdayslOtthchOmc
OWncts tO thÌnkOlthcmsc!VcsaS`COnCctncdCÌtÌZcns.´
7. 
ÅhctcÌsaQIDbÌcm,thOu_h.PncWIdcntÌtyCantakctOOtQuÌCK!y,
but ÌIVIn_uQ tO It Is aw!!yhatd. ÍOt ÌnstanCc, ÌtQtObab!ytOOk
aWhÌ!cbclOtc DtasÌ!ata´s cmQ!Oyccs Wctc any_OOd at InVcntÌn_.
Pthtst,thcyQtObab!ysttu__!cd tOCOmcuQWÌthan¡su__cstIOns
lOtthcCOmQany, andthcymI_hthaVclcÌt!ÌkcÌmQOstOtsCaÌ!Ìn_
thcmscÌVcs ` InVcntOts. ´
Nc Can cmQathÌZc.Pt dÌHctcnttÌmcsÌ nOutÌÌVcs, bOthOl us
(LhÌQandLan)Wctcut_cdbyOutsÌ_nÌhCantOthctstOtakc sa!sa-
danCÌn_!cssOns.ÅhIs Was nOt Out htst ChOICc OlWcckcnd aCtIVI-
tÌcs,butWca_tccdtO _ÌVcÌtashOt. Åhc lantasyWasan atttaCtÌVc
! 62  M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
onc÷wc couÌd picturc ourscÌvcs with our partncrs, mÌÌ oI passion 
and  artistic  dair,  drawing  cnvious  gÌanccs  Irom  passcrsby.  No 
qucstion. Jhis  "danccr  idcntity¨  had appcaÌ. 
!t did not takc  us  long to  rcaIizc how dccply misguidcd our 
Iantasics wcrc. AÌ too quickÌy,  wc discovcrcd that salsa is a sadis-
tic  styÌc  oI dancing crcatcd  Ior  thc  purposc  oI making  middÌc-
agcd  mcn  Iccl  ridicuÌous.  Salsa  rcquircs  an  array oI scnsual  hip 
movcmcnts that wc Iound structuraÌÌy impÌausibIc. Vc  managcd 
to pcrIorm this bcautimI dancc with aÌÌ thc scductivc Iorcc oI AÌ 
Gorc giving a lap dancc. 
Vc did not continuc with our salsa Ìcssons. 
Hcrc`s thc thing. V!cn you hght to makc your swìtch, cspc-
cialÌy onc that invoÌvcs a ncw idcntity, you and your audicncc arc 
going to havc  SaÌsa Momcnts.  (Oon't worry,  wc'rc  not  going to 
adopt that as a buzz phrasc.) Any ncw qucst,  cvcn onc that is uÌ-
timatcIy succcssml, is  going  to invoÌvc IaiIurc. You can`t lcarn to 
salsa-dancc without IaiÌing. You can't  Ìcarn  to  bc an  invcntor,  or 
a nursc, or a scicntist, without IaiÌing. Mor Lyou Ìcarn u  trans-
Iorm thc  way  products  arc  dcvcÌopcd  in  your  hrm,  or changc 
minds  about  urban  povcrty,  or  rcstorc  Ìoving  communication 
with your spousc, without IaiÌing. And thc EÌcphant rcalÌy, rcaÌIy 
hatcs  to IaiI. 
Jhis  prcscnts  a  diIhcuÌty  Ior  you  whcn  you  arc  trying  to 
changc or whcn you'rc trying to lcad changc. You know that you 
or your audicncc wiÌÌ íæ, and you know that thc IaiÌurc wiÌI trig-
gcr thc "dight" instinct, ]ust Ü thc two oI us dcd our saÌsa Ìcssons. 
How do you kccp  thc  EÌcphant motivatcd whcn it Iaccs  a long, 
trcachcrous road: 
Jhc answcr may sound strangc. You nccd to crcatc thc çec-
tationoI IaiÌurc÷not thc IaìÌurc oI thc mission itscII, but  IaiÌurc 
cn routc. Jhis notion takcs us into  a Iascinating arca oI rcscarch 
that is ÌikcÌy to changc thc way you vicw thc worÌd. 
Ü f 0 W Y0 0 f F 0 0 g Î 0 1 bJ
8. 
Rcad thc IoÌÌowing Iour scntcnccs, and writc down whcthcr you
agrcc or disagrcc with cach oI thcm.
I . You arc a ccrtain kind oI pcrson, and thcrc is not much that
can bc donc to rcaÌly changc that.
2.  Mo mattcr what kind oI pcrson you arc, you can always
changc substantiaÌÌy.
J. You con do things dißcrcntÌy, but thc important parts oI who
you arc can't rcalÌy bc changcd.
4.  You can always changc basic thìngs about thc kìnd oI pcr-
son you arc.
II you agrccd with itcms ¡ and 5,  you`rc somconc who has a
"hxcd mindsct." And iI you agrccd with itcms 2 and 4, you tcnd
to havc a "growth mindsct. " (II you agrccd with both I  and 2, 
you`rc conIuscd.) ^wc`ÌÌ scc, which mindsct you havc can hcÌp
dctcrminc how casy it wiIÌ bc Ior you to handlc laìlurc, and how
doggcd you`ÌÌ bc in pursuing changc. It might cvcn dctcrminc
how succcssIuÌ you arc in your carccr.
PcopÌc who havc a hxcd mindsct bcÌicvc that thcir abiÌitics
arc basicaIÌy static. Maybc you bcÌicvc you`rc a prctty good pub-
Ìic spcmcr, an avcragc managcr, and a wondcrml orgnizcr. Vith
a hxcd mindsct, you bcÌicvc that you may gct a ÌittÌc bit bcttcr or
worsc at thosc skiÌÌs, but basicalÌy your abiÌitics rchcct thc way
you`rc wircd. Your bchavior, thcn, is a good rcprcscntation oI your
naturaÌ abiÌity, ]ust as thc swirIcd-and-snihcd hrst tastc oI winc is
a good rcprcscntation oI thc bottlc you'vc bought.
II you arc somconc with a nxcd mindsct, you tcnd to avoid
chaÌÌcngcs, bccausc iI you IaiÌ, you Icar that othcrs wiÌÌ scc your
IaiÌurc as an indication oI your truc abiÌity and scc you as a Ìoscr
(]ust as a bad hrst tastc oI winc Ìcads you to rcjcct thc bottÌc). You
!64  M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
lcc! thtcatcncd by nc_atIVc lccdbaCk, bcCausc tt sccms as tlthc
CtttICs atc saytn_ thcytc bcttct than yOu, QOstttOntn_ thcmsc!Vcs
at a !cVc! Olnatuta! abtltty ht_hct than yOuts. AOu Ity nOt tO bc
sccncXctttn_tOO muChcHOtt. (ÏcOQ!cWhO atc tcaÌ!y_OOd dOnt
nccd tO tty that hatd, tt_ht¦) Åhtnk abOut tcnnts Q!ayct )Ohn
NCÏntOc as a yOun_ stat-hc had _tcatnatutal ta|cnt but Was
nOtkccn On tt_OtOus QtaCttCc Ot sc!l-tmQtOVcmcnt.
Ín COnttast, QcOQ!c WhO haVc a _tOWth mtndsct bc!tcVc that
abtltttcsatc!tkcmusCÌcs-thcyCanbcbuI!t uQWtthQtaCttCc.¯hat
ts, WtthCOnCcttcdchOtt,yOuCanmakcyOutscllbctIctatWtttIn_
Otmana_tn_OtÌtstcntn_tOyOutsQOusc.Nttha_tOWth mtndsct,
yOu tcnd tO aCCcQt mOtc Cha!¡cn_cs dcsQttc thc tt!k Ollat!utc.
(PÍctal!, Whcn yOu ttyand latl tO !tÍmOtcWct_hIat thc _ym,
yOu dOntWOtty that cVctybOdyWt!lmOCkyOu as a ¨bOtn Wcak-
!tn_.´) AOu scck Out `sttctCh´ asst_nmcnts at WOtK. Pnd yOutc
mOtc tnC|tncd tO aCCcQt CttttCtsm, bcCausc u!ttmatt!y tt makcs
yOubcttct.AOumaynOt bcas _OOdasOthctstt_htnOW, butyOutc
thtnKtn_!On_-tctm, In atOttOtsc-Vctsus-hatc kInd OlWay.ÅhInk
¯t_ctNOOds, WhO WOn ct_ht ma¡Ot ChamQtOnshtQs lastct than
anyOnc tnhIstOtyand thendeciddhissuingneededanooerhaul
ÍtXcd Vctsus _tOWth: NhICh atc yOur Åhts tsnt Onc OlthOsc
LOsmO ÏctsOnaltty[utZZcstnWhtChthctcatcnOWrOn_ansWcts
(`Ptc yOu a LabtadOt tcttIcVct Ot a QOOdlc:´). LatO! LWcCk, a
QtOlcssOtOÍQsyChO!O_yat btanlOtd \ntVctstty, has sQcnthctCa-
tcctstudytn_ thcsc tWO mtndscts-shcts thc sOutCc Olthc tctms.
Pnd hcttcscatChtcsu!tsatc C!cat. ÏlyOuWant tO tcaCh yOut lu!!
QOtcntta!, yOu nccd a _tOWth mtndsct.
LWcCkhasstudtcdhOWthcsctWO mtndsctstnhucnCcthcQct-
lOtmanCcOlLÌymQtC ath!ctcs andVIttuOsO mustCtansandcVcty-
day busIncssQcOQlc. Ín hct must-tcad bOOk Mindset: TheNeu
Ps¡cho/og o/Success, shc makcs an aIttt_ht Casc that a _tOWth
mtndsctWt!lmakcyOumOtcsuCCcssml atalmOstanythIn_.¯hats
Ü f 0 W Y0 U f F 0 0 g Ì 0 l bb
bcCauscQcOQ!cWttha_tOWthmtndsct-thOscWhOsttctChthcm-
sc!Vcs,takcttsks,aCCcQtÍccdbaCk, andtakctbcÌOn_-tctmVtcW-
Cant hc!Q but QtO_tcss tn thctt ÌtVcs and Catccts.
LnCc yOu bcCOmc aWatc OÍthcsc COnCcQts, yOu statt tO sQOt
thchXcd mtndsctcVctyWhctc. LOOkat thcWayWc QtatscOutCbtÌ-
dtcn. `AOutc sO smatt¦´ `AOu atc sO _OOd at baskctba!!l´ ¯bats
mcÌ ÍOtthchXcdmtndsct.A _tOWth mtndsctCOmQ!ImcntQtaÌscs
@ rttathctthannatuta!sktlÌ: ``ÍmQtOudOÍhOWhatdyOuWOtkcd
On that QtO¡cCtl´ `Í COu!d tcÌ! yOu Ìtstcncd tO yOut COaChs COm-
mcnts-yOu tca!!yhadyOutc!bOWundctthOsc¡umQshOtstOday. ´
Lutsa!sa-danCtn_cXQcttcnCcWasaC!asstCcXamQ!cOÍa hXcd
mtndsct ÍatÌutc.PctttyIn_an unÍamt!tatmOVcmcnt ÍOtaWbt!c,
Wc COnCludcd, dchnIttVcly, that Wc Wctc Åctttblc oalsa LanCcts
andWctcbO|nthatWay. PndWc QuttbcCausc!ctttn_OthctQcOQ!c
scc thatnatuta! !aCkOÍabtlttymadc us unCOmÍOttabÌc. oOmcOnc
Wttha_tOWth mIndsctncVctWOuldhaVc¡umQcdtO thtsCOnC!u-
stOn. Ín ÍaCt, thcyncVctWOu!dhaVccXQcCtcd tO b any _OOd at
salsacat!yOn.Åhc mtndsct WOuÍd makc al! thcdIhctcnCc.
¾htCh, OÍCOutsc, QtOmQts an ObVtOus QucsttOn: LanQcOQ!c
WtthahXcd mtndsct!catn tO adOQta_tOWthmtndsct¦
V. 
Ín2OO7, LWcCkandtwOCO!Ìca_ucs, t!t¯tZcsntcWstOÍotanÍOtd
and Ltsa DlaCkwc!! OÍLO!umbta, dcCtdcd tO tun an cXQcttmcnt
On¡ untOt-ht_h-sChOOÌ studcnts. ÏÍtbcy ttaÌncd thc studcnts On
thc_tOWth Intndsct, WOu!d thckÌds_ctbcttctatmath¦
)untOt ht_h ts, as yOuknOW, a tOu_h ttanstttOn ttmc ÍOtktds.
NOstQcOQ!c haVc dcCtdcdÌymIXcd mcmOttcs OÍ¡unIOt ht_h, and
4O QctCcntOÍQcOQ!caCtuaÌ!ytankadOÌcsCcnCcas thc uorstttmctn
thctt!tVcs. (Ïtcsumab!ythcOtbct6O QctCcntdtdnthaVcaCnc.)]ust
as Qubcttybc_tns tO ktCk tn, studcnts mOVc tO ncW sChOO!s Wttb
! oo M U T l V Å T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
hatdcrWOtk and a ncW CtOQ OÍtcaChcts WhO dOnt _tVc thcm thc
Watm ÌndÌVÌdua! attcntÌOn thcy _Ot uscd tO Ìn cÌcmcntaty sChOOl.
]unÌOthÌ_hÌsatutnÌn_QOÌntÍOthcdmÌndsctk|ds: LWcCkÍOund
thatÌnc!cmcntatysChOO!, hcd-mÌndsctstudcntsdOabOutasWc!l
as _tOWth-mÌndsctstudcnts butÌn¡unÌOthÌ_h suHct an ÌmmcdÌ-
atcdrOQ Ìn_tadcs andthcnCOntÌnuctOs!ÌdcÌnthcncXtÍcWycats.
Åhc studcnts Ìn LWcCks study OÍtcn Camc uQ WÌth hXcd-
mÌndsct cXQ!anatÌOns ÍOt thcÌt dcC!Ìnc: `Í am thc stuQÌdcst. ´ `Í
suCkÌn math.´ ÏOtÌCchOWthcytc ta!kÌn_abOutthc|tabÌ!ÌtÌcsas
Qctmancnt ttaÌts, as ÌÍthcy Wctc sayÌn_, `Ny cycs atc btOWn. ´
(Lthct studcnts tcndcd tO Q!aCc thc b!amc c!scWhctc, sayÌn_
thÌn_s !Ìkc `Í dÌdnt dO Wc!Ì bcCausc thc tcaChct Ìs On CtaCk´ Ot
`Nymath tcaChct Ìs a Íat ma!c sÌut.´)
LWcCk and hct CO!!ca_ucs sct uQ a study ÍOt scVcnth-_tadc
math studcnts Ìn a sChOOÌ Whcrc 7º  QctCcnt OÍstudcnts Wctc
c!|_ÌbÌc ÍOt thc ÍcdcraÌ Ítcc ÌunCh QtO_tam-cXaCtly thc kÌnd OÍ
!OWsOCÌOcCOnOmICcnVÌtOnmcHtÌnWhÌChstudcntsutcattÌskÍOt
stattÌn_ a Qattctn OÍ aCadcmÌC ÍaÌ!utc. Åhc COnttO! _tOuQ Was
tau_ht _cnctÌC study skÌ!!s, and thc cXQctÌmcnta| _tOuQ Was
tau_ht thc_rOWth mÌndsct.
Åhc _tOWth-mÌndsct studcntsWctc tau_ht that thc btaÌn Ìs
!Ìkc a musCÌc that Can bc dcVclOQcd WÌth cXctCÌsc-that WÌth
WOtk, thcy COuld _ct smattct. Tcr a!!, LWcCk tO!d thcm, `nO-
bOdy!au_hs at babÌcs andsays hOW dumb thcyatc DcCausc thcy
Cant ta!k.´
LÌasstOOm mcntOrs askcd thc studcnts tO thÌnk abOut skÌ!ls
thcy aÌtcady had !catncd-hcmcmbct Whcn yOu btst stcQQcd
OntO a skatcbOatd OrQ!aycd Guitar1rr6.-and tO tcCal! hOW
QraCtÌCchadbccnthckcytOmastctÌn_thOscskI!!s. btudcntsWctc
tcmÌndcd that `ÏVctythÌn_Ìs hatd bcÍOtc ÌtÌscasy, ´und that thcy
shOu!d ncVct _ÌVc uQ bcCausc thcy dÌdnt mastcr sOmcthÌn_
ÌmmcdÌatc!y. ÍntOta!,thcstudCntsÌnthc_rOWth-mÌndsct_tOuQ
Ü f 0 W Y 0 B f F 0 0 g Ì 0 ! b7
tcCcIVcdtWO hOutsOl`btaInts!tkc amusC!c´ ttaInIn_OVct ct_ht
Wccks.Pnd :hc tcsu!tsr PstOntshIn_.
btudcnts InthcCOnttO!_tOuQWhOWctctau_ht_cncttCstudy
skt!!s stattcd Out thcIr scVcnth-_tadc ycar WIth math _tadcs at
abOut aL+ !cVc!.LVctthc COurscOlthcycat, thcIt_tadcs s!IQQcd
tO aLandthcntOWatdL.Åhc `btaInIs!tkcamusCÌc´ttatnIn_,
hOWcVct, stOQQcd thIss!Idcand tcVctscdIt.Åhc studcntsWhO tc-
CcIVcd ttsI_nIhCant!yOutQcrlOtmcdthcItQccts.
bOmc studcnts madc dtamatIC ttanslOtmattOns. ÍnMindet,
LWcCk tcQOttcd, `Lnc day, Wc Wctc InttOduCIn_ thc _tOWth
mIndsct tO d ncW _tOuQ Olstudcnts. P!! at OnCc ]Immy-thc
mOsthatd-COtc, tutncd-OU !OW-chOrtkIdInthc _tOuQ-!OOkcd
uQ WIth tcats In hIs cycs and saId, AOumcan Í dOnt haVc tO bc
dumb: ÍtOm thatdayOn, hcWOtkcd. Ïcstattcd stayIn_ uQ !atc
tO dO hIs hOmcWOtk, WhtCh hc ncVct uscd tO bOthct WIth at a!Ì.
ÏcstartcdhandIn_InassI_nmcntscat!ysOhcCOu!d_ctlccdbaCk
and tcIsc thcm. Åhcsc kIds nOW bcÌIcVc that WOtkIn_ hatd Was
nOt sOmcthIn_ that madc yOu Vu!nctabÌc, but sOmcthIn_ that
madcyOu smattct. ´
Åhc tcaChcts, unaWarc Olthc cXQcttmcnta! COndtttOns thctt
studcntsWctcassI_ncdtO,WctcaskcdtOIdcntI]thcstudcntsWhO
thcythOu_hthadcXQcttcnCcdaQOsItIVcChan_cdurIn_thcsQtIn_
tctm. bcVcnty-sIXQctCcntOlthc studcntsthcyIdcntIhcdWctctn
thc `btatn Is !Ikc a musC!c´ ttaInIn__tOuQ.
ÅhOsc tcsu!tsWctc dtamatICaÌ!y Out OlQtOQOttIOn WIth thc
IntctVcntIOn Itsc!L Nath Is aCumuÌattVctOQIC, aÍct a!!, and thc
studcnts tn thIs cXQcrImcnt Wctc a!rcadya thItd Olthc Way IntO
thc sQrIn_ tctm. ÅWO hOuts OlInsttuCtIOn, In thc ¡ unIOt-hI_h
sandstOtm OlhOtmOncs and QOQu!atIty and AOuÅubc, shOu!d
haVc had a!! thc ttanslOtmattVc chcCt Olan aÍct-sChOO! !cCtutc
On thc ÍOOd ÏytamId. Ïnstcad, twO hOuts OlttaIntn_ In hOW tO
thInk abOut Intc!!t_cnCc madc studcnts dcmOnsttab!y bcttct at
1 bo M U T î VÅ T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
math. Owcck provcd that thc growth mindsct can bc taught and 
that it can changc livcs. 
1 U. 
!n thc  busincss worÌd, wc impÌicitÌy rc¡cct thc  growth  mindsct. 
ßusincsspcopÌc think in tcrms oI two stagcs: You pÌan, and thcn 
you cxccutc. Jhcrc's no "Ìcarning stagc" or "practicc stagc"  in thc 
middÌc.  From  thc  busincss  pcrspcctivc,  practicc  Ìooks  likc poor 
cccution. Rcsults arc thc thing.  Wdontcarehou ¡adit,¡mtget
itdone!
ßut to  crcatc  and sustain changc, you`vc got  to act  morc  Ìikc 
a coach and Ìcss Ìikc a scorckccpcr. You`vc got to cmbracc a growth 
mindsct  and  instiÌÌ  it  in  your  tcam.  Vhy  is  that  so  critic
¿
I!  ßc-
causc, as Harvard  ßusincss School proIcssor Rosabcth Moss  Kan-
tcr obscrvcs in studying Ìargc organizations, "Lvcrything can Ìook 
Ìikc a IaiÌurc in thc middÌc." PsimiÌar scntimcnt is cxprcsscd by 
marriagc  thcrapist Michclc Vcincr-Oavis,  who  says  that  "rcaÌ 
changc, thc kind that sticks,  is ohcn thrcc stcps Iorard and two 
stcps back." 
II IaiÌurc  is a ncccssary part oI changc,  thcn thc way pcopÌc 
undcrstand  Iailurc  is  criticaÌ. Jhc  lcadcrs  at  lO£C,  thc worÌd`s 
prccmincnt product dcsign hrm, havc dcsigncd products and cx-
pcricnccs ranging Irom thc hrst AppÌc mousc to a ncw Rcd Cross 
blood donation  proccdurc. Jhcy undcrstand thc nccd to prcparc 
thcir cmpÌoyccs-and, morc important, thcir cÌicnts-Ior IaiÌurc. 
`im ßrown, thc CLC oIlOLC, says that cvcry dcsign proccss 
gocs  through  "Ioggy  pcriods. "  Cnc  oI ÏOLC`s  dcsigncrs  cvcn 
skctchcd  out  a  "pro]cct mood  chart"  that  prcdicts  how pcopÌc 
wiÌÌ Iccl at dihcrcnt phascs oI a pro]cct. It`s a L-shapcd curvc with 
a pcak oI positivc  cmotion,  labcÌcd "hopc," at thc bcginning, and 
a sccond  pcak oI positivc cmotion,  ÌabcÌcd  "conhdcncc,"  at  thc 
Ü f 0 W Y 0 B f F 0 0 g Î 0 ! bD
cnd. Ín bcwccn thctwOQcaks Ìs a nc_atÌVc cmOtÌOna!Va!!cy!a-
bc!cd`tnst_ht.´
DtOWn says thatdcsÌ_n Is `tatc!y a _raCcm!!caQltOmhcÌ_ht
tO hcÌ_ht.´ `Nhcn atcam cmbatks OnancWQrO¡cCt, tcam mcm-
bcrs atc h!!cd Wtth hOQc and OQttmÍsm. A thcy start tO COÌ!cCt
data and ObãctVc tca! QcOQ!c sttu__ÌÌn_Wtth cXÌsttn_ QtOduCts,
thcyhndthatncWÌdcassQtÌn_lOtthcUOtt!css!y. ÅhcnCOmcsthc
dImCu!t tasK OlÌ
_
tc_tattn_ a!! thOsc ltcsh Ìdcas IntO a COhcrcnt
ncWdcsÌ_n. PtthÌs `tnst_ht´ sta_c, Ìts casytO _ct dcQtcsscd, bc-
Causc tnst_htdOcsnta!Ways stttKc Ìmmcdtatc!y.
Åhc QtO¡cCtOhcn lccÌs !ÌKca lat!utcÌnthcmÌdd!c. DutÌlthc
tcamQctstststhtOu_hthÌsVa!!cyOlan_standdOubt, ÌtcVcntua¡!y
cmcr_cs WÌth a _rOWÌn_ scnsc Ol mOmcntum. ¯cam mcmbcts
bc_tn tO tcst Out thctr ncW dcsÌ_ns, and thcy tca!Ìzc thc Ìm-
QrOVcmcnts thcyVc madc,andthcyKccQtwcakÌn_ thcdcsÌ_ntO
makcÌtbcttct.PndthcyCOmc tOrcaÌtZc, uevecrackedthis¸ro/-
h.¯hatsWhcn thctcamtcaChcsthc QcakOlCOnhdcnCc.
ÏOtÌCcWhattcam!cadcts at ÌLL\atcdOÌn_WÌththcQcaks-
and-Va!!cy vÌsua!: Åhcy atc CtcatIn_ thc cXQcCtattOn OllaÌ!utc.
Åhcyarctc!!Ín_tcam mcmbcts nOt tO ttustthatÌnttÌaÌ hush Ol
_OOdlcc!Ìn_atthcbc_InnÌn_OlthcQtO¡cCt,bcCauscWhatCOmcs
ncXt Ìs hatdshtQ and tOÌ! and ltusttattOn.Yct, sttan_c!ycnOu_h,
Whcn thçdc!ÌVctthIs Watntn_, ÌtCOmcsaCtOssas o¸timistic.
Åhats thc QatadOXOlthc _tOWth mIndsct.P!thOu_h Ìtsccms
tOdtaWattcntÌOn tO laÌ!utc, and tnlaCtcnCOuta_cs ustOseekout
¡i/ure,ÌtÌsunha__Ìn_ÌyOQtÌmÌsttC. wuidstrugh, ueuid ¡i/,
ueui///eknockeddun-/utthroughout,ueI/get/ettezandue'd
succeedin theend
¯hc_tO\vh mÌndsct,thcn,ÌsabuUcra_atnst dclcatÌsm. Ít tc-
ltamcs laÌ!urcas a natuta! Qatt Olthc Chan_c QtOCcss. Pnd thats
CtttÌCaÌ, bcCausc QcOQ!cWt!!QcrscVcrc On!yÌlthcyQctCctVcla!!Ìn_
dOWn as ha·ningtathctthanas¡i/ing.
I /0 M U T l VÅ T L T h L L L L F h Å N T
Jhìs Ìcsson was Ìcarncd thc hard way by scvcral hospìtaÌs that
wcrc trying to cmbracc a ncw kìnd ol hcart surgcry caÌÌcd "mìn-
ima|ly invasìvc cardìac surgcry" (MICS). ^my Edmondson, a
prolcssor at Harvard ßusìncss SchooÌ, studìcd thc way that sixtccn
hospìtals ìmpÌcmcntcd MlCS.
JraditionaÌ opcn-hcart surgcry is vcry invasìvc. ^ paticnt`s
brcastbonc ìs spÌìt opcn, hìs or hcr bÌood ìs cìrcuÌatcd through a
hcart-Ìung bypass machìnc, and thc hcart is stoppcd. MICS ìs
much lcss invasìvc bccausc ìt aÌlows thc hcart to bc hxcd without
thc chcst bcìng opcncd. Surgcons sncak up to thc hcart through
a smaÌÌ, 3-inch ìncisìon bctwccn two ribs. McanwhìÌc, a tiny
cathctcr wìth a dchatcd balÌoon ìs thrcadcd through thc groìn,
guidcd ìnto thc aorta, and thcn inhatcd, blockìng blood how
lrom thc insidc. Jhc sugcon procccds to opcratc using thc smaÌ|,
crampcd horìzontaÌ spacc bctwccn thc rìbs.
Jhat crampcd opcratìng spacc changcs ccrythìng about thc
surgcry. Vìth opcn-hcart surgcry, thc surgcon b|ocks oh thc aorta
wìth cxtcrnaÌ cÌamps, |ìkc puttìng a Chìp CÌìp on a rcaÌ|y prc-
cìous bag olOorìtos. Mo input ìs nccdcd lrom thc surgìca| tcam.
Vith MICS, thc baÌÌoon gìzmo must act as an ìntcrnaÌ clamp, ìn-
hatìng to block thc how ol bÌood. Jhc surgcon can`t scc it or lccÌ
ìt yct has to inhatc ìt ìn cxact|y thc right p|acc at cxactly thc rìght
prcssurc. Jo accomp|ish thìs, thc surgcon must rcÌy hcavì|y on
thc ancsthcsìoÌogist to monìtor thc path ol thc baÌÌoon as it movcs
toward thc hcart. Cncc thc baÌÌoon is hnal|y in p|acc and inhatcd,
thc work stìlÌ ìsn`t donc. Jhc baÌÌoon`s positìon has to bc moni-
torcd contìnuousÌy to makc surc bÌood ìsn`t howìng past it. A
onc nursc saìd, "Vhcn l rcad thc traìnìng manuaÌ, J  couldn't bc-
Ììcvc it. It was sodìhcrcnt lrom standard cascs. "
Jhc proccdurc rcquircs prccarious mancuvcrs, ìn a lìlc-or-
dcath situatìon, by a tcam mostly blìndcd. Kind oI |ìkc Ìandìng
a ]ct on an aìrcrah carricr at nìght. (Mot that wc know what cìthcr
Ü f 0 W Y0 0 f F 0 0 g Î 0 l 1 1
ol thcsc things lccÌs Ìikc. Vc ]ust picturc both bcing substantiaÌÌy
morc dangcrous than writing a nonhction book.) ßut thcrc`s a
big payoh lor thcsc prccarious mancuvcrs. a Ìot Ìcss suhcring lor
thc paticnts. MICS hcart paticnts go homc lrom thc hospital in
lour days instcad ol cight, and thcy rccovcr mÌly in thrcc wccks
instcad ol two months.
Jhc promisc olMlCS, thcn, ìs that it ohcrs big bcnchts to thc
paticnts ol tcams that adopt it, but onÌy il thc surgcry tcams arc
wiÌÌing to cndurc thc initiaÌ Ìcarning pcriod. Lots ol ncw tcch-
noÌogics rcquìrc this tradc-ou Think ol architccts who stoppcd
crcating drawings by hand and startcd using computcr-aidcd dc-
sign or distributors who Ìcarncd to usc PO^s in thc bcld to track
thcir shipmcnts and dcÌivcrics. Pain now lor a payoh Ìatcr.
Edmondson studicd sixtccn hospitaIs as thcy adoptcd thc ncw
MICS tcchnology. Shc lound that somc hospitals succcssluÌÌy
Ìcarncd and cmbraccd thc ncw tcchniquc, but sccraÌ lailcd and
rctrcatcd back to opcn-hcart surgcry. Vhat shc Ìcarncd about thc
succcssmI and unsucccssluÌ tcams ìs powcrluI tcstìmony to thc
powcr ol thc growth mindsct.
! ! .
Jhc most ct!cctivc tcams tcndcd to adopt what Edmondson
caÌÌcd a "Ìcarning lramc." Mcmbcrs ol thcsc tcams picturcd
MICS as somcthing that wouÌd bc dimcuÌt at brst but would gct
casicr ovcr timc il thcy wcrc opcn to changing how thcy bchavcd
and communicatcd.
^t Mountain Mcdica| Ccntcr, Or. M adoptcd a Ìcarning
lramc. Hc oI¡cn worc a hcad camcra, which aÌÌowcd thc tcam to
scc what was going on, and hc cncouragcd qucstions about what
hc was doing and why. Hc aÌso madc surc his tcam practiccd
diÌigcntÌy. !c dcÌibcratcÌy schcduÌcd thc hrst six MICS cascs in
! 7¿ M U T î V Å T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
the same week, so team members cou|d practice repeatedly, with
no chance oF íorgetting what they were learning in the lag times
between cases. He also ensured that the same team would be to-
gether on the hrst hheen cases. Aer that, he added new mem-
bers one at a time, so each new person couId Iearn without
introducing much risk to the procedure. Mountain Medical Cen-
ter had great success using MICS, and this success can be attrib-
uted to the growth mindset. Dr. M put the Focus on practice, he
acted as a coach, and he set up the routines to allow the maxi-
mum chances to learn and improve.
Òther hospitals abandoned their adoption ol MICS. At
Decorum Hospital, the chieí cardiac surgeon, Dr. D, was moti-
vated to adopt MICS For competitive reasons. "Ve`d like every-
one to know we can do it. It`s a marketing thing. Patients want
to know we can do it. " His team members talked about adopting
the procedure to "keep up with the |oneses" (the other large hos-
pitals in the area) . MICS, then, was seen almost like a desirable
new toy to be acquired~especially since a|l the cool kids had
one.
Dr. O ended up implementing the procedure in a unique
way: He continued to split the breastbone oF his patients, albeit
with a smaller incision. Òne oí his nurses remarked, "Dr. D is a
creature oí habit." And the old habits eventually won out. The use
oí the new procedure gradually dwindled, and eventually it was
abandoned.
Across the hospitals she studied, Edmondson íound that the
teams who íailed made the mistake oí trying to "get it right on the
hrst try" and were motivated by the chance to "períorm, to shine,
or to execute períectly. " ßut oí course no one "shines" on the hrst
íew tries~this mindset set the teams up íor íailure. ßy contrast,
the successml teams íocused on learning. They didn't assume that
Ü f 0 W Y 0 0 f F 0 0 g Î 0 ! 7J
mastcry wouId comc quickIy, and thcy anticipatcd that thcy'd
Iacc cha|Icngcs. In thc cnd, thcy wcrc thc oncs who wcrc morc
|ikcly to gct it right.
Failing ìs oItcn thc bcst way to lcarn, and bccausc oI that,
car|y Iai|urc is a kind oI ncccssary invcstmcnt. A Iamous story
about IßM makcs that point wc||. In thc I º60s, Û cxccutivc at
IßM madc a dccision that cndcd up |osing thc company $! 0 mil-
|ion (about $70 mi||ion in 200º do||ars) . Jhc CEC oI!ßM, Jom
Vatson, summoncd thc ohcnding cxccutivc to his omcc at cor-
poratc hcadquartcrs. Jhc ] ourna|ist IauI ß. Carro|l dcscribcd
what happcncd ncxt.
^ thc exccutivc cowcrcd, Vatson askcd, "Oo you know
why I'vc askcd you hcrc:"
Jhe man rcp|icd, "I assumc I'm hcrc so you can hrc
mc."
Watson lookcd surpriscd.
"Firc you:" hc askcd. "CI coursc not. I just spcnt
$I0 million cducating you. "
! Z.
In I ºº5, Mo||y Howard, a |ongtimc spccia| cducation tcachcr in
LouisvilIc, Ccorgia, watchcd as thc ncw |chcrson County High
Schoo| bui|ding was bcing buiIt.
"Evcry day I`d drivc by thc bui|ding, and I`d wondcr, `Vho's
gonna run that schoo|:' And it kcpt tugging at mc, `Vhy don't
¡ouapp|y:` " Howard said.
Shc appIicd and got thc ]ob, but with thc promotion camc a
vcry tough cha||cngc. Eighty pcrccnt oI thc schooI's studcnts |ivcd
in povcrty. CnIy I 5 pcrccnt oI studcnts in thc prcvious high
I /4 M U T l V Å T L T h L L L L P h Å N T
school had continucd on to colIcgc. "Jhc kids you'd cxpcct to bc
succcssml wcrc succcssIul," said Howard. "ßut what about thc
othcr 85 pcrccnt:"
Many tcachcrs had a ncarly dcIcatist attitudc. "Jhcrc was this
bclicI that somc childrcn canand somc childrcn cant.Jhat wc'rc
hcrc Ior thc oncs that can gct it, and wc'vc got to acccpt that wc`rc
going to losc somc. I kncw I`d havc to challcngc that," said
Howard.
Howard actcd quickly. Iirst, shc had to scll a ncw idcntity.
Howard bclicvcd that cvcry studcnt could aspirc to go to coÌlcgc,
so shc abolishcd thc school`s two-track systcm that had scparatcd
"collcgc-bound" studcnts Irom "vocational" studcnts. In hcr
school, cvcryonc wouÌd sharc thc collcgc-bound idcntity.
Shc bccIcd up asscssmcnts and tutorial programs. Shc
matchcd studcnts with tcachcrs who'd bc thcir "on-campus ad-
viscrs" through a|l Iour ycars. Pcrhaps hcr most distinctivc changc,
though, was to thc grading systcm. Lndcr hcr ncw systcm thc
only gradcs oIIcrcd at |chcrson County High School wcrc. A, ß,
C, and MY.
Mot Yct.
In Howard's vicw, thc studcnts at |chcrson had acccptcd a
"culturc oI Iailurc. " In a hxcd-mindsct way, thcy actcd as though
thcy wcrc Iailurcs to thc bonc. Studcnts oItcn didn't do thcir
homcwork, or thcy turncd in shoddy work. Gctting a O or an I
was an casy way out in a way. Jhcy might gct a poor gradc, but
at lcast thcy would bc donc.
In thc ncw systcm, thc studcnts couldn`t stop until thcy'd
clcarcd thc bar. "Vc dchnc up Iront to thc kids what`s an A, ß,
and C," said Howard. "II thcy do substandard work, thc tcachcr
will say, `Mot Yct. ` . . . Jhat givcs thcm thc mindsct. M¡ teacher
thinksIcando /ener. It changcs thcir cxpcctations. '
Jhc school was rcborn. Studcnts and tcachcrs bccamc morc
Ü f 0 W Y0 0 f F 0 0 g Î 0 ! 75 
cngagcd, thc schoo|'s graduation ratc incrcascd dramatica||y, and
studcnt tcst scorcs wcnt up so much that rcmcdia| courscs wcrc
c|iminatcd. In 2008, thc Mationa| Association ol Sccondary
Schoo| Principa|s dcc|arcd Howard thc L. S. Principa| ol thc Ycar,
out ol 48,000 candidatcs.
Howard translormcd hcr studcnts. Shc cu|tivatcd a ncw idcn-
tity in thcm. Iou're adcodege-/oundstudnts.Jhcn shc hippcd
|chcrson lrom a hxcd-mindsct schoo| to a growth-mindsct
schoo|. Shc bc|icvcd that cvcry studcnt was capab|c ol doing ac-
ccptablc work, that no studcnt was doomcd to lailurc. Jhcrc`s no
"ncvcr" at |chcrson anymorc, only a "Mot Yct."
I 3.
In timcs ol changc, wc nccd to rcmind oursc|vcs and othcrs, again
and again, ol ccrtain basic truths. Cur brains and our abi|itics arc
|ikc musc|cs. Jhcy L bc strcngthcncd with practicc. Vc`rc not
born skatcboardcrs or scìcntists or nurscs, wc must |carn how to
skatcboard, do scicncc, or carc lor sick pcop|c. And our inspira-
tion to changc oursclvcs comcs lrom our dcsirc to |ivc up to thosc
idcntitics.
In thc story ol Mo||y Howard, wc scc that amazing things can
happcn whcn you combinc thc aspiratìon ol a ncw idcntity with
thc pcrsistcncc ol thc growth mindsct. Jhat`s how you grow your
pcop|c.
Cvcr thc past lcw chaptcrs, wc`vc sccn that thc ccntra|
cha||cngc ol changc is kccping thc E|cphant moving lorward.
Vcrcas thc Ridcr nccds dircction, thc E|cphant nccds motiva-
tion. And wc'vc sccn that motivation comcs lrom lcc|ing~
know|cdgc isn`t cnough to motivatc changc. ßut motivation a|so
comcs lrom conhdcncc. Jhc E|cphant has to bc|icvc that it`s ca-
¸a//e ol conqucring thc changc. And thcrc arc two routcs to
l 1b m Ü 1 Î VP 1 L 1 H L L L L F H P N 1
buiÌding pcoplc`s conhdcncc so that thcy lccÌ "big" rcÌativc to
thcir chalÌcngc. You can shrink thc changc or grow your pcoplc
(or, prclcrabÌy, both).
Cur picturc ol changc is stiII incompÌctc, though. bccausc it`s
cÌcar that in somc situations cvcn a rcÌuctant LÌcphant and a con-
mscd Ridcr wiÌÌ managc to changc thcir bchavior. For instancc,
considcr thc lact that cvcn a Ìost, angry drivcr who is hopcÌcssly
Ìatc lor an appointmcnt wiÌÌ stop dutimÌÌy lor a rcd |ight.
Jhat`s why, to makc changcs stick, wc`vc got to think about
shaping thc Path.
S H AP £
T h £
PAT H
b
1WEðk IhE bDVÌI0D0EDI
!.  
Ñhcn  somc  guy  cuts  you  oh ìn tramc,  you probably thìnk,  ìn-
stìnctìvcly.  Wdl d jcrk. (Lr pcrhaps your ìnncr voìcc ìs morc vul-
gar.)  Ñhat you  almost  ccrtaìnly don´t  thìnk  to yourscll ìs,  Õc:h,
Í ucndr uhdl: urcn_ lhdl hc :: :n :uch d hurQ.
Ìr´s  not hard  to  scc why  wc  don´t dìnk dat-ìt sccms kìnd ol 
naìvc,  as  ìl wc´rc  makìng  an  cxcusc  lor  a  bad  pcrson.  But  thìnk 
about your own bchavìor. Jhìnk ol a tìmc whcn you wcrc drìv-
ìng so crazìly that odcrs would havc  bccn j ustìhcd to cursc you. 
Ñas your cr.tp drìvìng on dat day a manìlcstatìon ol your truc 
charactcr (ì.c., you'rc a jcrk to dc corc): Lr was ìt sparkcd by thc 
sìtuatìon you wcrc ìn: 
In dc vcry hrst story ìn  Chaptcr  I-about movìcgocrs who 
atc morc popcorn whcn gìvcn bìggcr buckcts-wc saw how casy 
ìt  can  bc  to  jump  to  conclusìons  about  pcoplc.  Il wc  hadn't 
known about dc chcct ol buckct sìzc, ìt would havc bccn casy to 
l oU b H P F L 1 H L F P 1 H
conc|udc that thc big-buckct pcop|c wcrc Popcom-Corging G|ut-
tons. ßut ol coursc thc surprising part ol thc study is that, whcn
you givc pcop|c a giant buckct, thcy /ecomePopcorn-Gorging
G|uttons. And whcn somconc bchind thc whccl ol a car is twcnty
minutcs |atc lor a crucìa| appointmcnt, that pcrson /ecomesa tcr-
rib|c drivcr. Vhat |ooks |ikc a pcrson prob|cm is oncn a situa-
tion prob|cm.
Jhc samc phcnomcnon ho|ds truc in thc busincss wor|d. Ñ
Edwards Ocming, thc chicl instigator ol thc Jota| Qua|ity Man-
agcmcnt movcmcnt that rcvo|utionizcd manulacturing, to|d a
story about a company that uscd a varicty ol hammablc products
in its production proccss. Lnsurprisingly, hrcs lrcqucntly brokc
out in its p|ants. ßut thc prcsidcnt ol thc company didn't think
hc had a situation prob|cm, hc thought hc had a pcrson prob-
|cm. Hc scnt a |cttcr to cvcry onc ol thc company`s ! 0,500 cm-
ployccs, ¸/eadinguiththemtoset /uer/res. Ahcm. (Vhat |ooks
|ikc a pyromania prob|cm ìs oltcn a hammab|c chcmica|
prob|cm.)
Vc arc lrcqucnt|y b|ind to thc powcr ol situations. ln a la-
mous artic|c, Stanlord psycho|ogist Lcc Ross survçcd dozcns ol
studics in psycho|ogy and notcd that pcop|c havc a systcmatic
tcndcncy to ignorc thc situationa| lorccs that shapc othcr pco-
plc`s bchavior. Hc cal|cd this dccp-rootcd tcndcncy thc "Funda-
mcnta| Attribution Lrror." Jhc crror |ics in our inc|ination to
attributc pcop|c`s bchavior to theua¡ thçarerather than to the
simationth
ç
arein.
Jhc FundamcntaI Attribution Error comp|icates human rc-
|ationships. Marriagc thcrapist Michclc Vcincr-Oavis said, "Most
pcop|c attributc thcir marital problcms to somc dccp|y cngraincd
pcrsona|ity charactcristics ol thcir spousc. " A wilc might say, "My
husband is a stubbom pcrson. " ßut Vcincr-Oavis might rcspond.
"You`vc got to admit that your husband isn`t a/ua¡sstubborn. Hc
Twe a k I h e b n v Í r o a m e a I ! 8I
doesn't resist when his coworkers suggest a new client approach
at work. And he doesn't drag his Feet when you propose new ways
to handle the Family's hnances. The stubbornness emerges mainly
when you suggest a new approach with the kids at home÷and
when you do that, he is stubborn almost every time. It's the sit-
uation, not an immutable stubbornness built into his character,
that produces the behavior. " (This doesn't excuse his stubborn-
ness, oF course, but it should provide hope For a solution, since
situations should be easier to tweak than people`s core character.)
The Fundamental Attribution Error is the reason why we love
Jshows like !heDogwhis¸ereror Su¸e¬ann¡in which seem-
ingly irredeemable dogs and kids are tamed by outsiders who come
in with a new system oF discipline. At the beginning oF the
episodes, we're presented with a dog that bites everything in sight,
or a child who won't obey the simplest oF commands, and we sim-
ply ct avoid jumping to conclusions about their character. That
dog is vicious. That boy is a terror. And when they're reFormed, in
the course oF a short intervention, it blows our minds.
IF we could cure ourselves oF the Fundamental Attribution
Error, these shows would seem obvious to the point oF absurdity.
(It would be like watching a show whose premise was that iF you
take scalding-hot liquids~dangerous and slippery~and stick
them in the I¡eezer For a long time, they renounce their hery For-
mer selves and tu¬toice')
Þow you can see why the third element oF our Framework,
the Path, is so critical. IF you want people to change, you can pro-
vide clear direction (Rider) or boost their motivation and deter-
mination (E|ephant) . Alternatively, you can simply make the
journey easier. Create a steep downhill slope and give them a
push. Remove some Friction From the trail. Scatter around lots
oF signs to te|l them they're getting close.
In short, you can shape the Path.
l o¿ b H P F L J H L F P 1 H
¿. 
¯o scc how a smoothcr Iath can changc bchavior, considcr somc
rcscarch that studicd why coÌlcgc studcnts did (or didn't) donatc
lood to a canncd-lood drivc lor charity. Jhc rcscarchcrs kncw
somc studcnts wouÌd bc morc charitablc and gcncrous than
othcrs and wouÌd bc morc incÌincd to donatc lood. Jhc
rcscarchcrs wondcrcd: Canuea/te·thesituationsothat¸e·ksgiie,
too·
£irst, to distínguish "saints¨ lrom "jcrks, " thcy poIlcd aIÌ thc
studcnts in a particuÌar dorm, asking thcm to asscss which ol thcir
dorm-matcs (out ol roughÌy onc hundrcd) wcrc m»st/ikegand
hast/ikeçto makc a donation. Cncc thcy compi|cd thosc rank-
ings, thcy had a prctty good idca ol which studcnts wcrc charita-
bÌc or uncharitabÌc typcs.
Jhcn thcy a|tcrcd thc Iath. Somc studcnts rcccivcd a basic
Ìcttcr announcing thc launch ol a lood drivc thc loÌÌowing wcck
and asking thcm to bring canncd lood to a booth on Jrcssidcr
Ilaza (a wclÌ-known spot on campus) . Cthcr studcnts rcccivcd a
morc dctaiÌcd Ìcttcr, which incIudcd a map to thc prccisc spot, a
rcqucst lor a can ol bcans, and Ü suggcstion that thç think about
a timc whcn thcy'd ordinari|y bc ncar Jrcssidcr I|aza so thcy
wouldn`t havc to go out ol thcir way to gct thcrc.
Jhc two Ìcttcrs wcrc randomly scnt to thc saints and thc ]crks.
A wcck latcr, ahcr thc lood drivc was ovcr, thc rcscarchcrs had a
prccisc Ìist ol who had givcn lood and who hadn't.
Studcnts who rcccivcd thc basic Ìcttcr wcrc not vcry gcncr-
ous. Cnly 8 pcrccnt ol thc saints donatcd and not a singÌc onc ol
thc ]crks. So lar, thc jcrks wcrc living up to thcir rcputation (but
thc saints wcrcn't cxactÌy outpcrlorming) .
Jhcn camc thc shock. Studcnts who rcccivcd thc morc dc-
taiÌcd lcttcr wcrc substantialÌy morc charitabÌc. 42 pcrccnt ol thc
saints donatcd, and so did 25 pcrccnt ol thc ]crks! Jhis is an
Twe a k I h e L n v Ì f 0 n m e n I ì t1 
inspiring rcsult. Jhcsc rcscarchcrs got 25 pcrccnt oI thc uorstin-
diiidua/inthedormto donatc simpÌy by smoothing thc Iath a 
bit.  (ßottom Ìinc. II you`rc hungry and nccd a can oI Iood, you'rc 
thrcc timcs bcttcr-oh rcÌying on a jcrk with a map than on a bud-
ding young saint without onc.) 
Vhat`s morc, thc Iath wasn't changcd in any dramatic way÷
thc Ìcttcr ¡ust gavc modcratcÌy morc concrctc instructions. !maginc 
what wouÌd havc happcncd with  a morc aggrcssivc  intcrvcntion. 
Vhat iI voÌuntccrs had gonc door-to-door coÌlccting thc canncd 
Iood: 
Vhat Ìooks likc a pcopÌc problcm  is ohcn  a situation  prob-
Ìcm. And no mattcr what your rolc  is,  you`vc  got somc controÌ 
ovcr thc situation. 
3.
¯oday, as you go through your day,  noticc how many timcs pco-
p|c havc twcakcd thc cnvironmcnt to shapc your bchavior. JraI-
hc cnginccrs wantcd you to drivc in a prcdictab|c, ordcrÌy way,  so 
thcy paintcd Ìanc  markcrs  on  thc  roads  and instaÌlcd stopÌights 
and  road  signs.  Groccry  storc  managcrs wantcd  you  to  spcnd 
morc timc in  thcir storc, so thcy  positioncd thc mi|k cooÌcrs aÌÌ 
thc way at thc back. Your boss`s boss wantcd to  cncouragc morc 
coïïa0oration among cmpïoyccs, so shc approvcd an  `opcn door 
pÌan"  Ìayout with no cubiclcs or dividcrs. Jhc bank was  tircd oI 
your Ìcaving your AJM card in thc machinc, so now thc machinc 
Iorccs you to rcmovc it bcIorc you can cÌaim your cash. 
Jwcaking thc cnvironmcnt is  about  making thc  right bchav-
iors a Ìitt|c bit casicr and thc wrong bchaviors a ÌittÌc  bit hardcr. It's 
that simpÌc. As an inspiration, think about Amazon's  ! -CÌick or-
dcring. Vith onc-tcnth thc chort oI diaÌing a phonc numbcr, you 
can  buy a ncw book or  OVO. JaÌk about instant gratihcation. 
! 84 b H P F L J H L F P J H
Amazon's site designers have simply made a desired behavior-
you spending money on their site~a little bit easier. 1hey've low-
ered the bar to a purchase as Far as humanly possible (at least until
they launch " I -ßlink Òrdering"). ßy doing this, they've generated
untold millions oF dollars in incremental revenue.
The opportunities are endless For simple, I -Click-style tweaks.
A Few years ago, a consultant named Peter ßregman was asked to
help a management consulting hrm with an administrative prob-
lem. Lmployees weren't submitting their time shects on time,
which slowed the hrm's billing because charges to clients were
based on hours worked. Traditionally, the consultants had sub-
mitted their time sheets on paper, and they'd done so pretty reli-
ably. Then the hrm developed an online time-sheet tool.
Consultants weren't using it. The executives held education cIasses
to explain the new tool, but people kept on submitting their time
sheets on paper.
Irustrated, the executives tried using hat power, announcing
that the new online tool was mandatory. ¨That worked For about
halF oF the employees, " said ßregman. "The rest simply ignored
it." The executives were ready to escalate the battlc. They pre-
pared a memo saying that people wouldn't get their paychecks
unless they used the online tool. (Side note. ln our experience,
people who are trying to change things ohen reach instinctively
For carrots and sticks. ßut this strategy indicates a pretty crude
view oF human behavior~that people act only in response to
bribes and punishments. And it quickly becomes absurd. Are you
going to break out the ¨no paycheck" stick For every change you
want to make in your workplace`)
ßregman put the brakes on. ¨Vait," he said. "Do we know uþ
people aren't doing the online time sheet`" The executives assumed
that the consultants were Iuddites or simply obstinate~classic
T we a k I h e L n v Ì r o n m e n I ! bb
|abc|s inspircd by thc Iundamcnta| ^ttribution Error. ßrcgman
pcrsuadcd thc cxccutivcs to do a bit morc invcstigation.
Jhc cmp|oyccs who turncd in papcr timc shccts wcrc askcd
why thcy wcrcn't using thc on|inc tool. Iapcr was casicr, mcy said.
Skcptica|, thc intcrvicwcrs askcd il thcy could obscrvc thc cm-
p|oyccs whi|c thcy hl|cd out thc onlinc timc shcct. Jhc rcsu|ts
wcrc tc||ing.
Lots ol cmployccs startcd grousing as soon as thcy cncoun-
tcrcd thc "w.zard" that was bui|t into thc on|inc too|. Ironica||y,
thc wizard was intcndcd to hc|p pcopIc h|| out thc lorm. Jhink
ol thc annoying papcr c|ip guy in Microson Cmcc who wants to
hclp you writc a |cttcr. Mow imaginc that you havc no choicc but
to acccpt his "hclp. " Vhcn thc cxccutivcs ki||cd thc wizard, a|-
|owing pcoplc to skip dircct|y to thc lorm itsclI comp|iancc ratcs
rosc immcdiatcly, and wìthin a lcw wccks cvcryonc was using thc
on|inc tool.
"Icop|c wcrcn't bcing dchant," said ßrcgman. Jhcy wcrc ] ust
procccding on thc casicst Iath.
Vhat`s sad|y typica| about this story is that thc cxccutivcs
didn't initia||y |ook lor a Iath so|ution. Instcad, thcy wantcd to
spook thc E|cphant by thrcatcning to withho|d a paychcck. ßrcg-
man says thcy wcrc mcnta||y stuck. " `Vc||, ! a|rcady askedthcm
to do it. I taughtthemhow to do it. I to/dthem thcy had to do
it. ! don`t know what c|sc to do!' " ^t that point, thc cxccutivcs
lc|t thcy`d tricd cvcry too| in thcir toolbox, so thcy ] umpcd to
punishmcnts.
"Vc`rc taught to locus on inccntivcs by our busincss back-
ground," says ßrcgman. "Cr cvcn our parcnts. `Oo this or you
won`t gct your a||owancc'` " ßut cxccutivcs÷and parcnts-hcn
havc morc too|s than thcy think thcy havc. Il you changc thc
path, you`|| changc thc bchavior.
! 8b 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
L L Î M Î L
L80 Y00 Ü0I Ff00Î0m bI0000I5 I0 L0m0 I0
Ll855 00 1Îm0Î
5lTUATlON b8|I M|||8|, 80 Å06||C80 0|5I0Q I68C06| 8I ||0C0|0 h|g0 bC000| | 0
Î0R|80ü, Ü|6g00, |5 Í|05I|816ü 0y 8 Í6W 0Í 0|5 5I0ü60I5, ||K6 K000y 80ü 660I, W00
Í|6q060I|y 8|||v6 |8I6 80ü I060 5|I |0 I06 08CK 0Í I06 |000, I8|K|0g I0 68C0 0I06|
80ü |80g0|0g 80ü ü|5|0µI|0g I06 C|855. M|||8| 085 I||6ü g6H|0g I00g0 WÌI0 I060~
06Ì0g 5I||CI 80ü 6v60 560üÍ0g I060 I0 I06 µ||0C|µ8| 8 Í6W I|065. N0I0|0g 56605
I0 W0|K. W08I C80 06 ü0 I0 g6I I0656 5I0ü60I5 00ü6| C00I|0|¹ [b8R M|| |8| 80ü I06
5|I08I|00 8|6 |68|, 00I I06 K|ü5 08065 8|6 ü|5g0|56ü.]
WHAT'5 THE 5WlTCH AND WHAT'5 HOLDl NG lT 8ACK? |Í M|||8|
I||65 I0 g6I K000y 80ü 6601 I0 ` 8CI | | K6 00ü6| 5I0ü60I5, ` 06|| 06 ü0006ü I0 Í8| | .
L6I`5 Í0C05 00 I06 C||I|C8| 00v6' M| | | 8| W80I5 K000y 80ü 660I I0 06 |0 I06Í| 568I5
06Í0|6 I06 C|855 5I8R5. |Í 06 0808g65 I0 50CC66ü W|I0 I08I |00 508|| Í68I), 06 C80
K66µ 500W08|||0g I06 C080g6.
W08I`5 00|ü|0g 08CK I06 5W|IC0! |6I5 Í8C6 |I, I0Ì5 µ|0080|y |50I 8 K|ü6| µ|00·
|60. K000y 80ü 660I K00W 6k8CI|y W060 I06y`|6 50µµ056ü I0 06 |0 I06|| 568I5, 50
W6 W00I 6v60 I0|0K 8000I I06 K|ü6|. ÌI`5 80 b|6µ080I µ|00|60. 106 K|ü5 8|60`I 60·
I0056ü 8000I 500W|0g 0µ 00 I|06, 65p6C|8||y |Í ü0|0g 50 06805 |655 I|06 080g·
|0g 00I W|I0 I06|| Í||60ü5 |0 I06 08||W8y5. 106 Î8I0 0|g0I 8|50 µ|8y 8 |0|6. Å|6
I06|6 85µ6CI5 0Í I06 60v||00060I 0| C0|I0|6 I08I 08K6 |I 685|6| Í0| I06 K|ü5 I0 g6I
8W8y W|I0 I06|| I8|ü|0655!
HOW DO WE mAKE THE 5WlTCH?
° ÜÍ/ECI IOE KÍOE/. NÍP. Û6 I6605 K00W W08I |5 6kµ6CI6ü 0Í I060.
° ßOI/vðIE lOE cÌEÇOð0l. Î. ÎÍß0 IB6 Í66lÌßg. M8y06 I06 K|ü5 566 M|||8|
85 80 805I|8CI 80I00||Iy Í|gu|6 |8I06| I080 85 8 0u080 06|0g. |08g|06 8 006-00·
006 C00v6|58I|00 W|I0 68C0 K|ü |0 W0|C0 M| | |8| 58y5, | Í66| 5I|6556ü 00I 06C8056
! 8b 5 H Å F L T H L F Å T H
LL Î M Î L
LB0 Ý0d Ü0I Ff00l0m åId000I5 I0 L0m0 I0
LlB55 00 1Îm01
bl TUÆTlÖM Ba|t M|l l ar, an American h|story teacher at |incoln high School in
Po|tland, 0regon, is !rust|ated by a !ew o! h|s students, ||ke Robby and Kent, who
!requent|y arr|ve late and then s|t | n the back o! the room, talking to each other
and laughing and d|srupt|ng the c|ass. M|l |ar has tr|ed gett|ng tough w|th them~
be|ng str|ct and even send|ng them to the pr|ncipa| a !ew times. Wothing seems
to work. What can he do to get these students under contro|! [Ba|t Mil|ar and the
s|tuation are real, but the kids' names are d|sgu|sed.]
WHÆT'b THb bWlTCH ÆMÖ WHÆT'b HÖLÖl MÖ l T BÆCKT |! Mi|lar
tr|es to get Robby and Kent to act ||ke model students, he'|l be doomed to !ai|.
Let's !ocus on the cr|t|ca| move. Mi|lar wants Robby and Kent to be | n the|r seats
be!ore the c|ass sta|ts. |! he manages to succeed w|th that (no smal| !eat), he can
keep snowba||ing the change.
What's hold|ng back the sw|tch! Let's !ace it, this p|obably isn't a Rider p|ob·
lem. Robby and Kent know exact|y when they're supposed to be |n their seats, so
we won't even th|nk about the Rider. |t's an E|ephant problem. Te kids aren't en·
thused about show|ng uµ on t|me, espec|a||y |! do|ng so means less t|me hang·
|ng out w|th the|r !r|ends in the ha|lways. Te Path m|ght a|so p|ay a role: Are
there aspects o! the env||onment or culture that make |t eas|er !or the kids to get
away with the|r tardiness!
HÖW ÖÖ Wb NÆKb THb bWîTCHT
º Üll0Cl lO0 hl00l. NÌÅ. Te teens know what |s expected o! them.
º NOllvdl0 lO0 Ll0ÇOdDl. 1 . ÎÍß0 I0e Í66ÌÍßg. Maybe the k|ds see M|l|ar
as an abstract authority !|gure rather than as a human be|ng. |mag|ne a one·on·
one conversat|on with each kid | n which Mi|lar says, ¨| !eel stressed out because
1W 6 ð k I h 6 L B V Î f 0 B m 6 B I I d1
|'m expected to cove| so much mate|ia| in so |itt|e t|me. And that's how |'m
¡udged. And | know you don't th|nk it's a b|g dea| when you'|e a !ew mi nutes |ate,
but it makes my chances o! do|ng a good ¡ob ha|de| and ha|de|. Can you do me
a !avo| and ¡ust get he|e a second o| two ea||y! ¨ 0epending on the kids' empa·
thy |eve|, this might wo|k. 0|, mo|e ||ke|y, !ai| utte||y.
º J08µP l0P r8l0. 1 . 1W6ðk Iß6 6BVÌf0Bm6BI. Lock the doo| when the be||
|ings so |atecome|s a|e stuck |n the ha| |way. ¿. buÌÌ0 ßð0ÍIS. Sta|t having a da||y
qu|z with one o| two qu|ck questions at the beginning o! eveq c|ass. |! Robby and
Kent a|en`t p|esent to take the quiz, they'|| !ai|. J.KðÌÌÿ Iß6 ß6f0. Post a c|ass
"on·t|me" |eco|d on the wa||. Maybe when Robby and Kent see that they'|e the
on|y students vio|ating the socia| no|m Io be on time, they'|| change the|| ways.
4. buÍÌ0 ßð0ÌIS. Set a po||cy that the |ast student in h|s o| he| seaI eve|y day
wi|| be asked to answe| the !i|st question. >. KðÌÌÿ Iß6 ß6f0. ||nd a way to |et
Robby and Kent know that the 0l00I 5lU000D dis|ike what they'|e do|ng (as they
a|most ce|ta|n|y do). 0!ten t|oub|emakets have the i| |usion that thei| de!|ant be·
havio| makes them !o|k he|oes. They can be de!|ated quick|y by !|ank pee| !eed·
back. b.1W6ðk Iß6 6BVÌf0Bm6BI. 0o what Ba|t M|||a| actua||y d|d. he bought
a used couch and put it |ight at the !|ont o! the c|ass|oom. lt was |mmed|ate|y
obvious that this couch was the coo| p|ace to sit¬students cou|d s|ouch and
|e|ax |nstead o! s|tt|ng at a do|ky desk. Sudden|y Robby and Kent staded gett|ng
|o c|ass 08r/yeve|y day so they cou|d ¨get a good seat.¨ Î00y w0I0 90ÌU0l00O0g
l0 5ll 8l l00 Ím0l 0Í l00 CÌ855I000. 6en|us.
4.
Bccky Rìchards workcd at  Kaìscr  South  Sæ  Francìsco  !ospìtal, 
whcrc nurscs admìnìstcr about cìght hundrcd mcdìcatìons a day. 
"Ncdìcatìon  admìnìstratìon¨  ìs what happcns  bctwccn  thc  tìmc 
a  doctor  prcscrìbcs  a  ccrtaìn  mcdìcatìon  (such  as  ! 00 mg  ol 
ìbuprolcn)  and  thc  patìcnt  rcccìvcs  ìt.  Ìurscs  takc  thc  doctor's 
l oo b H P F L 1 H L F P 1 H
chickcn-scratch prcscription, transcribc it so it's ÌcgibÌc, thcn lax
thc ordcr to thc pharmacy. Vhcn thc mcdication arrivcs lrom
thc pharmacy, thcy dcÌivcr it ìn thc right dosagc by thc right
mcthod (IV drip, in]cction, oralIy) to thc right paticnt at thc right
timc.
Murscs havc an imprcssivc accuracy rccord. Cn avcragc, thcy
commit approximatcÌy ! crror pcr I ,000  mcdications adminis-
tcrcd. StiÌÌ, givcn thc hugc vo|umc ol mcdications dcÌivcrcd at
Kaiscr South, that crror ratc Ìcd to about 250 crrors annuaÌÌy, and
a singÌc crror can bc harmluÌ or cvcn dcadly. For instancc, il a pa-
ticnt rcccivcs too much hcparin, a bÌood thinncr, thc patícnt`s
bÌood wiÌÌ no Ìongcr clot and thc paticnt could hcmorrhagc. !l a
paticnt gcts too Ìittlc hcparin, thc paticnt couÌd dcvclop a bÌood
clot that couÌd lcad to a strokc.
Richards, who was dircctor ol aduÌt cÌinicaÌ scrviccs at Kaiscr
South, and hcr nursing stan wantcd to drivc down mcdication cr-
rors. Richards bclicvcd that most crrors happcncd whcn nurscs
wcrc distractcd. It was casy to bccomc distractcd, bccausc in most
traditionaÌ hospitals, thc mcdIcation administration arcas arc
right in thc middÌc ol thc nursing units, which tcnd to bc thc
noisicst pÌaccs on thc hoor. From mcmory, Richards quotcd Jcss
Papc, a prolcssor at thc Lnivcrsíty ol Jcxas who has studicd mcd-
ication crrors, saying, "Joday wc admirepcopÌc lor muÌtitasking,
wc ccÌcbratc pcopÌc who can accomplish many things at oncc.
ßut whcn you`rc giving out mcdications it is thc /.uttimc you
should bc muÌtitasking."
Put yourscll in Richards's shocs lor a momcnt. Your goal is
clcar. Changc your nurscs' bchavior so thcy can locus bcttcr, so
thcy'rc Ìcss ÌikcÌy to gct distractcd. How can you accomplish that:
First, you nccd to idcnti[ thc corc probÌcm.
Jhc nurscs undcrstand what's cxpcctcd ol thcm-~thc criticaÌ
movcs arc cÌcar÷so this isn't a Ridcr probÌcm. Mor do thc nurscs
Twe a k I h e L n v Ì f o n m e n I ! 8D
havc any cmotìona| rcsistancc to bcttcr locus. In lact, ìt annoys
thcm whcn thcy'rc dìstractcd by othcrs, which mcans that, ìn thìs
casc, wc havc thc |uxury ol a supportivc E|cphant. ¯hc prob|cm,
ìt sccms, ìs thc dìstractìons thcmsclvcs. Mo onc thìnks twicc bc-
lorc ca||ing out to a nursc who's wa|kìng thc ha||s dc|ìvcrìng mcd-
icatìon. Vorsc, nurscs lcc| an obIìgatìon to rcspond whcn othcrs
dìstract thcm. Mo onc wants to tc|l a surgcon, "Sorry, bub, can't
hc|p rìght now. I`m dca|ìng wìth mcdìcatìon.'` Yct that`s cxactly
what nccds to happcn ìl crrors arc to bc rcduccd.
Vhat Rìchards nccdcd to do was makc othcr pcop|c awarc
that thcy wcrc ìntcrruptìng thc nurscs. Shc nccdcd to makc thc
bad bchavìor vìsìb|c. Idcal|y, whcn thc nurscs wcrc admìnìstcr-
ìng mcdìcatìon, thcy wou|d work ìnsìdc a soundprool bubb|c,
|ìkc thc "Conc ol Sì|cncc" lrom CetSmart. Vìth that so|utìon
bcìng archìtcctura||y inlcasiblc, Rìchards camc up wìth thc ìdca
ol usìng a vìsua| symbo|, somcthìng that cou|d bc worn by nurscs,
that would sìgnal to othcr pcop|c, !ç, dont/othermerightnou.
I'm¸asingoutmedication.
Acr consìdcrìng armbands and aprons, Rìchards sctt|cd on
vcsts and dccidcd to ca|l thcm "mcdìcatìon vcsts." Vhcrc do you
buy a mcdìcatìon vcst: Richards had to makc do wìth what shc
cou|d hnd. "Jhc hrst vcst wc ordcrcd was oh thc ìntcrnct. It was
rcal|y chccsy. Chcap p|astìc. Brightorangc. ßc carclu| what you
ordcr oh thc ìntcrnct."
Latcr, wìth vcsts ìn hand, Richards unvcì|cd thc ìdca to hcr
stah. when¡ou'readministeringmedication,¡ou'd¸utonamed-
icationoest. Its/rightenough that¸eo¸/ecanseeit{om dounthe
ha//Zndado/M) inc/udingthedctors, uidknouthatuhensome-
oneuuearin¿oneo/theseoests, ueshouH/eaoethat ¸ersona/one.
Shc sclcctcd two unìts at Kaìscr South lor a sìx-month pìlot
study ol thc mcdìcatìon vcsts, and ìn |u|y 2006 it bcgan.
Rìchards quìck|y cncountcrcd a prob|cm. ¯hc nurscs hatcd
I JO 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
thc vcsts. So did thc doctors. ¨Murscs thought thc vcst was dc-
mcaning, and thcy couÌdn't hnd it whcn thcy nccdcd it," said
Richards. "Jhcy didn't Ìikc thc coÌor. Jhcy`d ask, ` How do you
cÌcan it:` ^nd physicians hatcd not bcing abÌc to taÌk to thcir
nurscs whcn thcy passcd thcm in thc haÌÌ."
Jhc nurscs' writtcn lccdback was scathing: "Ch, so you want
to draw attentionto thc Iact wc can makc a mistakc. " "You want
pcopÌc to think Í havc a duncc cap on, that !'m so stupid Í can`t
think on my Icct." "Givc mc a hard hat and a conc and I can go
work Ior CaÌ trans ¸thc statc highway dcpartmcnt| . "
"Jhcy wcrc prctty brutaÌ," said Richards. Jhc rcccption was
so univcrsalÌy poor that Richards was rcady to writ:: on thc idca
and try somcthing cÌsc.
Jhcn thc data camc back.
Ouring thc six-month triaÌ pcriod, crrors droppcd 47 pcrccnt
Irom thc six months prior to thc study. "It took our brcath away,"
said Richards.
Cnc
¿
thc data wcrc in, thc hatrcd Iadcd. Imprcsscd by thc rc-
suÌts, thc cntirc hospitaÌ adoptcd thc mcdication vcsts, cxccpt Ior
onc unit that insistcd thcy wcrcn't nccdcd. Errors droppcd by 20 
pcrccnt in thc hrst month ol thc hospitaÌwidc adoption, cxccpt in
onc unit, which actuaÌÌy saw an incrcasc in crrors. (Gucss which
onc.)
You know you'vc got a smart solution whcn cvcryonc hatcs it
and it stiÌÌ works~and in Iact works so wclÌ that pcopÌc`s hatc
turns to cnthusiasm. ßcck Richards had Iound a vay to changc
thc Path.
3. 
Jhc airÌinc industry has Ìong uscd a consistcnt practicc. ßccausc
most aircrah accidcnts happcn during takcohs and Ìandings~thc
Tw e a k I h e b a V Ì t 0 n m e n I ! J1
most hectic and coordination-intensive parts oF any bight~the
industry adopted the "sterile cockpit" rule. Anytime a plane is
below IO,OOO Feet~whether on the way up or the way down÷
no conversation is permitted in the cockpit, except what's dIrecrly
relevant For Hying. At I I ,OOO Feet, members oF the cockpit crew
can talk about Football, their kids, or the loarhsome passengers.
ßut not at º, 5OO Feet.
Òne IT group adopted the "sterile cockpit" concept to advance
an important sohware project. The group had embraced a sub-
stantial goal~to reduce new-product development time From
three years to nine months. In previous projects with tight dead-
lines, the work environment had become increasingly stressFul.
Vhen workcrs Fell behind schedule, rhey tended to interrupt their
colleagues For quick help, and their managers would wander by
regularly and ask to be "statused" on the project. A a result, the
sohware engineers were interrupted more and more, and work-
weeks expanded to sixty and seventy hours as people starred show-
ing up on weekends, hoping to get some work done without
interruption.
The leaders oF the IT group decided to try an experiment.
They established "quiet hours" on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
mornings bclore noon. The goal was to give coders a sterile cock-
pit, allowing them to concentrate on complex bits oF coding with-
out being derailed by periodic interruptions. Even the socially
insensitive responded well to this change in the Path. Òne engi-
neer, previously among the worst interrupters, said, "I always used
to worry about my own quiet time and how to get more oF it,
but this experiment made me rhink about how I'm impacting
others. "
In the end, the group managed to meet its stringent nine-
month development goal. The division vice president attributed
this accomplishment to the sterile cockpit quiet hours. "I do not
! D2 b H Æ F L 1 H L F P 1 H
think wc could'vc madc thc dcad|inc without it," hc said. "¯his
is a ncw bcnchmark."
In thcsc disparatc cnvironmcnts÷airplanc cockpits and hos-
pita|s and IJ work groups÷thc right bchaviors did not cvo|vc
natura||y. Murscs wcrcn't "natura||y" givcn cnough spacc to work
without distraction, and programmcrs wcrcn't "natura|ly" |ch
a|onc to locus on coding. Instcad, |cadcrs had to rcshapc thc Path
conscious|y. Vith somc simplc twcaks to thc cnvironmcnt, sud-
dcn|y thc right bchaviors cmcrgcd. It wasn't thc pcop|c who
changcd, it was thc situation. Vhat |ooks |ikc a pcoplc prob|cm
is ohcn a situation prob|cm.
6.
Vc'vc sccn |ots oI cnvironmcnt twcaking in organizations-
oIhccs and air|incs and hospita|s÷but, makc no mistakc, wc can
turn thcsc too|s on oursc|vcs, too. Many pcop|c havc discovcrcd
that, whcn it comcs to changing thcir own bchavior, cnviron-
mcnta| twcaks bcat scll-contro| cvcry timc.
For instancc, ßrian Vansink, thc author oI thc popcorn-
buckct study dcscribcd in Chaptcr I ,  has a dcvotcd Io||owing oI
dictcrs who swcar by his primc dircctivc. Shrink yout dinncrwarc.
Lsc smal|cr p|atcs, bowls, and cups.
Vansink knows that il wc usc big p|atcs, wc Icc| ob|igatcd to
covcr thcm with lood÷a ha|l-lul| platc lcc|s moral|y wrong
somchow. And bccausc wc`rc wircd to hnish what's on our platc,
that's a big prob|cm. ßig p|atcs ¯ big portions " ovcrcating. Jo
achicvc cating control, according to Vansink, you must start with
p|atc contro|. Storc your dinncr platcs in a box in your closct,
and start cating dinncr cvcry night oh your salad platcs. \sc sma||
wincg|asscs, not hugc gob|cts. Mcvcr, cvcrcat snack lood dircct|y
out ol thc bag or box, instcad, pour a rcasonab|c portion onto a
. Tw e a k I h e b n v l r o n m e n I ! DJ
smaÌ!aQQctÌzctQ!atc.ÅhcscVctysÌmQ!ccnVÌtOnmcnta!tWcaKs-
sWaQQÌn_Out thcQ!atcs and bOWÌs and _Ìasscs ÌnyOut CabÌnct¬
haVc hugecllcCts On catÌn_bchaVÌOt.
Nc a!!Q!aythcsc _amcs WÌth OutscÌVcs, ttyÌn_ tO nud_c Out-
sc!VcstO dO Ihc tÌ_ht thÌn_. Nc knOW a _uyWhO tc!Ì_ÌOus!yÌays
Out hÌs ¡O__Ìn_ C!Othcs and shOcs bclOtc hc _Ocs tO sÌccQ. Åhat
Way, WhcnhcWakcsuQ, Ìts¡ustatÌnybÌt casÌcttO_ct _OÌn_.Pn-
Othct ltÍcnd ncVct _Ocs tO bcd WÌthOut scttÌn_ thc COHccQOt tO
autO-btcWat Wakc-uQ tÌmc. Åhc atOma Olltcsh-btcWcd COHcc
hc!Qs tO h_ht thc OVcts!ccQÌn_ ut_c. Pnd thctcs a WOman WhO
aCtua!Ìyltcczcs hctCtcdÌtCatd Ìn a b!OCkOlÌCc, sOthatWhcnshc
lcc!s thc ut_c tO sQcnd, shc lOtCcs hctsc!ltO haVc a COOÌÌn_-OH
jOt, tathct, aWatmÌn_-uQ) QctÌOd.
bcÌl-manÍQu!atÌOn WOtks. Pmanda ÅuCkct uscd thcsc samc
cnVÌtOnmcn!-tWcakÌn_ QtÌnCÌQ!cs tO ÌmQtOVc hct mana_cmcnt
sty!c at WOtk. ÅuCkct Was thcCOunttymana_ct lOtÏÌkcÌn`Ìct-
nam. bhc ttaVc!cdltcQucnt!ytOVÌsÌt laCtOtÌcs ÌnOutÌyÌn_tc_ÌOns,
andWhÌ!c shcWasOut Olthc OmCc,WOtkQÌÌcd uQ.Nhcnshctc-
tutncd hOmc, shc Was Oltcn OVctWhc!mcd. `Ï had mOtc Q!atcs
sQÌnnÌn_than Í lc!tÍ COuÌdhandÌc,´ shc saÌd. ÏtWastcmQtÌn_tO
shuthctOmccdOOtandQÌOWthtOu_hthc aCCumu!atcdWOtk,but
shc KncW ÌtWasÌmQOttanttOstayaCCcssÌb!c tO hcttcam. ÍnlaCt,
shccstabÌÌshcdanOQcn-dOOtQO!ÌCy, a!ÌOWÌn_thcÌndÌVÌdua!sWhO
tcQOttcdtO hct dÌtcCtÌytO scchctatany tÌmc shcWas ÌntOWn.
ÏÌncmOnthsÌntOthc¡Ob,ÅuCkctsOÌÌCÌtcdlccdbaCkltOmhct
tcammcmbcts abOuthctQctlOtmanCcasamana_ct. bhcWasas-
tOnÌshcdWhcnthcyCOmQ!aÌncdthatshcdÌdntsccmtOhaVctÌmc
tO ta!k u  thcm. `bOmc Olthcm Wctc OHcndcd that Whcn thcy
Wa!kcdÌntO my OmCc, ÏWOu!dOhcn COntÌnuc tO!OOkatmyCOm-
QutctsCtccnundtyQcWhÌÌcthcyWctcta!kÌn_.ÅhÌsOlCOutsc_aVc
thcm thcsttOn_sÌ_na! thatWhatÍ Was dOÌn_Was mOtcÌmQOttant
tO mc thanthcyWctc,´ÅuCkct saÌd.
! J4 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
Shc kncw thcy wcrc right. lt was a bad habit. And shc aÌso
kncw that thc Ìayout ol hcr olhcc was cncouraging thc habit.
Vhcn pcopÌc camc to scc hcr, thcy sat in chairs across lrom hcr
dcsk. Vhcn shc laccd thcm, shc stiÌl had thc computcr monitor
in hcr hcÌd ol vicw. So it was casy~too casy~b:r Juckcr to
gÌancc back and lorth lrom thcir laccs to thc scrccn.
Juckcr simply rcarrangcd hcr omcc. Shc movcd thc dcsk so it
no Ìongcr scparatcd hcr lrom hcr gucsts, and shc addcd a mcct-
ing arca with two smaÌÌ couchcs and a tablc. Mow, whcn shc was
lacing thc pcopÌc who camc to scc hcr, thc computcr was com-
pÌctcÌy out ol sight. Mo morc tcmptation.
"|ust by rcarrangìng thc mrniturc, l was abÌc to conncct much
bcttcr with pcopÌc who camc to scc mc," shc said. Six months
Ìatcr, shc soÌicitcd morc lccdback and was pÌcascd that hcr com-
municatìon scorcs had soarcd.
ll you'd sccn Juckcr`s initial pcrlormancc appraìsaÌs, you
might havc concludcd that, dcspitc hcr statcd opcn-door poÌicy,
shc was onc ol thosc inscnsitivc managcrs who ncvcr Ìistcn to
thcir subordinatcs. And you wouÌd havc bccn committing thc
FundamcntaÌ Attribution Error. SimpÌy by rcarranging thc mr-
niturc in hcr omcc, Juckcr madc hcrscÌl into a dihc:cnt "kìnd ol
pcrson. " Jhat`s thc powcr ol shaping thc Iath.
7. 
Jhcrc is somcthing satis[ìng about outsmarting ourscÌvcs. ,ßy
now, you rcalizc what "outsmarting ourscÌvcs" mcans÷that our
Ridcrs arc outsmarting our Elcphants.) Juckcr`s solution was ap-
pcaÌing in its clcgancc÷a sccmìngÌy mcssy managcmcnt prob-
Ìcm soÌvcd by an ahcrnoon omcc makcovcr. Juckcr shapcd hcr
cnvironmcnt to disahouhcr own bad bchavior.
Jhis is a topic that hits homc lor thc two ol us ¦your co-
Tw e a k I h e b h V Ì f o a m e a I ! D5
authors) . Vhile we were writing this book, we got annoyed by
our tendenç to get distracted by e-mail. Ve were aware oF the
irony oF our giving advice to readers about reining in their Ele-
phants while our own Elephants habitually prompted us to check
Òutlook. So we decided to take some oF our own medicine.
IF you usc Microson Òutlook, you know that when you get
new e-mail, an alert sound plays through your computer's speak-
ers. That sound is like digital catnip. How can you not check your
mail when you hear it` Vhat iF a rich Þigerian politician went
down in a plane crash and you had a limited time to capture part
oF his Fortun:·:
Chip decided to tweak his environment. He rummaged
through the control panel until he Found the place that allowed
him to deletc the e-mail sound at the system level. Later, he no-
ticed that new e-mail also triggered an a¡ert icon on the taskbar÷
more irresistible bait For the Elephant. He covered it with a Post-it
note blackened with one oF his daughter's Felt-tip markers. Þow
it can't torment him. Ignorance is bliss.
Meanwhile, Dan went nuclear. He bought an old laptop,
deleted all its browsers, and, For good measure, deleted its wire-
less network drivers. Þow when he needs to Focus, he takes the
"way-back machine" with him to a coûee shop or library. There's
no hope oF getting online. He's been liberated by this restriction.
Òur struggles with e-mail are a bit pathetic, but the larger
topic is worth considering. Is it possible to design an environ-
ment in which undesired behaviors÷whether yours or your col-
leagues'~are made not only harder but im¸ossi/h?A it turns
out, lots oF people actually make their living contemplating how
to wipe out the wrong kinds oF behaviors.
Consider industrial saFety. Many tactories use dangerous ma-
chines that have a bad habit ot lopping od hngers or hands that
are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Suppose you're a Factory
I Do 5 H A P E J H E P AT H
Foreman and one oF your workers loses an index hnger in an in-
dustrial accident. You want to make sure this never happens
again. How might you accomplish that:
You could give your workers` Riders clear direction by means
oF clear signage~kccr n×os LLEx Ò!  inL ÀL!ÎÌL or otN-
GLx. xtsk Or tN]UxY~accompanied by an illustration identi|-
ing the machine`s trouble spot.
You could appeal ro your workers` Elephants, using Fear. Here
we can take inspiration From driver's-education courses in which
teenagers watch hlms Full oF bloody, gruesome car crashes, so
that when they hnish driver`s ed they will avoid driving like
teenagers. In homage to these hlms, you could call together your
workers and show them a video oF the guy who lost his hnger.
Show them what the gory wound looked like. Have him urge
his colleagues to take saFety seriously. "I wish I`d paid more at-
tention," he`d say.
Òr you could Focus on the Path, in which case you would dis-
regard hearts and minds entirely. In Fact, suppose you stipulated
outright that your workers are hopeless, that they`re irredeemable
daredevils who are determined to waggle their hngers in the ma-
chine`s danger zone For the sheer sport oF it. Could you still Ieep
them From dismembering themselves:
Absolutely. Many Factories have done exactly that. For in-
stance, one machine is designed so that it can be activated only
iF two buttons are pressed at the same time. The buttons are po-
sitioned so that to press both oF them you must place your arms
high and wide (like the "Y in the "YMCA" dance) . The beauty
oF this arrangement is that, iF your hands are pressing those but-
tons, they are (by design) nowhere near the danger zone. And iF
they`re not pressing the buttons, the machine is oü Either way,
your hngers win.
PooF~you have made a dangerous behavior impossible.
Tw e a k I h e b n v Ì f o n m e n I ! J7
8. 
Vith that cxampÌc in mind, think about aÌÌ thc innovations that
havc madc "bad bchavior" impossibÌc or ncarÌy impossibÌc. chiÌd-
prool caps on mcdicinc bottÌcs, cars that won`t shih out ol park
unÌcss thc brakc pcdaI is prcsscd, anything that's hrcprool Moticc
that thcsc arc product-dcsign innovations crcatcd to prcvcnt in-
jurics. "In]ury prcvcntion" is, in lact, a thriving bcÌd. Evcry statc
govcrnmcnt has a lcw pcopÌc on stah÷usuaÌÌy hcinousÌy undcr-
mndcd~whosc ]ob is to think about how to rcducc injurics or
dcaths causcd by smaIÌ chiÌdrcn laIÌing into swimming pooÌs, thc
cÌdcrÌy mIÌing in thcir homcs, car crashcs, and othcr mislortuncs.
RarcÌy can such incidcnts bc madc impossibÌc, but in]urics rc-
suÌting lrom thcm can bc rcduccd.
ln trying to minimizc thc risk ol bad outcomcs, in]ury-
prcvcntion cxpcrts ohcn turn to thc Haddon Matrix, a simpÌc
lramcwork that providcs a way to think systcmaticaIÌy about ac-
cidcnts by highÌighting thrcc kcy pcriods ol timc. prc-cvcnt,
cvcnt, and post-cvcnt.
Lct's say our goaÌ is to rcducc scrious in] urics lrom car wrccks.
Pre-e:entintcrvcntions wouÌd incÌudc anything that wouÌd tcnd
to prcvcnt wrccks lrom happcning. instaÌÌing bright Ìighting on
highways, painting cÌcar Ìanc markcrs on thc roads, popuÌarizing
antiÌock brakcs, Ìaunching advcrtising campaigns against drunk
driving.
Vith e:entintcrvcntions, wc acccpt that crashcs wiÌÌ happcn
and ask ourscÌvcs how wc can rcducc thc chanccs ol injury. Scat
bcÌts and air bags arc cÌassic cvcnt intcrvcntions, but æso think
about brcakaway Ìight poÌcs and thosc big orangc barrcÌs that Ìinc
cxit ramps (which arc intcndcd to sohcn coÌÌisions).
Vith ¸ost-e:ent intcrvcntions, wc acknowÌcdgc both that
crashcs wiII occur and that pcopIc wiII bc injurcd. Jhc goa¡ oí
post-cvcnt intcrvcntions is to minimizc thc scvcrity ol thc injurics
I D8 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
and optimizc thc hca|th outcomcs. A spccdy, chcctivc cmcrgcncy
mcdica| tcam wil| bc important.
Jhc Haddon Matrix is also usclul lor thinking about mattcrs
that arcn`t so lilc-and-dcath. Lct's say you arc thc ÌJ pcrson in a
smal| busincss and onc oI your many dutics is to prcvcnt thc |oss
ol important data that occurs lrcqucnt|y whcn computcrs crash.
Somc !J support pcoplc in thìs situation cmbracc not thc Had-
don Matrix but thc " Hcctoring Manilcsto" and bcratc thcir co|-
|cagucs lor not backing up thcir work (al| thc whilc committìng
thc Fundamcnta| Attribution Error. M¡ cohea
p
esarereck/essand
/¡¸eo¸h!) .ßut il you think ìn Haddon Matrìx tcrms, you bcgin
to scc a morc ho|istic picturc.
Jhink about prc-cvcnt intcrvcntions. Il computcrs don`t
crash, thcn you can't |osc data. So maybc you schcdu|c monthly
computcr chcck-ups, buy cxtra-paddcd |aptop bags lor cvcryonc,
and budgct Ior comp|ctc rcplaccmcnts cvcry thrcc ycars.
Evcnt intcrvcntions wou|d ca|l lor ways ol prcvcnting a crash
lrom |cading to data loss. For ìnstancc, somc computcrs havc an
cxtra hard drivc whcrc a|| data arc mirrorcd in rca| timc. A crash
wou|d bc |css |ikc|y to takc out both drivcs.
Iost-cvcnt intcrvcntions wou|d acccpt thc rca|ity ol data |oss
but locus on ways to minimizc thc damagc. Jhc most obvious
stratcgy hcrc wou|d bc to crcatc an automatcd night|y nctwork
backup, so that iI a crash happcns and data arc lost, you can rc-
storc thc prcvious night's data. Anothcr post-cvcnt stratcgy wou|d
bc to hnd ways to prcvcnt mission-critical data lrom cvcr cnding
up on a |aptop. For instancc, you might usc an on|inc app|ication
such as Sa|csForcc.com to host customcr contact inlormation, so
that prccious data wou|d ncvcr dcpcnd on thc hca|th ol a |oca|
hard drivc.
Motc that wc'vc managcd to crcatc a robust p|an against data
loss without worrying about what our cmp|oyccs wcrc thinkìng or
Tw e a k I h e b a v Ì t 0 n m e a I ! DD
ÍcclÌn_.Nc dÌdntmcntÌOnthcÌtLlcQhantsOtthcÌtbÌdcts.Nc sÌm-
QlytWcakcd thccnVÌtOnmcnttO makcbadbchaVÌOtÌmQOssÌblc.
V. 
Ín Iººº, sOmc bad bchaVÌOtWas abtuQtÌymadc ÌmQOssÌblc at a
COmQanyCalÌcdbaCksQaCc.PtOncQattÌCulatmOmcnt,COmQany
cmQlOyccs stOQQcd dOÌn_ Onc thÌn_ and stattÌn_ dOÌn_anOthct
thÌn_,and tnatbchaVIOtshÌhbcCamc thcmOstImQOttantÌnhcC-
tÌOn QOÌnt Ìn thc COmQanys hÌstOty. Üut bclOtc Wc _ct tO that
mOmcnt, abÌtOlbaCks tOty Is ncCcssaty.
baCksQaCc Ìs a COmQany that hOsts Ìntctnct sÌtcs lOt Othct
COmQanÌcs. ÍtQtÌdcsÌtsclÍOnCustOmct sctVÌCc, as su__cstcdbyÌts
slO_an,`ÍanatÌcalbuQQOtt. ´¯bchtms ÍOCusOnCustOmctsctvICc
has QaÌd OH. LVct thcycats, baCksQaCc has WOn an atmlOad Ol
ttadcaWatds ÍOtÌtssctvÌCc,andÌts `ÏctÏtOmOtct´ sCOtc-aCOm-
mOnly uscdbcnChmatk OlCustOmctWOtd-OÍ-mOuth-has COn-
sIstcntlybccnthccnvyOlthc InCustty.
Dut baCksQaCc Wasnt aÌWays sO CustOmct-ÍtIcndly. Ín Iººº, 
baCksQaCc dIdnt thÌnkmuChabOutCustOmctsctvÌCc. LOmQany
ÍOundct Ltabam NcstOn saÌd that In thc catlydays, baCKsQaCc
hada`dcnÌaÌ OlsctVÌCc´ busÌncss mOdcl. LustOmct-sctvÌccÌntct-
aCtÌOnsWctcVIcWcd as COsts tO bc mInImIZcd-thc mOtc tOad-
blOCks thatCOuldbcctcCtcdtO kccQ thc QhOnc ÍtOmtÌn_Ìn_, thc
bcttctthcQtOhtsWOuldbc. (ÏOtÌCcthcunCOmlOttabÌccChOcsOÍ
thc laddOn NattÌX: ÍlyOu VÌcW CustOmct Calls asbad bchaVIOt
tObcQtcVcntcd,yOuWÌÌldO allyOuCan tOdctctthcm.bcCaÌlthat
ÍOt many ycats, PmaZOn.COms QOÌÌCy Was nOt tO QublÌsh a
CustOmct-sctvÌCc QhOnc numbct.)
Åhcn Ìn thc Íall OÍ Iººº,  baCksQaCc tcCcÌVcd Åhc Lall. Ít
stattcd nOtmally cnOu_h. P CustOmct ttÌcd tO Call ÍOt suQQOtt.
lcQtcsscd 5  tO _cthclQ, butÌnstcadhc_OtVOÌCcmaÌl,WhÌChÌn
2OO b H P F L 1 H L F P T H
edect said, "Feel Free to leave a voice mail here, but w:· don't check
it very ohen, so you're better-oB sending us an e-mail. " The cus-
tomer grudgingly sent an e-mail message to the suggested ad-
dress. And the team at Rckspace never answered it.
Aher a Few more oF these irritating cycles, the customer was
mrious, æd with a bit oFlegwork he managed to track down Cra-
ham Veston at the omce oF a real estate business he owned. Sur-
prised, Veston asked the customer to Forward the e-mails he'd
sent and promised to look into the matter.
Veston reviewed the long chain oF e-mails, which had be-
come increasingly angry as past inquiries were ignored. "Some-
thing hit me about what the customer was asking For," said
Veston. "It was something that we could do very easily that he
couldn't do. So the question in my mind was, why are we not
serving the customer happily`"
Veston knew that his team couldn't sustain a business based
on dodging its customers. "Ve made a ¡ 80-degree turn," he said.
Veston hired David ßryce to be the head oF customer sup-
port. At his hrst meeting with the team, ßryce announced that
Rackspace was going to transForm itselF From a company that
dreaded customer support to a company that was passionate
about support. He posted an aspirational banner on the wall.
KACK5 IACL Cìvs íANAT!CAL SU!!OkT. The phrase stuck imme-
diately.
This was just talk, oF course, but there was action to back it
up. Veston started by overhauling the company's business model.
Providing great servicc would cost more, and iF Rackspace oûered
both premium service and cutting-edge technological expertise,
it would be Forced to set its prices so high that no one would buy.
So, remarkably, Veston began pushing For the company to be-
come technologically dull. "Ve don't want to be on the bleeding
Tw e a k I h e L n V Ì f o n m e n I ¿U1
cdgc ol tcchno|ogy. Vc bc|icvc in standardization. Vc want a
narrow locus~thcsc arc thc things wc do, and thcsc arc things wc
don`t do. Il you'rc L*Jradc or Amazon, you shou|d host your own
sitc, wc can't hc|p," hc saìd. (Moticc that this is c|car dircction lor
thc Ridcr.)
Icrhaps thc most dramatic changc madc by Vcston and ßrycc
was a|so thc simp|cst. Rackspacc, likc all hosting companics, had
a ca|l-qucuing systcm. ("Your ca|l is important to us. I|casc prcss
I  lor rccordcd tips that don`t addrcss your prob|cm. Ircss 5  to
|cavc us a mcssagc wc won't rcturn. Ircss 8  to rcpcat thcsc op-
tions.") Jhc ca|| qucuc is pcrhaps thc most basic too| ol customcr
support.
Vcston thrcw it out.
"Vhcn H customcr ca||s, that mcans thcy nccd our hc|p, and
wc`vc got to answcr thc tc|cphonc," hc said. Vithout thc qucu-
ing systcm, thcrc was no salcty nct. Jhc phonc wou|d kccp ring-
ing until somcbody pickcd it up. Jo Vcston, this was a critica!
symbo| ol thc scrvicc cthic. "Vhcn a customcr has a prob|cm,
wc shouldn`t dca| with it whcn it`s convcnicnt lor us. Vc shou|d
dcal with it whcn it`s convcnicnt lor thc customcr. " Vhcn Vcston
thrcw out thc qucuing systcm, it bccamc im¸ossi//eto dodgc thc
customcr. ßy 2OO7,  thc company was ta|king to an avcragc cus-
tomcr thrcc timcs pcr wcck.
Subscqucnt|y, thc company |aunchcd thc "Straight]ackct
Awards," inc|uding actua| Rackspacc-brandcd straight]ackcts as
trophics, whìch wcrc prcscntcd to cmp|oyccs who`d bccn so la-
natical about scrvicc that thcy`d bccomc downright insanc.
(Jhat's an identity appca¡ lor thc L|cphant. Warezea/oo-that:
ubatmakesuss¸ecial) Mot coincidcntal|y, in 2OO8,  Rackspacc
was onc ol thc companics in 1artunc`s |ist ol ßcst I|accs to Vork.
Jhc locus on scrvicc paid oh. In 2OOI ,  Rackspacc was thc
¿U¿ b H A P b T H b P A T H
hrst intcrnct hosting hrm to turn a proht, and ovcr thc ncxt six
ycars, it a:eraged58 pcrccnt annuaÌ growth. ßy 2OO8, Rackspacc
had passcd ^¯&J Ü thc highcst-grossing hrm in thc industry.
I O.
Vhat translormcd thc charactcr ol Rackspacc`s customcr-scrvicc
pcopÌc: Mothing. Jhcy had thc samc corc charactcr bclorc and
altcr thc changc. Jhcy wcrc ]ust pcopÌc opcrating in a ncw cnvi-
ronmcnt. Jhc oÌd bchavior (ignoring customcrs) had bccomc
hardcr, and thc ncw bchavior (scrving customcrs) had bccomc
castcr.
In this chaptcr, wc`vc sccn that what Ìooks Ìikc a "charactcr
probÌcm" is ohcn corrcctibÌc whcn you changc thc cnvironmcnt.
Jhc translormations arc stunning. Jakc a bunch ol customcr-
scrvicc slackcrs and rìp out thcir calÌ-qucuing systcm, and thcy
start hcÌping customcrs. Jakc a boss whosc cmpÌoyccs say shc
"won't Ìistcn` and rc]iggcr hcr mrniturc, and suddcnÌy thc cm-
pÌoyccs' lrustrations ladc. Jakc thc biggcst ]crks in thc Stanlord
dorms and gìvc thcm a pagc ol instructions, and thcy'lÌ donatc
morc lood to thc nccdy than thc saints.
SimpÌc twcaks ol thc Iath can Ìcad to dramatic changcs in bc-
havior.
9
buIÌ 0 NðbII5
!.  
Nìkc  Romano  was  born ì n  ! 9;0 and  raìscd  ì n Nìlwaukcc,  thc 
youngcst  ol |our  brothcrs.  !ìs  dad was  a handyman  who  hxcd 
plumbìng and  hcarìng  hxturcs.  Îìs  mom  had  a  commcrcìal  arr 
dcgrcc,  shc  staycd  at  homc  to  raìsc  rhc  boys,  takìng  jobs  lrom 
rìmc to tìmc to pay thc  bìlls. 
Romano  had  a tcmpcr.  In  hìgh  school, whcn hc was  ! 8,  hc 
got  ìnro  a  hght  and  rhrcw  a  guy  rhrough  a  wìndow.  ^lraìd  ol 
whar would happcn ìn court, hc cnlìstcd ìn thc army.  !c hgurcd 
hc was goìng to bc draltcd anyway. Jhc  court  lct hìm go. 
Romano cvcntually cndcd up bcìng assìgncd to thc ! /3rd ^ìr-
bornc Brìgadc ìn Vìctnam, an clìtc and wcll-rcspcctcd unìt ol para-
rroopcrs. Jhc soldìcrs  ol rhc  ! 73rd  had an  opcn sccrct,  howcvcr. 
rampanr  drug  usc.  Lthcrs  nìcknamcd  thcm  ¨jumpìng ¡unkìcs.¨ 
Comìng ìnto thc mìlìtary, Romano had no  rcæ  drug cxpcrìcncc. 
!c  trìcd ro kccp  hìs  nosc clcan wìth  thc jumpìng junkìcs. 
2O4 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
A lcw months ahcr hc arrivcd in Victnam, a Claymorc land
minc dctonatcd ncar him, and hc was struck in his right hand,
lorcarm, and loot. Hc was takcn to a hospita| in Cam ron ßay lor
rccovcry. Jhat yas whcrc hc brst tricd opium.
Hc quickly bccamc hookcd, likc so many othcrs around him.
Evcn whcn hc translcrrcd to othcr hospitals, his supp|y wasn't in-
tcrruptcd. !c most|y smokcd opium-|accd ]oints, but it was a|so
casy to hnd |iquid opium and cvcn opium chcwing gum (not to
mcntion othcr drugs, such as LSO and mari]uana) . !is addic-
tion continucd to tormcnt him throughout his thirtccn-month
tour ol duty.
Romano`s la|| into drug usc was a typica| story during thc
Victnam Var. Jhc Vhitc Housc was so troublcd by rcports oI
drug usc among so|dicrs that it commissioncd a study to invcsti-
gatc thc scopc oI thc problcm. Jhc rcsults wcrc disturbing. ßclorc
thc war, thc typical so|dicr had on|y casua| cxpcricncc with hard
drugs, and lcss than I  pcrccnt had cvcr bccn add.ctcd to nar-
cotics. ßut oncc in Victnam, a|most ha|l ol thc so|dicrs tricd nar-
cotics, and 2O pcrccnt bccamc addictcd. Ocmographics did not
prcdict who wou|d bccomc drug uscrs in Victnam÷racc and
c|ass wcrc irrclcvant.
Jhc drug usc startcd car|y. ¯wcnty pcrccnt ol al| uscrs startcd
in thcir brst wcck in Victnam, 6O pcrccnt within thc brst thrcc
months. Cdd|y, drug usc did not sccm to bc triggcrcd by trauma.
Jhc rcscarchcrs lound no statistica| rc|ationship bctwccn drug
usc and thc dimcu|ty ol so|dicrs' assignmcnts, or thc dangcr thcy
laccd, or thc dcath oI Iricnds. Lnlikc most so|dicrs, Romano
startcd using opium bccausc hc was in]urcd. For most so|dìcrs in
Victnam, drugs wcrc simp|y a lact ol liIc, a part ol thc cu|turc.
Govcrnmcnt omcials wcrc tcrribcd by what wou|d hap-
pcn whcn thousands ol drug addicts bcgan to rcturn to
Amcrica. Mi|itary and civi|ian lcadcrs worricd that thc country's
b 0 Ì Î 0 H 8 Ð Í I $ ¿U>
drug-trcatmcnt programs wouÍd bc hoodcd, strcrchcd Iar bcyond
capacìty. Jhc¸ worrìcd that vcts mìght not bc abÍc to hoÍd down
jobs, that thcy mìght tum to crìmc.
Nìkc Komano was onc oI thc pcopÍc mc omcìaÍs wcrc wor-
rìcd about. Ñhcn hc hnaÍÍy boardcd hìs hìght back to thc Lnìtcd
Statcs ìn ¡º6º, hcadcd homc to NìÍwaukcc, hc smuggÍcd back
wìth hìm a stash of opium-Íaccd joints.
Jhcn hìs ÍìIc bcgan to changc. A wcck or two ahcr hìs rcturn
homc, hc was drìvìng wìth frìcnds in town whcn hc saw a girÍ
hc´d known ìn gradc schooÍ. "Stop thc car!¨ hc saìd. Hc chascd hcr
down. Shc was working as a countcrgìrÍ at a ncarby drugstorc. "I
thought shc was vcry bcautìIuÍ,¨ saìd Komano.
Jhc two startcd datìng. Shc caught on IaìrÍy guìckIy that Ko-
mano was an addict, and shc put prcssurc on hìm to stop. Hc
trìcd to guìt a Icw tìmcs, but cach tìmc hc startcd to IccÍ sìck as
wìthdrawaÍ paìns kìckcd ìn, and thcn hc´d bcgìn usìng agaìn.
NcanwhìÍc, hc startcd work-construction and housc painting
and othcr tcmporary jobs-and hc startcd takìng art cÍasscs at
thc Lnìvcrsìty oI Ñisconsìn at NìÍwaukcc. Hc got a job thcrc dc-
signìng promotìonaÍ postcrs Ior bands who pÍaycd at thc studcnt
umon.
Acr a Icw guìt-and-rcÍapsc cycÍcs, hc bcgan to wcan himscÍI
oh opìum, and wìthìn about a month hc was cÍcan. Hc hasn't
touchcd opìum sìncc. Ñhat wc scc ìn Nìkc Komano´s ÍìIc sccms
Íìkc an aÍmost ìmpossibÍc changc story. an opium addìct who rc-
covcrcd. Nìkc Komano was onc oI thc Íucky oncs.
2.
Cr was hc: V'hìtc Housc rcscarchcrs contìnucd to ìnvcstìgatc thc
drug probÍcm among rcturning soÍdìcrs, and a puzzÍc startcd to
cmcrgc. íoÍÍowìng up with thc troops who rcturncd homc, thc
zOb 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
investigators called them eight to twelve months aner their re-
tun to ask about their ongoing drug use. During the war, þU per-
cent oF soldiers had been casual users, and 20 percent had become
seriously addicted, meaning that they used drugs more than once
a week For an extended period oF time and experienced with-
drawal symptoms (chills, cramps, pain) iF they tried to stop. ßut
when the lnvestigators conducted the Follow-up, what they Found
blew their minds. Ònly Ì percent oF the vets were still addicted
to drugs. That was essentially the same rate as existed beFore the
war. The Feared, drug-Fueled social catastrophe had not occurred.
Vhat had happened:
3.
People are incredibly sensitive to the environment and the
culture-to the norms and expectations oF the communities they
are in. Ve all want to wear the right clothes, to say the right
things, to Frequent the right places. ßecause we instinctively try
to ht in with our peer group, behavior is contagious, sometimes
in surprising ways.
Imagine that your job was to design an environment that
would extinguish drug addiction. You could take drug-addicted
\. S. soldiers, drop them into this environment, and Feel conn-
dent that the Forces within it would act powermlly to help them
beat their habits. Think oF this environment as an antidrug theme
park, and assume that you can spend as much as you want to
construct it. Vhat would your theme park look likc:
It might look a whole lot like Romano`s neighborhood in
Milwaukee.
You`d want to surround the Former soldiers with people who
love them and care about them÷and who treat them as the drug-
Free persons they once were. You`d give them interesting work to
ß u Ì l d H ð b ì I $ 2O7
do-pcrhaps dcsìgnìng postcrs Ior rock bands-so that thcìr
minds wouÍd bc dìstractcd Irom thc joys oI opìum. You´d crcatc
wcÍÍ-pubÍìcìzcd sanctions agaìnst drug usc. You´d kccp thc drug
cconomy undcrground, makìng thc formcr soÍdicrs sncak around
to obtaìn and usc drugs. You'd makc surc thcìr girÍIrìcnds gavc
thcm a hard tìmc about thcìr drug usc. You´d sct up socìaÍ taboos
so that thc soÍdicrs wouÍd IccÍ dcrcÍìct, cvcn pathctìc, ìI thcy
kcpt usìng. You´d rcmovc thc contagìous drug-usìng bchavior
from thc cnvironmcnt~no morc addìctcd soÍdìcrs around~and
rcpÍacc ìt wìth contagìous drug-Ircc bchavìor. ^nd you wouÍd
provìdc rìch cnvìronmcntaÍ cucs-sìghts, songs, Iood, cÍothcs,
and homcs~~that rcmìnd thc Iormcr soÍdìcrs oI thcìr prcwar,
drug-Ircc ìdcntìtìcs.
Jhc NiÍwaukcc Jhcmc íark. Jhat´s cxactÍy why Nìkc
Komano bccamc a /rmeraddìct. Ñhcn Komano rcÍocatcd to
NìÍwaukcc, his cnvìronmcnt changcd, and thc ncw cnvìronmcnt
changcd hìm.
4. 
^s thc Komano story shows, onc oI thc subtÍc ways ìn whìch our
cnvìronmcnt acts on us ìs by rcìntorcìng (or dctcrrìng) our habits.
Ñhcn wc thìnk about habìts, most oI thc tìmc wc'rc thìnkìng
about bad oncs. bìting our hngcrnaìÍs, procrastìnatìng, catìng
swccts whcn wc´rc anxìous, and so on. But oI coursc wc aÍso havc
pÍcnty oI good habìts. joggìng, prayìng, brushìng our tccth. Ñhy
arc habìts so important: Jhcy arc, in csscncc, bchavioraÍ autopì-
Íot. Jhcy aÍÍow Íots oI good bchavìors to happcn without thc
Kìdcr taking chargc. Kcmcmbcr that thc Kìdcr´s scÍI-controÍ ìs
cxhaustìbÍc, so ìt's a hugc pÍus ìI somc positìvc thìngs can happcn
"Ircc¨ on autopìÍot.
Jo changc yourscÍI or othcr pcopÍc, you`vc got to changc
¿Û8 5 h A F L T h L FAT h
habits, and what wc scc with Komano is that his habits shihcd
whcn his cnvironmcnt shihcd. Jhis makcs scnsCur habits arc
csscntiaÍÍy stitchcd into our cnvironmcnt. Kcscrch bcars this out.
^ccording to onc study oI pcopÍc making changcs in thcir Iìvcs,
5( pcrccnt oI thc succcssh¡Í changcs wcrc associatcd with a movc
to a ncw Íocation, and onÍy Ip pcrccnt oI unsucccsshÍ changcs
invoÍvcd a movc.
Nany smokcrs, Ior cxampÍc, hnd it casicr to guit whcn thcy´rc
on vacation, bccausc at homc, cvcry part oI thcir cnvironmcnt is
Íoadcd with smoking associations. ít´s Íikc trying to guit smoking
insidc a LamcÍ advcrtiscmcnt~cvcrywhcrc you Íook arc rc-
mindcrs oI thc habit. Jhcrc´s that drawcr in thc kitchcn whcrc
thc Íightcrs arc stashcd, thc cÍay pot on thc porch that´s bccomc
an archivc oI ashcs, thc cvcr-prcscnt sccnt oI smokc in thc car and
thc cÍosct. Ñhcn a smokcr gocs on vacation, thc cnvironmcnt rc-
ccdcs toward ncutraÍity. Jhat docsn'r mcan it's casy to guit, but it's
eaier.
ít`s unrcaÍistic, howcvcr, to think that most oI us can shih our
cnvironmcnt so dramaticaÍÍy. íI you´rc trying to changc your
tcam´s habits at work, thcn ycs, rcÍocating your omcc wouÍd bc a
big hcÍp. Lood Íuck scÍÍing that idca. Ñhat arc somt morc prac-
ticaI ways to crcatc a habit:
Jhc hrst thing to rcaÍizc is that cvcn smaÍÍ cnvironmcntaÍ
twcaks can makc a dihcrcncc~that`s what wc saw in Lhaptcr 8.  
Kcmcmbcr how ^manda Juckcr rcarrangcd hcr omcc to makc it
casicr Ior hcr to Íistcn to hcr cmpÍoyccs: Jhat was thc hrst stcp in
cstabÍishing a ncw habit. (LnvironmcntaÍ twcaks can cvcn /rce
a habit, as wc saw in thc Kackspacc cxamplc. Ñhcn thc caÍÍ-
gucuing systcm was thrown out, thc customcr-scrvicc stahcrs
guickÍy dcvcÍopcd thc habit oI answcring thc phonc.)
But Iorming a habit isn´t aÍÍ cnvironmcntaÍ~it´s aÍso mcntaÍ.
Ît wouÍd bc vcry dimcuÍt, Ior instancc, to twcak thc cnvironmcnt
ß u Ì l d H ð b Ì I $ ÌUU
in a way that wouÍd com¸e/you to Ícarn how to pIay thc piano.
So how do you Íay thc mcntaÍ groundwork Ior a ncw habìt:
3.  
Say that you´vc bccn puttìng oh going to thc gym. So you rcsoÍvc
to yourscÍI. Jomorrow morning, right ahcr í drop oh ^nna at
schooÍ, Ï`ÍÍ hcad straight to thc gym. Lct`s caÍI this mcntaI pIan an
"action triggcr.´ You´vc madc thc dccision to cxccutc a ccrtain ac-
tìon (workìng out) whcn you cncountcr a ccrtain situationaÍ trìg-
gcr (thc schooI circÍc, tomorrow morníng) .
lctcr LoÍÍwìtzcr, a psychoIogist at Þcw York \nìvcrsity, is thc
pionccr oI work in this arca. Hc and coÍIcaguc Vcronika Brand-
stattcr Iound that action triggcrs arc quitc chcctivc in motivating
action. ín onc study, thcy trackcd coÍIcgc studcnts who had thc
option to carn cxtra crcdit in a cÍass by writìng a papcr about how
thcy spcnt Christmas Lvc. But thcrc was a catch. Jo carn thc
crcdit, thcy had to submit thc papcr by Occcmbcr 2G. Nost stu-
dcnts had good intcntìons oI writìng thc papcr, but onÍy 55 pcr-
ccnt oI thcm got around to writing and submittìng it. Lthcr
studcnts ìn thc study wcrc rcquircd to sct action triggcrs-to
notc, in advancc, cxactIy whcn and whcrc thcy ìntcndcd to writc
thc rcport (Ior cxampÍc, '`í'ÍÍ writc thìs rcport in my dad´s omcc
on Lhrìstmas morning bcIorc cvcryonc gcts up¨). ^ whopping
75 pcrccnt oI thosc studcnts wrotc thc rcport.
Jhat's a prctty astonishing rcsuIt Ior such a smaÍI mcntaÍ ìn-
vcstmcnt.
Oocs this mcan that simpÍy by imagininga tìmc and pÍacc
whcrc you'IÍ do somcthìng, you ìncrcasc thc IikcIìhood that you'II
actuaÍIy do it: Ycs and no. ^ction triggcrs won´t gct you (or any-
onc cÍsc) to do somcthing you truIy don't want to do. A action
trìggcr ncvcr wouÍd havc convinccd coÍIcgc studcnts to participatc
¿ ! 0 5 H A P E T H E P AT H
in an online calculus camp on Christmas Day. ßut, as the extra-
credit study demonsttates, action triggers can have a prolound
power to motivate people to dothethings the¡knouthe¡need
to d.
Peter Collwitzer argues that the value ol action triggers re-
sides in the lact that we are ¸re/oadinga decision. Ðropping oü
Anna at school triggers the next action, going to the gym. There`s
no cycle ol conscious deliberatìon. ßy preloading the decision,
we consetve the Rider`s sell-control.
The concept ol preloading is easier to see with Ü example.
!magine that you are one ol the college students in Collwitzer's
study. !t`s Christmastime, and you're at home. Your parents are
doting on you, and your siblings are having an intetesting con-
versation. The J is on, the Christmas tree is lit up, and your
elderly Chihuahua Fredo is staring at you adoringly. Let`s not lor-
get the lood~turkey and dressing, pecan pie, chocolate trumes-
and GitarHero, and naps, and the calls you're getting lrom old
high school lriends. Distractions are everywhere. So il you walk
into this buûet line ol stimuli and you haven`t preloaded a deci-
sion about your extra-credit report~iF you haven't told yourselí
''I'll do this report in my dad's omce on Christmas morning be-
lore ceryone gets up" ÷you are sunk.
That's why action triggers have unexpected value. Collwitzer
says that when people predecide, they "pass the control ol their
behavior on to the envìronment." Collwitzer says that action trig-
gers "protect goals lrom tempting distractions, bad habits, or
competing goals."
There are countless ways to use action triggers at work. !l your
salespeople are more motivated to close new business than to cul-
tivate existing relationships, give them a "collee and call" trigger.
Tell them that whenever they pour their hrst cup ol coHee, they
are to place a check-in call to one ol their most important
ß u ì l d H ð b l I $ 2 J \
customcrs. Cr think about your cmpÍoyccs who wiÍÍ bc attcnd-
ing an industry conIcrcncc. by thc timc thcy gct back to thc oI-
hcc, thcir c-maiÍ wiÍÍ bc so backcd up that thcy won´t bc in thc
mood to sharc thcir Ìcarnings. So givc thcm an action triggcr-
suggcst that during thc hight homc, whcncvcr thc "LK to usc
cÍcctronics¨ announccmcnt is madc, thcy typc up somc rchcc-
tions for cvcryonc on thc tcam. ^ction triggcrs simpÍy havc to bc
spccihc cnough and visibÍc cnough to intcrrupt pcopÍc´s normaÍ
strcam of consciousncss. ^ triggcr to "praisc your cmpÍoyccs whcn
thcy do somcthing grcat¨ is too vaguc to bc uscfuÍ.
LoÌÍwitzcr has shown that action triggcrs arc most uschÍ in
thc most difhcuÍt situations-thc oncs that arc most draining to
thc Kidcr´s scÍf-controÌ. Lnc study anaÍyzcd pcopÌc´s succcss in
accompÌishing "casy` goaÍs or "hard¨ goaÍs. Ñith casy goaÍs, thc
usc of action triggcrs incrcascd succcss onÍy sÍightÍy, from 78  to
84 pcrccnt. But with hard goaÍs, action triggcrs aÍmost nghd thc
chancc of succcss-goaÍ compÌction skyrockctcd from 22  to
62 pcrccnt.
Jo scc how action triggcrs can aid pcopÍc in diIhcuÍt timcs,
considcr a study of paticnts rccovcring from hip- or kncc-rc-
pÍaccmcnt surgcry. Ln avcragc, thc paticnts wcrc 68 ycars oÌd,
and thcy had bccn in pain Ior about a ycar and a haÍf bcforc thc
surgcry. Jhc surgcrics initiaÍÍy makc things cvcn worsc, thcy takc
such a toÌÍ on thc body that thc paticnts rcguirc assistancc with
thc basic tasks oI daiÍy Ìifc, such as bathing, gctting into bcd,
and cvcn standing up. Jhc road to rccovcry can bc Íong and
painfuÍ.
^ÍÍ paticnts aspircd to gct back on thcir Icct as soon as possi-
bÍc, of coursc. but paticnts in onc group wcrc askcd to sct action
triggcrs-for instancc, "II you arc going to go Ior a waÍk this
wcck, pÍcasc writc down whcn and whcrc you pÍan to waÍk.¨
Jhc rcsuIts oI thc study wcrc dramatic. Ln avcragc, action-
Ì I Ì 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
triggcr paticnts wcrc bathìng thcmscÍvcs wìthout asststancc in 5 
wccks. Lthcr paticnts took 7 wccks. ^ction-triggcr paticnts wcrc
standing up in 5. 5 wccks. Jhc othcrs took 7.7  wccks. ín just ovcr
I  month, thc action-tríggcr paticnts wcrc gctting ìn and out oI a
car on thcir own. Jhc othcrs took 2. ; months.
|oÍÍwitzcr says that, in csscncc, what action triggcrs do is crc-
atc an "instant habit.¨ Íabits arc bchavioraÍ autopiÍot, and that´s
cxactÍy what actìon triggcrs arc sctting up. Hcrc`s thc prooI oI thc
¨ìnstant habit¨ conccpt. Lnc study showcd that thc singÍc biggcst
prcdictor oI whcthcr womcn gavc thcmscÍvcs a monthÍy brcast
cxamination was iI thcy had a habit oI doing so. Ñhcn anothcr
group oI womcn who dìdn´t havc such a habit wcrc .ukcd to sct
actìon triggcrs, thcy cndcd up doing just as wcÍÍ as thc womcn
with Íongtìmc habits. By prcÍoading a dccision, thcy crcatcd an
ìnstant habit.
^ction trìggcrs arc not IooÍprooI, oI coursc. Jccns with a sc-
rìous smoking habit, Ior cxampÍc, did not rcap any bcncht Irom
sctting action triggcrs to guìt smoking. Jhcir nicotinc-cnhanccd
habìt was simpÍy too strong.
But cvcn though action triggcrs arcn`t pcrIcct, it's hard to
ìmaginc an casicr way to makc an immcdìatc changc morc ÍikcÍy.
^ rcccnt mcta-study that anaÍyzcd 8, I 55  participants across 85 
studics Iound that thc typicaÍ pcrson who sct an actìon triggcr
did bcttcr than 74 pcrccnt oI pcopÍc on thc samc task who didn't
sct onc.
ínstant habits. Jhis is a rarc point oI ìntcrscction bctwccn thc
aspiratìons oI scÍI-hcÍp and thc rcaÍity oI scicncc. ^nd you can`t
gct much morc practicaÍ. Jhc ncxt timc your tcam rcsoÍvcs to act
in a ncw way, chaÍÍcngc tcam mcmbcrs to takc it Iurthcr. Havc
thcm spcci| whcn and whcrc thcy´rc going to put thc pÍan in
motion. |ct thcm to sct an action trìggcr. (Jhcn sct anothcr onc
Ior yourscÍt)
b u Í Ì d H 8 0 Í I S Z ì J
L L Î M Î L
H0W LB0 Ý0d Ü0I W0fK0f5
I0 Ñ05g0CI B N0W åBÍ0I§ F0lÎC§1
blTUÆTlÖM Patti Pcppe |s a department manage| i n the 6ene|a| Mctcrs au·
tcmct|ve p|ant |n Lc|dstcwn, 0h|c, and she |s st|ugg|ing w|th hcw tc rc|| cut a
new sa!ety pc||cy. her depa|tment, ccmpcsed c! 95O pecp|e, |s |espcnsib|e !cr
we|ding b|g p|eces c! meta| cntc the ske|eta| ca| !rames. The wcrk can be dan·
ge|cus. The edges c! the meta| are sha|p when they ccme c!! the presses. |! a
wcrke| puts h|s hand cn an edge and |eans against it, the meta| wi|| s|ice h|s
hand. |c| that |eascn, g|cves and prctect|ve c|cth|ng are essent|a|. A|sc, we|ders
wea| gcgg|es, but they are scmet|mes hu|t when spa|ks !|y intc the|| eyes !|cm
the s|de. Sc the new pc||cy p|escribes gcgg|es w|th prctective s|de sh|e|ds. The c|d
sa!ety pc||cy was ccmp|ex and !|||ed with except|cns¬!c| |nstance, a wc|ker
d||ving a !crk||!t d|dn't have tc wea| sa!ety equ|pment. Pcppe says, Eveqcne
th|nks they !a|| under the 'th|s dcesn`t app|y tc me' c|ause.¨ She |s dete|mined tc
get eve|ycne tc take the new pc||cy ser|cus|y. (Th|s was a rea| situat|cn.)
WHÆT'b THt bWlTCH ÆMÜ WHÆT'b HÖLÜl MÖ lT BÆCBT Pcppe
wants the wc|ke|s tc prctect themse|ves !rcm |ace|at|cns and spa|ks. The|e a|e
th|ee pctent|a| ba||ie|s. |||st, the ccmp| ex|ty c! the c|d pc|icy may have deterred
scme wc|ke|s !|cm embrac|ng it. Remembe| that what |ccks ||ke |es|stance |s
c!ten a |ack c! c|ar|ty. Pcppe needs tc scr|pt the cr|t|ca| mcves. Seccnd, |n any
sa!ety s|tuaticn, a ¨machc¨ v| be c!ten ccmes |ntc p|ay. That's an identity prcb·
|em. l! |t seems man||e| tc d|tch the gcgg|es than tc wear them, then the E|ephant
wi|| |es|st. Tird, sccia| p|essu|e |s wc|king dgdÍ0Sl sa!ety, because c! the ¨th|s
dcesn't app|y tc me¨ sent|ment. Pcppe needs tc !||p that sccia| nc|m. A|sc, m|ght
there be ways tc use the env|rcnment tc cue the |ight behav|c|s!
HÖW ÜÖ Wb NÆBb THb bWlTCHT
º ÜllCCl lOC hl0Cl. 1. b£fÍpI Iß6 £fÍ\Í£8Ì m0V6S. Pcppe threw cut the c|d
ccmp| |cated pc|icy and bc||ed dcwn the new sa!ety pc||cy tc twc speci!ic be·
¿I 4 5 H Å F L T H L F ÅT H
hav|crs. (! ) Everycne is requ|red tc wear hard side shie|ds and sa!ety g|asses.
(2) Wc cne can expcse any bare sk|n (nc shcrts cr shc|t·s|eeve sh||ts). That`s it.
Then Pcppe !cund a way tc make these tu|es very ccncrete. At an a||·hands meet·
|ng, she hcsted a sa!ety ¨game shcw.¨ A wcrker was ca||ed cnstage tc be the
ccntestant, he was asked tc assess whether a series c! mcde|s was in ccmp|iance
with the new sa!ety ru|es. Scme c! the mcde|s vic|ated the ccde |n subt|e ways,
such as wearing sa!ety g|asses w|th cne eyepiece m|ss|ng. She |nv|ted aud|ence
members tc he| p the ccntestant, and they shcuted cut answers, thereby re·
hearsing and abscrbing the new behav|crs expected c! them. ¿. Î0ÌßI I0 Iß6
06SIÌß8IÌ0ß. Pcppe wcrr|ed abcut rat|cna||zaticn, the excuse that ¨this dcesn't
app|y tc me.¨ Sc she created a B&W gca| tc e|imi nate the wigg|e rccm. l! ycu
were in the p|ant, ycu were requ|red tc !c|lcw the twc ru|es, regard|ess c! what
ycu were dcing. The ru|es app|ied tc eve|ycne at a|| t|mes.
º NC/lvd/C /OC LlCÇOdD/. 1 . Üf0w ÿ0ul p60pÌ6. Machc men dcn't |ike tc
wear dcrky sa!ety g| asses. Maybe Pcppe ccu|d !|nd g|asses that |cck mcre |ike
Bcnc's and |ess li ke a ¡un|cr·high·schcc| shcp teacher's. That m|ght make the
change |ess c! an identity threat.
º òOdÇC lOC /dlO. 1 . K8ÌÌÿ Iß6 ß6f0. By requ|r|ng eve|ycne in the p|ant tc
wear the sa!ety gear at a|| times, Pcppe |s !|ipp|ng the sccia| ncrm in !avcr c!
ccmp|iance. When ycu |cck arcund and everycne is wear|ng sa!ety g|asses, ycu
are mcre li ke|y tc wear them ycurse|!. ¿. bUÌÌ0 ß80ÌIS. Pcppe added cne !ina|,
inspired tcuch. She pa|nted a |arge b|ue |ine arcund the p|ant and made the new
sa!ety pc|icy e!!ective anywhere ins|de the ||ne. A|sc, at the entry pc|nts, she
pcsted b|ue wccden men whc are wearing the apprcpriate gear. By |nsta|l|ng
the b|ue |ine and the b|ue men, Pcppe was bas|ca||y intrcduc|ng an acticn trig·
ger. She was tra|ning the wcrkers tc th|nk, W000 Ìfl055 I0l5 Ìl00, I08I5 0y fU0
I0 þUI 00 0y g08I. The acticn trigger he|ped make the behav|cr hab|tua|.
[What happened. As a resu|t c! Pcppe's inncvat|cns, |n¡uries at the p|ant
drcpped 2! percent !rcm previcus |eve|s (which were a| ready amcng the best c!
manu!acturers dcing s|mi|ar wcrk).|
ß u l l d H ð 0 Í I 5 ¿ l >
6.
tabÌts atc bchaVÌOta!autOQÌ!Ot,andthatsWhythcytcsuChaCtIt-
ÌCa! tOO!lOt !cadcts. Lcadcts WhO Can ÌnstÌ!! habÌts that tcInlOtCc
thcÌttcams_Oa!satccsscntÌaÌ!ymaKÌn_QtO_tcsslOtltcc.ÅhcyVc
Chan_cdbch8VÌOtÌn aWay that dOcsntdtaWdOWn thcbÌdctstc-
sctVcs OlscÌl-COnttOÌ.
tabÌtsWÌl! lOtm ÌncVItab!y, Whcthct thcytclOtmcdIntcntIOn-
a!!yOtnOt.AOuVc QtObabÌyCtcatcdÌOtsOltcamhabÌtsunWÌttÌn_Ìy.
ÍlyOutstm mcctÌn_s a!Ways statt OutWÌth _cnÌa! sma!! ta!k, thcn
yOuVc Ctcatcd ahabIt. AOuVc dcsÌ_ncdyOutmcctÌn_autOQÌ!Ot tO
yIc!d alcWmtnutcs OlWatm-uQ sma!! ta!k.¯hchatd QucstÌOn lOt
a!cadctIs nOthOWtO lOtmhabÌtsbutWhÌChhabÌtstO cnCOuta_c.
Lcncta!NÌ!ÌÌam `Lus´ Ïa_OnÌs!cdthcÌO_ÌstÌCsOQctatÌOnlOt
thc LuÌlNat undct ÏtcsÌdcnt LcOt_c t. Ñ Dush. Ïa_OnÌsWas
tcsQOnsÌb!c !Ot mOVÌn_ 5 50,000  ttOOQs ha!Íay atOund thc
WOt!d, a!On_ WIth aÌ! Ol thcÌt cQuÌQmcnt. tÌs tcam madc thc
attan_cmcnts tO sctVc I 22 mI!lIOn mca!s, QumQ I .3 bÌ!!ÌOn _a!-
lOnsOlmc!,aDddc!ÌVct52,000 tOnsOlmaÌ!. LVcnaNa!-NattcX-
cCutÌVcWOu!d _ctsQOOkcd thInKtn_ abOut thÌs.
Ïccd!css u  say, CÌcatandcmCIcntCOmmunÌCatÌOnWa csscn-
tÌa!. LVcty mOtnÌn_, Lcncta! Ïa_OnÌshcÌd amcctÌn_thatstattcd
at 8  a.m. and cndcd at 8.50. ÏO _tcat ¡nnOVatIOn thctc, but Ïa-
_OnÌsmadctwO Can_cstOthctOutInc.ÍÌtst,hcaÌ!OWcdanyOnctO
attcnd |and hc tcQuÌtcdthatat !cast Onc tcQtcscntatÌVc ltOmcaCh
mnCtIOna!_niuQ bcQtcscnt).¯hatWay, hc COu!dcnsutcaltccand
OQcncXChan_cOlÌnlOtmatÌOnaCtOssthcOt_anÌZatÌOn. bcCOnd,hc
tcQuÌtcdcVctyOnctO standu¸dutÌn_thc WhO!c mcctIn_.
tctcs Ïa_OnÌs On thc bcnchts Olthcstand-uQ mcctIn_:
ÏatÌy On, Í dÌsCOVctcd that maktn_ QcOQ!c stand uQ
kccQs tbc baÍÍ mOVÌn_ at a QuÌckct QaCc. ÏcOQÌc sQcak
thcÌt QÌcCc and thcn QuICkÌyyÌc!d thc bOOt tO thc ncXt
¿T b 5 H A F E T H E F A T H
pcrson. Cn thc rarc occasion that somconc starts to gct
Íong-windcd or wax phìÍosophic, an unmistakab|c kind
of body Íanguagc bcgins to swccp through thc crowd.
ÏcopÍc shih from foot to foot, hdgct, Íook at thcir
watchcs-and prctty guickÍy, thc convcrsation comcs
back into focus . . . . ! can´t rccaÍÍ thc Íast timc Í  had to
crack thc whip. Jhc pccr group has grcat powcr.
Ïagonis was consciousÍy crcating a habit. ÷n¡mccting format
hc chosc wouÍd havc guickÍy bccomc habituaÍ. !t wouÍd havc bccn
¡ust as casy for him to cnshrinc a two-hour, scatcd bÍabfcst.
Ñhat´s cxciting hcrc is not thc cxistcncc of thc habit, but rathcr
thc insight that theha/itshouHser:ethemission. ¹Vhcn you´vc
got 550,000 troops to rcÍocatc, you nccd focus and clarity and cf-
hcicncy. ^ stand-up mccting won't guarantcc any of that, but it
wiÍÍ hcÍp, and it`s ¨frcc¨ -it´s not any hardcr to crcatc than thc
bÍabfcst wouÍd havc bccn. (SimìÍar stand-up mcctings arc uscd in
^giÍc programming projccts in SiÍicon VaÍÍcy, which pÍacc a prc-
mium on guick coÍÍaboration.)
How can you crcatc a habit that supports thc changc you´rc
trying to makc: Jhcrc arc onÍy two things to think about. ( I)  Jhc
habit nccds to advancc thc mìssion, as did Ïagonis's stand-up
mcctings. (2) Jhc habit nccds to bc rcÍativcÍy casy to cmbracc. íf
it´s too hard, thcn it crcatcs its own indcpcndcnt changc prob-
Ícm. íor instancc, if you´rc trying to cxcrcisc morc and you dccidc
to "crcatc a habit¨ of going to thc gym, you´rc rcaÍÍy onÍy rcnam-
ing thc corc probÍcm. Ît might bc morc productivc to try to start
by buiÍding an casicr habit, Íikc Íaying out your gym cÍothcs bc-
forc you go to bcd or asking a fricnd who aÍrcady works out to
pick you up on his way to thc gym.
Lonsidcr a onc-ycar study of dictcrs conductcd at Ïcnn Statc
\nivcrsity. ^ bascÍinc dict condition Ícd to wcight Íoss of
ß u l l d H ð b Ì I $ Z ¹ /
I7. 8 pound: ovcr thc coursc oI thc ycar. Jhat´s an ìmprcssìvc rc-
suÍt, but thc drawback oI many dict programs ìs that oncc thc
program cnds, thc dìctcrs´ oÍd habits start to rccmcrgc and thcìr
wcìght bcgìns to crccp up agaín. Ïn thìs study, onc warnìng
hag was that onÍy 56  pcrccnt oI thc pcopÍc ìn thc bascÍìnc
condìtion ratcd thcmscÍvcs as "vcry IuÍͨ or "cxtrcmcÍy Iulͨ on
thc dìct. How sustaìnabÍc ìs a dìct that docsn´t makc you rcaÍÍy
IuÍÍ:
Lthcr dìctcrs ìn thc samc study wcrc askcd to cat two cups oI
soup cach day, ìn additìon to thcìr rcguÍarÍy schcduÍcd mcaÍs. Jhc
two cups oI soup wcrc bonus Iood. Jhcsc dictcrs Íost I 5.4 pounds
ovcr thc ycar, and 55  pcrccnt oI thcm ratcd thcmscÍvcs as "vcry
hÍͨ or "cxtrcmcÍy hÍl.¨ Jhcy dìdn´t Íosc guìtc as much wcìght,
but thcir odds oI IccÍìng hÍÍ wcnt up substantìaÍÍy. Lating two
cups oI soup is a cÍassìc supportìng habìt. ít was an casy habìt to
ìmpÍcmcnt-thc rcscarchcrs wcrc sìmpÍy askìng thc dìctcrs to eat
more. ^nd it hcÍpcd thc broadcr mìssìon-ìt hcÍpcd thc dìctcrs
IccÍ hÍÍ, whìch madc it casìcr Ior thcm to controÍ thcir portìons
at mcaÍtìmc.
7. 
Jhìs Iocus on crcating habits was uscd mastcrIuÍÍy, ìn a totaÍÍy
dìhcrcnt contcxt, by ÞataÍic Lldcr, an cÍcmcntary schooÍ prìncì-
paÍ ìn Lhattanooga, Jcnncsscc. Ñhcn LÍdcr was hrst consìdcr-
ìng thc job Û prìncìpaÍ oI Hardy LÍcmcntary SchooÍ, shc askcd
to scc a copy oI thc schooÍ´s rcsuÍts on statcwìdc tcsts. Ait tumcd
out, shc dìdn`t gct to scc thc data untìÍ ahcr shc´d aÍrcady acccptcd
thc job. Lookìng back, shc jokcd that thc schooÍ board trìckcd
hcr ìnto takìng thc job hrst.
Ñhcn LÍdcr hnaÍÍy saw thc scorcs, shc couÍd not bcÍìcvc what
shc was rcadìng. Hardy LÍcmcntary dìdn't just havc Íow tcst
2J B b H A P E T H E P A T H
scorcs, ìt had theluestscorcs ìn thc statc of Jcnncsscc. Shc won-
dcrcd, "Ñhat havc í gottcn myscÍf ìnto:¨
ít was a brutaÍ bcgìnnìng, but thìngs got cvcn worsc. Ln thc
hrst day of schooÍ, shc had to cxpcÍ a studcnt. Lvcry wcck, ìt
sccmcd, LÍdcr cncountcrcd a ncw form of bad bchavìor. ín thc
cÍassrooms, studcnts wcrc cussìng at thcìr tcachcrs. ,Kcmcmbcr,
wc´rc taÍkìng about 6-to-8-ycar-oÍd kìds.) larcnts somctìmcs
bargcd ìnto cÍassrooms ìn thc mìddÍc of a Ícsson to taÍk to thcìr
kìds. Lnc parcnt was cscortcd out of thc buìÍdìng ìn handcuhs
aftcr hc vcrbaÍÍy abuscd thc cafctcrìa managcr.
LÍdcr's attcmpts to rcstorc dìscìpÍìnc ìn thc schooÍ wcrc mct
wìth rcsìstancc. "íarcnts wcrc comìng ìn and cussìng at mc, hoÍ-
Ícrìng at mc. Lnc parcnt trìcd to run mc ovcr wìth a car, ¨ shc
saìd. LÍdcr wasn´t facìng a tcachìng probÍcm or a Ícarnìng prob-
Ícm. Shc was facìng somcthìng much morc fundamcntaÍ. Shc
saìd, "í kncw í had to gct controÍ of thc buìÍdìng bcforc í couÍd
tcach. ¨
Shc forbadc parcnts from cntcrìng thc buìÍdìng durìng schooÍ
hours wìthout pcrmìssìon from hcr ofh cc. Shc suspcndcd thc
chronìc mìsbchavcrs ìn thc cÍassroom. Shc got tÌc poÍìcc ìn-
voÍvcd, whcn ncccssary, to cnforcc thc ncw ruÍcs.
But thosc actìons wcrc just a way of cÍìmìnatìng thc rcaÍÍy
cgrcgìous bchavìor. Hcr rcaÍ goaÍ was to transform chaos ìnto
caÍm. ín hcr judgmcnt, thc troubÍc bcgan thc momcnt studcnts
arrìvcd at schooÍ. íf studcnts wcrc rowdy by 8.30 a.m., LÍdcr rca-
soncd, thcrc wasn´t much hopc for thc rcst of thc day. Shc rc-
soÍvcd to congucr thc mornìng by crcatìng a scrìcs of consìstcnt
routìncs that wouÍd scttÍc thc studcnts and prcparc thcm to Icarn.
Jhc probÍcms bcgan ìn thc drìvcway whcrc parcnts droppcd
oh thcìr kìds cach day. LÍdcr saìd that ohcn "thc mom wouÍd aÍ-
rcady bc ycÍÍìng at thc chìÍd, and somctìmcs thc musìc was goìng
BLCN-ta-ta-BLLN, and by thc tìmc thc kìd comcs ìnto thc
ß u Ì l d h ð b Ì I $ 2 I 9
buìÍ
¿
ìng, thcy´rc aÍrcady upsct or angry. ¨ So LÍdcr and hcr stah
dìd somcthìng amazing. Jhcy turncd thcmscÍvcs ìnto vaÍcts.
Jhcy rcsoÍvcd to grcct cvcry studcnt bcIorc hc or shc cntcrcd
thc schooÍ buìÍdìng. Jhcy waitcd at thc curb outsìdc, opcncd car
doors Ior thc kìds, smìÍcd and saìd good mornìng to thc parcnts,
and thcn waÍkcd cach chìÍd ìnsìdc to thc caIctcrìa. Jhcìr vaÍct scr-
vìcc hcÍpcd smooth thc transìtìon to thc schooÍ day Irom what Ior
many kìds was a raucous homc cnvìronmcnt.
Lncc thc kids wcrc gathcrcd ìnsìdc thc caIctcrìa, LÍdcr startcd
cvcry day with a dìscìpÍìncd group asscmbÍy. "Lontìnuìty ìs good
Ior any chìÍd,¨ shc saìd. "»hat thcsc kíds don´t gct in thcìr Íìvcs
is stabìÍìty. Jhcy havc to know that hcrc thcy´ÍÍ gct structurc and
ordcr. ¨
^t thc asscmbÍy, LÍdcr bcgan wìth announccmcnts and a brìcI
caÍÍ-and-rcsponsc wìth thc kìds. "Ñc´rc a schooÍ oI what:¨ a
tcachcr wouId caÍÍ out. Jhc kìds wouÍd rcspond by shoutìng, "Lx-
ccÍÍcncc'¨ ^t ¯: ;0, LÍdcr taught H bricIÍcsson ìn charactcr cduca-
tion, typìcaÍÍy Iocusìng on a sìngÍc word, such as ¸erse:erance.
Shc´d havc voÍuntccrs spcÍÍ thc word and dchnc it. ^t 7. ;;, cvcry-
onc stood and saìd thc íÍcdgc oI ^ÍÍcgìancc, thcn sang a patrìotìc
song (Ior ìnstancc, thc »hitncy Houston vcrsion oI "^mcrìca` ) .
Somctìmcs kids rcad aÍoud, or LÍdcr gavc thcm a guìck spcÍÍìng
or math guìz. (Lhcn thc prìzc was a covctcd "out oI unìIorm¨
pass Ior íriday, aIÍowing thcm to wcar what thcy wantcd.)
^t 8. 00, thc kids stood and siIcntÍy waÍkcd to cÍass wìth "trav-
cÍing arms,¨ mcanìng that thc kìds' arms wcrc IoÍdcd bchìnd
thcm, rcducìng thc ncarÍy ìrrcsìstìbÍc urgc to mcss with thcìr
Irìcnds. By thc tìmc thc kìds sat down at thcìr dcsks, thcy wcrc
rcady to Ícarn.
LÍdcr shows us how ncw habìts can cÍcar thc Ïath. Shc ìnhcr-
itcd chaos at Hardy LÍcmcntary SchooÍ, and shc askcd hcrscÍt
"»hìch parts oI thìs chaos can Ï tamc: Ñhat kìnd oI mornìng
ZZO 5 H A P L T H L P A T H
routinc can I sct up that wiÌÌ improvc thc chanccs that thc kids
arc rcady to Ìcarn:"
Shc had to hght thc Iorccs that stirrcd up kids bcIorc thcy`d
cvcn sct Ioot in thc cÌassroom. thc tcnsc drop-ohs, thc caIctcria
pandcmonium, thc crratic transition to thc cÌassroom. ßy bring-
ing ordcr and continuity to thc cnvironmcnt, shc was abÌc to crc-
atc Iorward movcmcnt Ior a group oI chiÌdrcn who`d grown uscd
to a dcstructivc cyclc ol bchavior.
Moticc, too, that bccausc oI thc caÌm cnvironmcnt that EÌdcr
managcd to crcatc, "bad" kids startcd acting Ìikc good kids. A
good changc Ìcadcr ncvcr thinks, "Vhy arc thcsc pcopÌc acting so
badÌy! Jhcy must bc bad pcopÌc." A changc lcadcr thinks, "How
can I sct up a situation that brings out thc good in thcsc pcopÌc:"
8.  
So Iar, as wc'vc discusscd how to shapc thc Path, wc`vc cncoun-
tcrcd two stratcgics. ( I )  twcaking thc cnvironmcnt and (2) buiÌd-
ing habits. Jhcrc`s a tooÌ that pcrIcctÌy combines thcsc two
stratcgics. It`s somcthing that can bc addcd to thc cnvironmcnt in
ordcr to makc bchavior morc consistcnt and habituaÌ.
Jhat tooÌ is thc humblc chcckÌist. Vc discuss it with somc
trcpidation, bccausc wc know thc associations buzzing in most
rcadcrs` hcads. mundanc, routinc, burcaucratic. "\sc a chcckÌist,"
wc admit, sounds likc advicc a dad wouÌd givc a coÌìcgc studcnt,
along with somc tips on tirc-prcssurc gaugcs and not charging
bccr to his Exon card.
ßut bcar with us, bccausc your pcrccptions arc about to
changc. Vhat iI wc asscrtcd that chcckÌists can bc gamc-
changing, that chcckÌists can savc livcs:
Jhc HoÌy Grail oI chcckÌists may bc onc rcportcd by AtuÌ
Gawandc in !beNeu Krker. Iaticnts in intcnsivc carc units
ß u Ì Ì d H a b l I $ 22!
(ÌLLs) ohcn havc intravcnous Ìincs put in to dcÌivcr mcdication.
íI thosc Íincs bccomc infcctcd, nasty hcaÍth compÌications L rc-
suÍt. írustratcd by thcsc "Íìnc ìnIcctions,¨ whìch arc prcvcntabÌc,
Or. íctcr íronovost oI|ohns Hopkìns compiÌcd a hvc-part chcck-
Ììst.
Jhc chcckÍist contaìncd straìghttorward advìcc. Ooctors
shouÍd wash thcir hands bcIorc ìnscrtìng a Íinc, a paticnt´s skìn
shouÌd bc cÌcancd with antìscptic at thc poìnt oI ìnscrtìon, and so
on. Jhcrc was no ncw scicncc in thc chcckÌist, nothing contro-
vcrsiaÌ. LnÌy thc rcsuÍts wcrc surprising. Ñhcn thc chcckÌìst was
put into practicc by Nìchìgan íLLs ovcr a pcrìod oI cightccn
months, ìt ncarÍy cÌiminatcd Ìinc infcctìons, saving thc hospìtaÍs
an cstimatcd $I 75  miÌÍion bccausc thcy no Íongcr had to trcat
thc associatcd compÌicatìons. Ìt aÌso savcd about hhccn hundrcd
Íìvcs.
How can somcthing so simpÌc bc so powcrhÌ: LhcckÌìsts cd-
ucatc pcopÍc about what´s bcst, showing thcm thc ironcÍad rìght
way to do somcthing. (Jhat mcans that chcckÌìsts arc chcctìvc at
dìrccting thc Kìdcr.) A Or. íronovost said, hìs hvc stcps wcrc
bÌack and whitc, backcd by soÍìd mcdicaÍ rcscarch. You couÌd ig-
norc thc chcckÌist, but you couÍdn´t disputc ìt.
Lvcn whcn thcrc ìs no ìroncÌad right way to do thìngs, chcck-
Íists can hcÍp pcopÍc avoìd bÍìnd spots ìn a compÍcx cnvironmcnt.
Has your busincss cvcr madc a big mistakc bccausc it IaiÍcd to
considcr aÍÍ thc right ìnIormatìon: ^ chcckÍist mìght havc hcÍpcd.
Lisco Systcms, onc ot thc Íargcst intcrnct hardwarc companics,
uscs a chcckÍist to anaÍyc potcntiaÍ acquìsitions. ÑiÌÍ thc com-
pany´s kcy cnginccrs bc wiÍÌing to rcÍocatc: ÑìÍÍ wc bc abÌc to scÍÌ
additìonaÍ scrviccs to its customcr basc: Ñhat´s thc pÍan Ior con-
tinuing to support thc company´s cxisting customcrs: Aa smart
busincss dcvcÍopmcnt pcrson, you´d probabÍy rcmcmbcr to in-
vcstìgatc 80 pcrccnt oI thcsc criticaÍ ìssucs bcIorc any dcaÍ ìs
222 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
struck. But ìt wouÍd bc inadvisabÍc to rccaÍÍ thc othcr 20 pcrccnt
aItcr thc cÍosc oI a $ I 00 mìÍÍion acguìsìtion. ( wboo¸s!!bosebot-
sbotengineersr¸seto /ea:etbesnouinBouHec)LhcckIìsts pro-
vìdc insurancc agaìnst ovcrconhdcncc.
^nd ovcrconhdcncc ìs worth ìnsurìng agaìnst bccausc wc aIÍ
havc a knack Ior ìt. În onc cÍassìc study, pcopÍc wcrc askcd to
comc up wìth soÍutìons Ior thcir unìvcrsìty's chronìc parkìng
probÍcm. ídcas rangcd Irom raisìng parking Iccs to crcating morc
"Lompact LnÍy´ parkìng spaccs. ^hcr thc ìdcas wcrc coÍÍcctcd,
a pancÍ oI cxpcrts asscsscd thcm-cÍìminatìng wacky or imprac-
tìcaÍ optìons-and ìdcntihcd a sct oI ¨bcst soÍutìons.¨
Jhc avcragc indivìduaI brainstormcr camc up wìth 30 pcr-
ccnt oI thc bcst soÍutions, which is prctty good Ior a soÍo chort.
Hcrc´s what's not so good. Jhc braìnstormcrs conhdcntIy prc-
dìctcd that thcy´d ìdcntihcd 7; pcrccnt oI thc bcst ìdcas. (Ñc aÍÍ
know pcopÍc who bcÍicvc that thc worÍd´s accumuÍatcd wisdom
onÍy adds an incrcmcntaI 2; pcrccnt to thcìr own contrìbutìon.
You may havc marricd onc oI thcm.)
^ chcckÍist couÍd havc hcÍpcd thcsc pcopÍc. ímagìnc iI you`d
provìdcd thcm wìth a Íìst oI "soÍution catcgorìcs¨ to guidc thcìr
thìnking, rcminding thcm to think about "soÍutìons that raìsc
thc cost oI parking¨ and "soÍutìons that hcÍp morc cars park ìn thc
samc amount oI spacc¨ and so on. Jhat Íist wouÍd havc scrvcd thc
samc roÍc as Lìsco´s acguisìtion catcgorìcs, ìt wouÍd havc sparkcd
thcìr thìnking and kcpt thcm Irom Iorgcttìng kcy arcas oI con-
sìdcratìon.
ícopÍc Icar chcckIìsts bccausc thcy scc thcm as dchumanizìng
maybc bccausc thç associatc thcm wìth thc cxhaustìvc chcckÍists
that aÍÍow ìncxpcrìcnccd tccnagcrs to opcratc Iast-Iood chaìns suc-
ccsshÍÍy. Jhcy thìnk iI somcthìng ìs sìmpÍc cnough to bc put ìn a
chcckÍist, a monkcy can do it. ÑcÍÍ, ìI that´s truc, grab a piÍot´s
chcckÍist and try your Íuck wìth a 747.
ß u l l d H a b ì t $ ¿¿J
ChcckÍists simpÍy makc big scrcwups Ícss ÍikcÍy. ^s
Or. Ïronovost said, "Ñc wantcd pcopÍc to standardizc on thc
mìssion-crìtìcaÍ cÍcmcnts-thc arcas whcrc wc havc thc strongcst
cvìdcncc. ^nd thcsc things that arc mìssion-crìticaÍ, wc´vc got to
do thcm cvcry timc. ¨
Ñhat docs your organìzation nccd to do in cvcry product
cycÍc: Ñhat do you nccd to chcck Ior in cvcry contract or ncgo-
tìation: Ñhat docs your IamiÍy nccd to do to prcparc Ior cach
ncw schooÍ ycar: Ïut thcsc things in a chcckÍist. You may not savc
a ÍiIc, but youÍÍ surc avoid a paìnIuÍ bÍìnd spot.
You'ÍÍ aÍso avoìd making thc !undamcntaÍ ^ttrìbution Lrror.
Or. Ïronovost`s rcscarch showcd that Íinc inIcctions-ÍìIc-
thrcatcnìng probÍcms that arc prcvcntabÍc-wcrc rampant. Yct
hc didn't concÍudc, "Ñc'vc got a hcaÍth carc systcm hÍÍ oI sÍoppy,
ncgÍigcnt doctors.¨ ínstcad, hc askcd hìmscÍI, "How can í changc
thcsc doctors` sìtuations so that thcy´rc morc ÍikcÍy to avoid Íìnc
ìnIcctions:¨ (So bcIorc you concÍudc that your husband is hopc-
ÍcssÍy abscntmìndcd, aÍways Iorgctting to pìck up thc dry cÍcan-
ing and thc miÍk, maybc you shouÍd try shaping his Ïath. How
about taping a chcckÍist to his stccring whccÍ:)
^you try to makc a switch, thc hardcst struggÍc wiÍÍ bc to
maìntaìn your motìvatìon, to kccp your LÍcphant on thc road.
Jhis puts a hugc burdcn on your Kidcr, who has to rcin in thc
LÍcphant whcn it strays. ín this chaptcr, and thc Íast onc, wc´vc
bccn scarchìng Ior ways to usc thc cnvìronmcnt to rcÍicvc
thc Kìdcr`s burdcn. Ñc startcd with thc story oI Nìkc Komano,
thc soÍdicr who cac back Irom Victnam with an addiction to
opìum. íI Komano´s Iatc had híngcd soÍcÍy on thc onc-on-onc
battÍc bctwccn his Kìdcr and hìs LÍcphant, hc couÍdn´t havc
kickcd hìs addìctìon. Ït was thc cnvironmcnt that tìppcd
thc Iorccs in hìs Iavor. Ñhcn Komano camc back to his homc-
town oI NìÍwaukcc, hc Iound ìt a Íot casicr to changc.
¿¿4 b H A P E T H E P A T H
Íow can you crcatc an cnvìronmcnt that wouÍd makc it cas-
ìcr Ior you, or your tcam, to changc: Ñc´vc sccn that supportìvc
habìts-Íìkc hoIdìng stand-up mcctìngs or catìng DO  daiÍy bowÍs
oI soup-can hcÍp, and so can actìon trìggcrs that .uÍow you to
prcÍoad dimcuÍt dccìsìons. Evcn a sìmpÍc chcckÍist can makc a
dìhcrcncc. În thc ncxt chaptcr, wc'ÍÍ gct thc hnaI pìccc oI thc puz-
zÍc: thc ìnducncc oI othcr pcopÍc. Ît´s casìcr to pcrscvcrc on a Íong
journcy whcn you'rc travcÍìng wìth a hcrd.
1 0
hðÌ Ì ÿ IhE HEI0
!.  
Jhìnk ol thc last  tìmc you wcrc ìn a sìtuatìon whcrc you wcrcn´t 
totally surc how to bchavc.  Naybc  ìt was your hrst tìmc  ìn a ncw 
church,  or your hrst tìmc ìn anothcr  country,  or maybc ìt was  a 
dìnncr  party whcrc  you  dìdn't  know  many  ol thc  gucsts.  Ñhat 
dìd you  do to try to ht ìn: 
You watchcd othcr pcoplc,  ol coursc. 
!n ambìguous sìtuatìons, wc all look to othcrs lor cucs about 
how to bchavc. Naybc you´vc had thc cxpcrìcncc ol scannìng thc 
tablc lrantìcally at a lancy dìnncr, tryìng to hgurc out whìch lork 
ìs  lor  dcsscri.  (!l you  havcn´t  had  that cxpcrìcncc,  wc  hopc you 
know your  |orks,  bccausc  thc  rcst  ol us  copìcd  you.)  Ñhcn  thc 
cnvìronmcnt ìs unlamìlìar, wc sprout socìal  antcnnac that arc cx-
quìsìtcly scnsìtìvc. 
!n  thc  lancy  dìnncr  sìtuatìon,  our  antcnnac  work  grcat,  bc-
causc JÛNtÛNtat thc tablc knows what to do, and wc L j ust copy 
22b 5 H A F L T H L F A T H
that pcrson. But somctimcs ìn tìmcs oI changc, n»/od¡knows
how to bchavc, and that can Ícad to probÍcms. íor ìnstancc, ìI
you cvcr hnd yourscÍI ìn an cmcrgcncy situatìon, wc pray that
thcrc´s onÍy onc pcrson ìn thc vìcìnìty who can hcÍp you, rathcr
than a crowd. Jo scc why, considcr somc rcscarch conductcd by
Bìbb Latanc and |ohn N. OarÍcy.
LoÍumbìa Lnìvcrsìty studcnts, having voÍuntccrcd Ior a rc-
scarch study, wcrc askcd to sìt ìn a room and hÍÍ out a survcy.
Somc wcrc Ích aÍonc, othcrs wcrc put ìn rooms wìth two othcr
studcnts. ^s thcy hÍIcd out thcìr survcys, a ¨crìsis¨ cmcrgcd.
Smokc bcgan to pour ìnto thc room through a waÍÍ vcnt. Jhc
smokc contìnucd to how, ìn ìrrcguÍar puIIs, untìÍ cvcntuaÍÍy thc
room was hÍÍcd with hazc. LI thc studcnts sittìng IU  a room by
thcmscÍvcs, 7; pcrccnt got up and Iound somconc to aÍcrt about
thc smokc. But whcn thrcc studcnts wcrc pÍaccd in thc room
at thc samc tìmc, onÍy 38 pcrccnt oI thc groups oI thrcc cvcr rc-
portcd thc smokc. Jhcy just sat thcrc, inhaÍìng thc smokc, cach
ìndìvìduaÍ´s ìnactìon sìgnaÍìng to thc othcr two pcopÍc ìn thc
room that thissmokecludisntsucba/igdea/
Ín a sìmìÍar study, ìndìviduaÍs or paìrs who wcr: compÍcting
a survcy hcard what soundcd Íìkc a woman IaÍÍing down ÍoudÍy
on thc othcr sidc oI a room dìvìdcr. LI thc Íonc bystandcrs, 70
pcrccnt wcnt to hcÍp hcr, but onÍy 40 pcrccnt oI thc paìrs hcÍpcd.
Evcn whcn thc paìrs hcÍpcd, thcy actcd morc sÍowÍy than thc ìn-
dìvìduaÍs.
¤y do groups IaiÍ to rcspond as wcÍÍ Ü ìndìvìduaÍs:
Ín ambìguous sìtuatìons-smokc pourìng ìnto a room, thc
apparcnt sound oI a IaÍÍ-pcopÍc Íook to othcrs Ior cucs about
how to ìntcrprct thc cvcnt. ÍI you scc a man suddcnÍy coÍÍapsc at
thc maIÍ , your brain raccs through possìbÍc ìntcrprctations: Ît´s a
hcart attackl Lr, waìt, maybc hc trìppcd and IcÍÍ down. Lr what
ìI hc´s pÍayìng a gag on somconc: You`rc rcÍuctant to rush ovcr
K a Í Í g I h e H e r d 22Ì 
ìmmcdìatcIy, bccausc ìI hc sìmpIy trìppcd, your aIarm-bcII bc-
havìor wìÍI Ícavc you both cmbarrasscd.
íI you´rc thc onIy pcrson around to rcact, you`II probabIy makc
your bcst gucss-heartutturk-and rush ovcr. But ìI thcrc´s a
crowd, you`vc got two stìmuIì to proccss. thc coIIapsc ìtscII and
thc crowd´s rcactìon to thc coIIapsc. You mìght pausc brìchy to
study thc crowd. ÷reother¸eo¸/eacting/ikeheshadaheartat-
tack·You stand thcrc, ìdIìng, rcady to sprìng ìnto actìon at thc
hrst sìgn oI crìsìs. But as you waìt, othcr pcopIc arc Iookìng back
at you, and whcn thcy scc you ìdIìng, your bchavìor bccomcs data
Ior thcìr thcory that ìt´s not an cmcrgcncy. ^nd that`s why thrcc
pcopIc can sìt ìn a room hÍIìng wìth smokc and not makc a pccp.
Ñc aIl talk about thc powcr oI pccr ¸ressure, but "prcssurc¨
may bc ovcrstatìng thc casc. Ïccr ¸erce¸tionìs pÍcnty. ín thìs cn-
tìrc book, you mìght not hnd a sìngÍc statcmcnt that ìs so rìgor-
ousÍy supportcd by cmpìrìcal rcscarch as thìs onc. You arc doìng
thìngs bccausc you scc your pccrs do thcm. ít´s not onIy your
body-pìcrccd tccn who IoÍIows thc crowd. ít´s ¡ou,too. Bchavìor
ìs contagìous. Lct´s takc a quìck cpìdcmìoIogìcaÍ tour oI bchavìor.
Ñc start wìth a mìnd-bÍowìng hndìng. Lbcsìty ìs contagìous.
^ groundbrcakìng study Icd by Or. ^ìchoIas Lhrìstakis oI Íar-
vard NcdìcaI SchooI, whìch IoIIowcd I 2,0ô7 pcopIc Ior thìrty-
two ycars, Iound that whcn somconc bccamc obcsc, thc odds oI
that pcrson´: cIosc mutuaI Irìcnds bccomìng obcsc trìpÍcd' Kc-
markabIy, proxìmìty dìdn´t sccm to mattcr. Lbcsìty sccmcd to
"sprcad¨ bctwccn Irìcnds cvcn whcn thcy wcrc ìn dìhcrcnt parts
oI thc country. ín cxpIaìnìng thcsc hndìngs, Or. Lhrìstakìs saìd,
"You changc your ìdca oI what ìs an acccptabIc body typc by
Iookìng at thc pcopIc around you. ¨
Orìnkìng ìs contagìous. ^ study showcd that whcn coIIcgc
maIcs wcrc paìrcd wìth a dormìtory roommatc who drank Irc-
qucntIy ìn hìgh schooI, thcy saw thcìr LÏ^s go down by a quar-
228  5 h A P L   T h L   P AT h 
tcr point on avcragc. Jhcrc`s an cndÍcss Íìst oI othcr bchavìors
that arc contagious, as wcÍÍ. marrìagc, shakìng hands to grcct
somconc, wcaring IashìonabÍy nuI| boots, and i nvcstìng ìn
LoogÍc. ^nd you might want to avoìd hangìng around with basc-
baÍÍ pÍaycrs, Ícst you start compuÍsìvcÍy spìttìng.
ít´s cÍcar that wc ìmìtatc thc bchavìors ot othcrs, whcthcr con-
scìousÍy or not. Ñc arc cspcciaÍly kccn to scc what thcy'rc doìng
whcn thc situation ìs unIamìÍìar or ambìguous. ^nd changc sìt-
uatìons arc, by dchnìtion, unIamìÍìar! So ìI you want to changc
thìngs, you havc to pay cÍosc attcntion to socìaÍ sìgnaÍs, bccausc
thcy can cìthcr guarantcc a changc chort or doom ìt.
Ñhcn you'rc Ícadìng an !lcphant on an unIamiÍìar path,
chanccs arc ìt´s goìng to IoÍÍow thc hcrd. So how do you crcatc a
hcrd:
Z.
Jhc !Ícphant constantÍy Íooks to thc hcrd Ior cucs about how to
bchavc. Jhìs ìs why barìstas and bartcndcrs sccd thcìr tìp jars~
thcy'rc tryìng to scnd sìgnaÍs about thc "norm¨ oI thc hcrd. ít´s a
tìmc-honorcd tactìc. ín Iact, opcra companìcs uscd to pÍant
stoogcs in thc audìcncc to Íaugh and appÍaud at thc approprìatc
tìmcs. (íI that sccms guaìnt, rcmcmbcr that thc "stoogcs¨ arc aIìvc
and wcÍÍ on thc Íaugh tracks oI your Iavorìtc sìtcom.)
But somctìmcs socìaÍ cucs arc hìddcn. íor instancc, hotcÍ
bathrooms ohcn dìspÍay ÍittÍc cards askìng gucsts to usc thcir tow-
cÍs morc than oncc, usuaÍÍy appcaÍing to a pro-cnvìronmcntaÍ ob-
jcctìvc such as thc conscrvatíon oI watcr. (^Íso conscrvcd,
coìncìdcntaÍÍy, arc Íabor costs in thc hotcÍ Íaundry room.) So
shouÍd you rcusc your towcÍ: ít's not a cÍcar-cut situatìon. ^t
homc, you probabÍy usc your towcl morc than oncc, but ìn
a hotcÍ, you mìght cxpcct a bít morc pampcrìng, ìncÍudíng a
K ð l l ÿ I h e H e f d ¿¿D
cÍcan towcI cvcry timc you nccd onc. Jhcrc´s no obvious sociaI
norm to consuÍt, bccausc you can`t pcck into thc othcr gucsts`
bathrooms.
ÑcIÍ awarc oI thc powcr oI contagious bchavior, a group oI so-
ciaÍ psychoIogists pcrsuadcd a hotcÍ managcr u  tcst out a ncw
sign in thc hotcI bathrooms. Jhc sign didn´t mcntion thc cnvi-
ronmcnt at aÍI, it simpIy said that thc "thc majority oI gucsts at
thc hotcͨ rcusc thcir towcÍs at Icast oncc during thcir stay. ít
workcd-gucsts who got this sign wcrc Zô pcrccnt morc ÍikcÍy to
rcusc thcir towcÍs. Jhcy took cucs Irom thc hcrd.
^otc thc downsidc, though. íI thc sign had said, "^bout 8%
oI our gucsts dccidc to rcusc thcir towcÌs,¨ ncw gucsts wouÍd havc
bccn /essIikcÍy to rcusc thcìrs. (Jhc samc chcct cxpIains why you
don`t tip thc pcrson who bags your groccrics, cvcn though that
pcrson is doing as much vaIuabIc work as your barista. Jhc hcrd
toÍd you not to.) ín situations whcrc your hcrd has cmbraccd thc
right bchavior, pubÍicizc it. íor instancc, iI 80 pcrccnt oI your
tcam submits timc shccts on timc, makc surc thc othcr Z0 pcrccnt
knows thc group norm. Jhosc individuaÍs aÍmost ccrtainIy wiIÍ
corrcct thcmscIvcs. But iI onÍy ! 0 pcrccnt oI your tcam submits
timc shccts on timc, pubIicizing thosc rcsuIts wiII hurt, not hcÍp.
Ñhcn thc norms arc against you, what can
·
you do to raÍÍy
thc hcrd: Jhat, in csscncc, was thc probÍcm Iacing Lcrard La-
chon. a Ñharton SchooÍ opcrations proIcssor. ín Z00ô, Lachon
bccamc thc cditor oI thc journaÍ Manu¡ctu¬ngandSer:iceO¸-
erationsManagement(MSOM).Hcrc arc thc titÍcs oI somc oI thc
articÍcs Icaturcd in MSOM.
° "Kcquircmcnts íIanning with Substitutions. LxpÍoiting
BiÍI-oI-NatcriaÍs íÍcxibiÍity in íroduction íIanning¨
¹ 
"^ LcncraÍ íramcwork Ior thc Study oI OcccntraÍizcd
Oistribution Systcms¨
2JO 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
¹  ¨Stock !osìtìonìng and ìcrIormancc Lstìmat1on ìn ocrìa!
íroductìons-Jransportatìon Systcms¨
¹ 
¨Lontract ^sscmbÍy. OcaÍìng with Lombìncd SuppÍy
Lcad Jìmc and Ocmand Quantity Lnccrtaìnty¨
íI you just IcÍt your puÍsc guìckcn, you arc dchnìtcÍy an opcra-
tìons pcrson.
^ccdÍcss to say, MSOMìsn't thc kìnd oI mass-appcaÍ pcrìod-
icaÍ that wìÍÍ bc shcÍvcd bctwccn Maimand Peo¸/e at thc ÍocaÍ
ncwsstand. Its roÍc ìs to showcasc thc Íatcst thìnking ìn thc hcÍd
oI opcratìons. íroIcssors compctc strcnuousÍy to gct thcìr artìcÍcs
pubÍìshcd in j ournaÍs Íikc MSOM, bccausc ìn ordcr to gct pro-
motcd wìthìn thcìr unìvcrsìty dcpartmcnts, thcy nccd a soÍìd
track rccord oI pubÍìcatìon. (You`vc probabÍy hcard thc cxprcs-
sìon ¨íubÍìsh or pcrish. ¨)
Lcttìng artìcÍcs pubÍishcd is a Íong proccss. íìrst, you do a Íot
oI rcscarch-ohcn scvcraÍ ycars´ worth. Jhcn you wrìtc an artìcÍc
dcscrìbìng thc rcscarch and submìt ìt to a journaÍ. Jhc journaÍ cd-
itor Iarms out your artìcÍc to `pccr rcvìcwcrs¨-othcr proIcssors
who agrcc to crìtìguc your pìccc (anonymousÍy) . Jhc cdìtor thcn
summarìzcs thc opìnìons oI thcsc rcvicws and dcÍìvcrs a vcrdict-
ycs, no, or rcvìsc and rcsubmit. II you gct thc KöK vcrdìct, you´ÍÍ
ohcn havc to Íaunch somc ncw rcscarch to pÍug thc hoÍcs ìn your
work, and ìI you do that, you can cvcntuaÍÍy rcsubmit your papcr
Ior a ncw cycÍc oI rcvìcws. ít`s an cxhaustìng proccss-ìt routìncÍy
takcs ycars to gct a papcr pubÍìshcd.
^ kcy bottÍcncck ìs thc pccr rcvìcw stagc. II it takcs a Íong
tìmc Ior othcr proIcssors to rcad thc articÍc and gìvc Iccdback,
thc whoÍc proccss grìnds to a haÍt. Jhc standard rcvìcw tìmcs Ior
many acadcmìc journaÍs rangc Irom thrcc to sìx months. ^ Iront-
Íìnc scicntìhc journaÍ Íìkc Scienceor Naturemìght gct rcvìcws
donc in a Icw wccks.
K a l Ì g I R 0 N 0 f 0 ¿J1
Vhcn  Gcrard  Cachon took ovcr MSOM, most pccr rcvicws 
wcrc  taking  Irom  scvcn  to  cight  months, and  many wcrc  taking 
ovcr a ycar.  Larly in his tcnurc, Cachon got c-mails Irom proIcs-
sors  who  wcrc  hcsitantÌy  chccking  in with  him  about  a papcr. 
A typical  notc might say,  "l  submittcd this  papcr two ycars ago 
and Ï ]ust wantcd to chcck into progrcss." In scvcraÌ  cascs, whcn 
Cachon  chcckcd  on  thc  papcr  in qucstion,  hc  Ìcarncd  that  thc 
]ournaÌ had ao rccord ol its cvcr bcing submittcd.  Ïmaginc writ-
ing that c-maiÌ rcsponsc.  (And  takc  a sccond to contcmpÌatc an 
cnvironmcnt in which proIcssors IccÌ bad about chccking in ahcr 
two ycars| Jalk about Ìcarncd hcÌplcssncss.) 
IronicaÌly, opcrations pcopÌc arc supposcd to bc thc IoÌks who 
makc  thc trains run  on  timc÷thcy dcal with logistics and  bot-
tÌcnccks and suppÌy chains and cycÌc timcs. For a psychoÌogy ]our-
nal  to outpcrtorm an opcrations journaÌ-that's as disgraccmÌ as 
MichacÌ IhcÌps bcing trounccd in  thc  I 00m IrccstyÌc by Or.  Ihil. 
Cachon's  goaÌ was obvious÷makc things  movc Iastcr.  ßut 
what couÌd hc  do:  lc had no powcr ovcr any oI thc rcvicwcrs. 
Jhcy didn't  rcport to  him.  Rcvicwcrs  arc voÌuntccr  Ìabor who 
pcrIorm a dimcuÌt task Ior Ircc. How wouÌd you Ìikc to vcri[ thc 
Ìogic oI somconc`s  mathcmaticaI dcrivations in a papcr  on opti-
maÌ scriaÌ transport systcms: 
Cachon`s  gamc  pÌan  providcs  a  grcat  rcvicw oI thc  Suitcb
Iramcwork.  |irst,  hc spokc to his constitucnts'  Ridcrs by point-
ing to thc dcstination.  "! kncw thcrc was a coÌÌcctivc goaÌ that ! 
couÌd appcaÌ to," hc said. "Evcry author wants Iast cycÌc timc and 
is wiÌÌing to  providc it iI cvcryonc clsc docs.  ßut no onc wants to 
bc thc onc suckcr who providcs thc last Ìcad timc, and thcn whcn 
thcy  submit  thcir  papcrs  it takcs  Iorcvcr. "  Cachon  announccd 
that MSOMwould  rcvicw  papcrs  within  sixty-hvc  days÷that 
was ¯2 pcrcent Iastcr than its prcvious avcragcl 
Sccond,  hc  appcalcd  to  idcntity.  ve're o¸erations¸eo¸/e,/r
¿J¿ b H P F L J H L F P J H
Petessake. wshouH/e/eadingtheua¡ ong  cien;,andturn-
aroundnme!Jhìrd, hc dchncd a clcar bchavìor. Lvcry rcvìccr
had to submìt Iccdback wìthìn hvc wccks. Lachon got thc rc-
vicwcrs to commìt up Iront that thcy couÍd mcct thc dcadIìnc.
íìnaIIy, Lachon Iound a way to raIÍy thc hcrd. Lvcry írìday,
hc postcd an LxccI sprcadshcct on thc ìntcrnct that showcd thc
status oI cvcry papcr submìttcd to thc journaI. Lvcry rcvìcwcr
couId scc what thc othcr rcvìcwcrs had donc (and whcn). íI thcy
vìoIatcd thcìr hvc-wcck commìtmcnt, thc trackìng shcct crcatcd
powcrmI prcssurc, cspccìaIIy whcn Lachon caÍIcd thcm and saìd,
"Îook, othcr pcopIc arc doìng thìs on tìmc, and, by thc way,
hcrc´s thc data.¨ Ñhcn pcopIc saw thc data, thcy rcaIìzcd, whoo¸s,
Im the/otthneck.
Ñìth thc onIìnc tracking shcct, Lachon was usìng thc hotcÍ-
towcI stratcgy.· Hc was pubIìcizing thc group norm. Other¸eo¸h
aregeningtheiruorkdoneontime. wh¡ uont ¡ou?
Lachon sct out to makc good bchavìor contagìous, and hc
succccdcd. Aa rcsuIt oI Lachon's brìIIìant pIan, MSOMnow has
thc Iastcst turnaround tìmc oI any journaÍ ìn thc hcId oI managc-
mcnt scìcncc. Ad,
¿
ccausc oI hìs work, Lachon was askcd to takc
ovcr thc hagshìp journaI oI thc whoIc hcId, ManagementScience.
Lachon saìd, "^ow, whcn pcopÍc gct thcir rcvìcws ìn hhy
days, thcy comc back and say, `Ñowl í can stìIÍ rcmcmbcr thc
papcr'´ ¨
3.
Ñc´vc sccn that bchavìor ìs contagìous at thc ìndìvìduaI ÍcvcÍ
(obcsìty and tìp jars) and at thc group IcvcI (Lachon´s on-tìmc
rcvìcwcrs) . ít probabIy wìII not surprìsc you that bchavìor aIso ìs
contagìous at thc socìctaI ÍcvcI (scc bcÍI-bottoms and organìc Iood
and thc phrasc "at thc cnd oI thc day´ ) . But what may ìntcrcst you
K ð l l ÿ t h e H e f d 2JJ 
is that  thcrc's  a particuÌar bchavior, now ubiquitous in Amcrica, 
that wc can tracc back to  its origin. »hat IoÌÌows is thc story oI 
a guy who,  at thc cnd oI thc day, changcd thc way a socicty bc-
havcd. 
Ïn thc  Iº80s, |ay Vinstcn,  a pubÌic  hcaÌth proIcssor at Har-
vard,  got  intcrcstcd  in  thc  idca  oI a  "dcsignatcd  drivcr."  Hc'd 
pickcd up this conccpt Irom Scandinavian countrics, whcrc it was 
aÌrcady  a norm.  At  thc  timc,  thc  conccpt  did  not  cxist  in  thc 
Lnitcd Statcs. Mo onc hcrc kncw what a "dcsignatcd drivcr" was. 
Vinstcn and his tcam at Harvard madc it thcir goal to crcatc 
a social norm  in thc Lnitcd  Statcs.  II you wcrc going  out drink-
ing, you would pick a dcsignatcd drivcr who wouÌd commit  not
to drink Ior thc cvcning. How do you crcatc a sociaÌ norm out oI 
thin air: Vinstcn's  inspiration was that you couÌd makc thc bc-
havior contagious  by  rcpcatcdÌy cxposing pcopÌc to  it,  in many 
dihcrcnt contcxts, cvcn iI thosc contcxts wcrc hctionaÌ. 
Vins  tcn and his tcam coÌÌaboratcd with  produccrs, writcrs, 
and actors Irom morc than I 60 primc-timc Jprograms, sprin-
kÌing dcsignatcd-drivcr  momcnts  naturaÌly into  thc pÌots.  Scg-
mcnts Icaturing dcsignatcd drivcrs appcarcd on Hunter IheCes[
Shou.Mr Be/:edere, and  VhostheBoss·Cn  an  cpisodc  oI thc 
smash-hit  I º80s lcgal  drama  L.Z. Lau, thc  hcartthrob  Ìawycr 
pÌaycd by Harry HamÌin askcd a bartcndcr to caÌÌ his dcsignatcd 
drivcr. A dcsignatcd-drivcr postcr appcarcd in thc bar on Cheers.
"|ay's  crusadc  was  onc  that  wc  couÌd  do  somcthing  about 
IairÌy casily,  unlikc a Ìot oI othcr worthwhilc causcs," said Grant 
Jinkcr, thcn a vicc prcsidcnt oI MßC, who introduccd Vinstcn 
to dozcns o| writcrs at  aÌl  thc  ma]or nctworks.  Vinstcn  aIways 
rcqucstcd just "hvc scconds" oI diaÌoguc Icaturing thc dcsignatcd-
drivcr idca,  not a whoÌc cpisodc  or cvcn a whoÌc sccnc.  "Consid-
cring thc simpÌicity oI it alÌ," said Jinkcr, "it was vcry hard Ior us 
to  IccÌ our indcpcndcncc was bcing chaÌÌcngcd." 
¿J4 5 H A P E T H L P A T H
Þotìcc how smart Ñìnstcn was. Hc uscd thc powcr oI thc
lath to changc thc pubIìc's bchavìor, but hc uscd thc powcr oI thc
Kìdcr and thc LIcphant to changc thc nctwork cxccutivcs' bc-
havìor. Ñìth hìs hvc-sccond rcgucsts, hc was dìrccting thc Kìdcr
by dcscrìbìng a sìmpÍc actìon that couÍd hcÍp on a compIcx prob-
Icm, and hc was motìvatìng thc LIcphant by shrinkìng thc changc.
ín I 99I , thrcc ycars ahcr thc campaìgn Iaunchcd, nìnc out
oI tcn pcopÍc wcrc IamìÍìar wìth thc tcrm desigateddri:er ^nd
thcy wcrc bchavìng dìhcrcntIy as a rcsuÍt. Jhìrty-scvcn pcrccnt oI
aÍI ^mcricans rcportcd havìng actcd as dcsìgnatcd drìvcrs, and
54 pcrccnt oI Ircgucnt drinkcrs had bccn drivcn homc by onc.
Jhc bchavior changc savcd Iìvcs. ^IcohoI-rcIatcd tramc IataÍìtìcs
dccIìncd Irom 23,ô2ô ìn I 988 to I 7, 858 ìn I 992.
Ñìnstcn uscd thc powcr oI tcIcvìsìon to sìmu|atc a socìaI
norm. But you don't nccd HoÍIywood to crcatc a hcrd. »hcn
Stcvcn KcIman, whom wc dìscusscd ìn thc "Shrìnk thc Changc¨
chaptcr, took ovcr thc govcrnmcnt's procurcmcnt rcIorm chorts,
hc rcaÍìzcd that onc oI hìs bcst stratcgìcs was to "unIcash¨ changc.
By that, hc mcant that hc nccdcd to scnd signaIs to thc pcopÍc
who aÍrcady supportcd procurcmcnt rcIorm. KcIman kncw
hc nccdcd to tcII thc supportcrs, ¨ít´s saIc to gct vocaÍ now. ¨ ín thc
bcgìnnìng, hc dìdn´t nccd to crcatc ncw bcÍicvcrs so much as hc
nccdcd to unIcash thc bcÍìcvcrs hc aIrcady had.
ín thc IaÍI oI 2ÛÛ7, a group oI pubIic-hcaIth and ^íOS cx-
pcrts had a chancc to gct ìnvoIvcd ìn a sìtuation vhcrc changc
nccdcd to bc unÍcashcd. Jhc scttìng was Janzanìa, and thc sub-
jcct was sugar daddìcs.
º. 
ín Janzanìa, "sugar-daddy´ rcIatìonshìps arc common. You know
thc drìIÍ. A oÍdcr man pursucs a youngcr woman, thcy start
K ð Í Ì ÿ t h e N e f d ¿Jb
havìng scx, and as part oI thc "dcaÍ,¨ thc young woman rcccìvcs
gìhs or Iavors-a ccÍÍ phonc, moncy Ior schooÍ tuitìon, cÍothcs,
and so on. Jhìs ìs hardÍy a unìguc Icaturc oI Janzanian cuÍturc, as
cvìdcnccd by Hugh HcIncr and his scxtupÍct bÍond houscmatcs.
But thc sugar-daddy rcÍatìonships ìn Janzanìa arc morc trou-
bÍìng. íirst, thc womcn arc ohcn undcragc gìrÍs-!5, ! 6, ! 7 ycars
oÍd. Sccond, thc powcr dynamìcs ìn thc Janzanìan sugar-daddy
rcÍatìonshìps ohcn Ícad womcn to cngagc ìn unsaIc scx. (ít´s not
casy to insist that your partncr put on a condom whcn hc´s your
cÍdcr and your bcncIactor.) Jhìs powcr dynamìc ìs unìvcrsaÍ, oI
coursc. ^mcrican tccns who datc mcn who arc sìx or morc ycars
oÍdcr arc aÍmost Iour tìmcs morc ÍìkcÍy to gct prcgnant than tccns
who datc wìthìn two ycars oI thcìr own agc.
Jhc rcaÍìty ìs that whcn oÍdcr mcn want unsaIc scx, thcy tcnd
to gct thcir way. ín ^mcrìca, that mcans thc girÍs gct prcgnant. ín
Janzania, it mcans thcy gct ^íOS and dìc. ^nd that´s why sugar
daddìcs in Janzanìa arc a scrious pubÍìc-hcaÍth probÍcm.
HcaÍth cxpcrts caÍÍ thcsc sugar-daddy rcÍatìonshìps "cross-
gcncrationaÍ. ¨ ín thc agc group I ; u  24, womcn ìn sub-Saharan
^Irìca arc thrcc tìmcs morc ÍìkcÍy to bc HíV-posìtivc than mcn ìn
thc samc agc rangc. ít´s thc rcÍatìonshìps that thcsc youngcr
womcn havc wìth oÍdcr mcn that cxpÍaìn thc dìsparìty. Jhc cross-
gcncrationaÍ rcÍatìonship opcns up a brìdgc Ior HíV to travcÍ bc-
twccn popuÍatìons that ordìnarìÍy wouÍdn´t ìntcrscct.
Jhc othcr thìng that`s dìhcrcnt about sugar-daddy rcÍatìon-
shìps ìn Janzanìa ìs that, dcspìtc thc hcaÍth rìsks, thcrc´s no strong
socìaÍ taboo against thc bchavìor. ín thc Lnìtcd Statcs, ;0-ycar-
oÍd Ícchcrs who chasc coÍÍcgc girÍs arc punìshcd Ior ìt socìaÍÍy.
Lan´t you j ust hcar thc man´s sìstcr tcÍÍìng him, "You´rc pathctic¨:
Lan´t you just scc thc cycs roÍÍìng at hìs omcc: But thcrc´s no rcaÍ
cguìvaÍcnt oI thìs socìaÍ stìgma in Janzanìa. ít´s acccptcd that
high-status mcn wìÍÍ dìspÍay thcìr status ìn this way.
2Jb 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
Yct thc grcat majorìty oI Janzanìans-89 pcrccnt ìn onc
polÍ-bcÍìcvc that cross-gcncratìonaÍ rcÍatìonshìps arc wrong. \n-
IortunatcÍy, thcìr opposìtìon tcnds to bc guìct and prìvatc, ìt's an
uncomIortabÍc ìssuc to dìscuss.
ín ^ugust 2007, ÏamcÍa Ñhìtc and Nìkc Lchron oI \S ^ÏO,
a rcÍìcI organìzatìon that´s part oI thc \. S. Statc Ocpartmcnt,
caÍÍcd togcthcr a dìvcrsc tcam oI cxpcrts (ìncludìng thc two oI us)
ìn a hotcÍ ìn Oar cs SaÍaam. Jhc mìssìon. to dcvcÍop a campaìgn
to hght cross-gcncratìonaÍ scx. Lcadìng thc tcam was a group
Irom |ohns Hopkìns \nìvcrsìty's BÍoombcrg SchooÍ oI Ïublìc
Hcalth. Lthcrs ìncÍudcd ^íOS cxpcrts and about a dozcn Íocæ
artìsts and crcatìvcs (produccrs, actors, wrìtcrs, and at Ícast onc
Janzanìan soap-opcra star, who was ìntcrruptcd at onc point Ior
an autograph).
Jhc dìscussìons wcrc dìmcult. Jhc ìssuc was complìcatcd, and
ìt wasn't cvcn cÍcar whcrc to start. íor cxamplc, no onc bcÍìcvcd
that scoldìng thc sugar daddìcs wouÍd bc chcctìvc ìn stoppìng
thcìr bchavìor. ^nd thc pubÍìc-hcaÍth cxpcrts thought that wc
wcrc unÍìkcÍy to convìncc young womcn to rchsc thc advanccs oI
thcsc mcn, bccausc thc socìaÍ and hnancìaÍ prcssurcs on thcm
wcrc too ìntcnsc to bc countcr
¿
d by a campaìgn. So wc startcd
thìnkìng. íI wc can't changc thc maìn charactcrs ìn thìs story, can
wc changc thcìr cnvìronmcnt:
KccaÍl Irom Lhaptcr 8 that Hackspacc changcd ìndìvìduaÍs by
changìng thcìr cnvìronmcnt, thcìr cuÍturc. But that was onc com-
pany. Ñas ìt possìbÍc to changc thc socìaÍ atmosphcrc inanentire
ceunt
ç
: Jhc tcam kncw that Janzanìans objcctcd to cross-
gcncratìonaÍ rclatìonshìps but, Ior whatcvcr rcason, rcmaìncd
guìct about thcm. Could thc tcam gìvc a voìcc to that rcscnt-
mcnt:
Ñc nccdcd to hnd a way to makc Janzanìans Iccl comIortablc
dìscussìng somcthìng uncomIortabÍc, a way to dìsarm thc
K ð Ì Í ÿ t h e N e f d ¿J1
convcrsatìon. ^nd somconc bÍurtcd out. ¨Ñc nccd pcopÍc to bc
abÍc to Íaugh at thìs| Ñc nccd humor|"
ínspìrcd, thc tcam hatchcd thc ìdca Ior a vìÍÍaìn. Hc`d bc a vìÍ-
Íaìn pcopÍc wouÍd Íovc to hatc, Íikc ] .K. Lwìng, thc ctcrnaÍÍy
schcmìng oìÍman oI thc oÍd Jshow Da//.Athc group kìckcd
around thc ìdca, a portraìt oI thc vìÍÍaìn bcgan to cmcrgc. Hc´d bc
an oÍdcr mæi who cncapsuÍatcd thc sugar daddy-somconc who
hìt on young girÍs constantÍy, rcÍcntÍcssÍy, shamcÍcssÍy. Hc´d ap-
proach thcm anywhcrc hc couÍd hnd thcm, and hc´d oIIcr
Iavors-Ircc mcaÍs, Ircc drìnks, cIothcs, or tìmc on hìs ccÍÍ phonc.
Somconc suggcstcd that thc vìÍÍaìn bc caÍÍcd "íatakì,¨ and
cvcryonc´s cycs Íit up. Fatakiìs a SwahìÍì word that transÍatcs
ÍooscÍy as "cxpÍosìon´ or "hrcworks¨-somcthing dangcrous and
a bìt unstabÍc. ín othcr words, íatakì ìs somconc you want to stay
away Irom.
Jhc pÍan was to start tcÍÍìng íataki´s story ìn radio commcr-
cìaÍs, bccausc radio comcs cÍoscst to bcìng a unìvcrsaÍ mcdìum ìn
Janzanìa. Jhc tcam startcd drcaming up dozcns oI sìtuatìons to
put íatakì ìn, and across thcsc sìtuatìons thcrc wouÍd bc a com-
mon cÍcmcnt. Ocspìtc hìs status and wcaÍth advantagcs, and dc-
spìtc hìs smooth taÍk, íatakì ncvcr succccds. Hc IaiÍs agaìn and
agaìn bccausc an outsìdcr ìntcrvcncs to dìsrupt hìs scductìvc cI-
Iorts. Lìkc ÑìÍc L. Loyotc staÍkìng thc Koad Kunncr, !atakì
chascs and chascs and chascs but ncvcr gcts hìs prcy. Hc´s pathctic.
Hc´s somconc you can Íaugh at.
Hcrc`s thc transÍatìon oI a íatakì spot caÍÍcd "Lhickcn and
Lhìps¨.
(Nois¡seundo/arestaurant)
CI RL:  Lh so many choìccs . . .
FATAK! :  íÍcasc pìck onc . . .
C! RL.  ^,waìtrcss, ìs thìs chìckcn or . ¢ . :
2JB 5 H A F E T H E F A T H
N¬1¯HLoo: Ï wouÍd rccommcnd this onc . . .
ͬŬtÍ. Jhat´s too cxpcnsivcl Lìstcn. Cìvc hcr
chìckcn and chips wìth somc saucc.
Jhat´s good, right, my Ìovc:
LÍHL: Hmmmm . . . CK.
( witressacknou/edges theirorderandua/ksauoy.)
l¬¯¬t1 ¸ :s C:r/: Ch, plcasc go and tcÍÍ hcr ìt ìs
a takc-away'
LÍHL: Ckay . . .
(Backgound:oiceso/uaitersordering/od)
N¬ÍÅHLoo ( uhis¸ering) : Ì´m gÍad that í havc a
chancc to taÍk to you aÍonc. Oon't you Iccl
ashamcd to havc a rcÍationshìp vìth such
an old man: Hcrc, takc your chìps and
Ícavc guìckÍy through thìs back door . . .
(Soundo/doro¸ening)
ͬŬtÍ: Ñaitcr, what is going on thcrc:
N¬ÏÅHLoo: Sìr, thc gìrÍ ¡ust wcnt away. ÑouÍd you
Íìkc somcthìng:
άŬtÍ: Ñhat:l í camc with hcr. Shc wcnt
through whìch door:
N¬ÍÅHLoo: But you havc not paid Ior thc chìps,
sir o e e
ͬŬtÍ. Lhhh:::
N¬l¯HLoo: Sìr, this kid is not your agc . . .
Ϭ¯¬t1: ^,takc thc moncy and Ícavc mc aÍonc!l
N¬ÍÅHLoo: Hcc hcc hcc| Lot himl
¬ÌÌL\ÌLLH: írotcct your lovcd oncs Irom a í·atakil
Kadìo spots lìkc that onc bccamc part oI a unìhcd campaìgn
that was piÍotcd in a ruraÍ rcgion caÍlcd Norogoro. Jhc campaìgn
consìstcd oI ¡ 0 dihcrcnt radio spots that wcrc pÍaycd on 3 sta-
K ð l l ÿ I h e h e f d 239
tions, and I `0 banncrs that wcrc hung on storcs and pubÍic
buiÍdings. Jhc typicaÍ pcrson hcard about onc radio spot a day.
Jhc campaign had two goaÍs. Jhc hrst was to crcatc a mocking
ÍabcÍ Ior sugar-daddy bchavior. Jhc crcativc tcam's objcctivc was
to somcday waÍk into a Janzanian nightcÍub and ovcrhcar onc
patron tcÍÍing anothcr, "Jhat guy is such a íatakí.¨ By making ít
LK to mock thc íatakis, thc tcam wouÍd hcÍp to countcract thc
naturaÍ status advantagcs oI oÍdcr and wcaÍthicr mcn. Jhc scc-
ond goaÍ oI thc campaign was to cncouragc ¨intcrvcntions¨ by
otttsidcrs~uicnds, rcÍativcs, tcachcrs, cvcn waitrcsscs-by mod-
cÍing thc bchavior in thc radio spots. Jhc mcssagc was. "!t´s ¡our
rcsponsibiÍity to Íook out Ior thcsc young womcn. írotcct your
Íovcd oncs Irom a íatakil¨
Jhc rcsuÍts Irom thc piÍot campaign wcrc uncxpcctcdÍy
strong. By thc cnd oI thc Iour-month campaígn, 44 pcrccnt oI
pcopÍc who wcrc askcd ¨Ñhat wouÍd you caÍÍ a ;0-ycar-oÍd man
who ìs aÍways trying to scducc youngcr womcn:¨ spontancousÍy
rcpÍicd "íataki. ¨ Scvcnty-hvc pcrccnt oI Norogorans rcportcd
discussing íataki with othcrs. ^nd thc pcrccntagc oI pcopÍc who
said ¨Î can do somcthing about cross-gcncrationaÍ scx¨ incrcascd
Irom ô4 pcrccnt bcIorc thc piÍot to 88 pcrccnt ahcrward.
Having succccdcd in Norogoro, thc campaign was roÍÍcd out
nationaÍÍy in Janzania, and thc word bcgan to sprcad nationwidc.
^ hcaÍth carc workcr sctting up ííV cÍinics in thc outcr rcachcs
oI Janzanìa rcportcd that cvcn in rcmotc viÍÍagcs, íatakì had
managcd to bring a convcrsation out oI thc cÍosct. Ñithin wccks
oI thc nationaÍ Íaunch oI thc campaign, thc banncr Iront-pagc
hcadÍinc oI a Janzanian tabÍoid accuscd Kanumba, a popuÍar
actor, oI bcìng a íataki. (Hc´d bccn spottcd chccking into thc
Lambada íotcÍ with a young gírÍ.) Jhc Janzanian pubÍic had
takcn owncrship oI a namc and a charactcr who symboÍizcd thc
bad bchavior thcy'd rcscntcd, guíctÍy, aÍÍ aÍong.
24O b H A P L 1 H L PA 1 H
LLÎ M Î L
h0W LB0 Ý0B bI0g I0h0`5
blBCKb0ff§ Å00ÎCIÎ001
blTUÆTlÖM John has a B|ackBe||y addiction. h|s body tw|tches eve|y time his
B|ackBerry goes o!!. he can't stop himse|! !rom checking eve|y message that
comes in. |t's become a ser|ous distraction. |n meetings at wo|k, he !inds himse|!
sneaking the device unde| the tab|e to |ead messages cove|t|y. (|t annoys John's
co||eagues that he thinks he`s !oo|ing them.) John`s w|!e becomes increas|ng|y ||·
r|tated that he can't !ocus on their d|nne| conve|sat|on, and one day he a|most
has a !ende|·bende| because he is try|ng to e·mai| someone whi|e dr|ving. John
knows that he needs to cut |t out, but every t|me he reso|ves to stop, the B|ack·
Berry buzzes. jJohn is !ictitious, but we a|| know a John.|
WHÆT´b THb bWlTCH ÆMÖ WHÆT´b HÖLÖl MÖ lT BÆCKT Th|s |s the
|ast C||n|c |n the book, and by now, we hope you'|| make easy wo|k o! this situ·
ation. Te behav|o| change |s c|ear enough: John needs to stop us|ng h|s B|ack·
Be|ry a|| the t|me (and espec|a||y wh||e dr|v|ng). What's ho|d|ng h|m back! h|s
E|ephant, o! cou|se. l n any add|ct|on situation, the E|ephant is the cu|pr|t. To re|n
in John's E|ephant, we'|| 0se a|| th|ee pa|ts o! the !|amework. Take a moment to
gene|ate an act|on p|an !o| John, and then compare your notes w|th ours.
HÖW ÖÖ Wb NÆKb THb bWîTCHT
º Ü/lCC/ lOC hl0Cl. T . ÎÍß0 Iß6 0fÍgßI Sp0IS. Are the|e t|mes when John
doesn`t !ee| the B|ackBe|q compu|sion! What's dil|e|ent about those times, and
can we !ind a way to rep||cate those condit|ons! ¿. Î0ÍßI I0 Iß6 06SIÌß8IÍ0ß.
John needs a B&W goa|, | |ke BP's ¨Wo d|y ho|es.¨ Reca|| that B&W goa|s are par·
t|cu|ar|y use!u| in situat|ons where peop|e are prone to rat|ona||te. (John is con·
stant|y te|||ng h|mse|!, ¨| ¡ust need to check and see il this one spec|!|c e·mai|
has come | n. ¨) John cou|d exper|ment with d|!|erent B&W goa|s: N0 bÌ8Ckb0lQ
0UH0g 0l000f or N0 bÌ8Ckb0lQ 8h0l 0þ.0., or Î00 bÍ8Ckb0lQ f0005 0UI 00Ìy
w000 Ì0 Il8v0/l0g. he needs to e|im|nate h|s own w|gg|e room.
K 8 l l ÿ I R 0 H 0 I 0 ¿4!
º NCl/vdlC lOC L/CÇOdDl. T. ÎÌ ß0 Iß6 Í66ÌÌßg. have John's wi!e !orce h| m
to read a|oud the |ast ten e·ma||s that he rece|ved and then ask whether any o!
them is rea||y wo|th gett|ng twitchy ove|. A |itt|e emba|rassment might do h|m
good. ¿.ÎÍß0 Iß6 Í66ÌÍßg. Car acc|dents a|e happen|ng more and mo|e because
o! peop|e ||ke John. Con!|onting John with a part|cu|ar|y sobe|ing news story¬
!o| examp|e, ¨Cute Puppy Run 0ve| by E-Ma|||ng 0||ve|¨ ¬m|ght be a good idea.
J. buÌÌ0 Í06ßIÍIÿ. John`s wi!e (or his co||eag0es) cou|d h|gh||ght how his B|ack·
Be||y habit doesn't !|t w|th h|s character. ¨John, you'|e usua||y such an 'in con·
tro|` guy. |t's we||d to see you so !|aky.¨ 4. buÍÌ0 Iß6 gf0WIß mÍß0S6I. Some
smoke|s qu|t success!u||y on the seventeenth t|y. |! John tru|y wants to curb his
habit, h|s !r|ends shou|dn`t |et him give up i! he ¨re|apses¨ a !ew t|mes.
º òOdÇC lOC /dlO. 1 . bI68k Iß6 6ßVÍf0ßm6ßI. John`s w|!e can s|mp|y
smash his B|ackBerq w|th a hamme|. Prob|em so|ved. T8. 1W68k Iß6 6ßVÍf0ß·
m6ßI. |! smashing it isn't poss|ble, John cou|d |ock h|s B|ackBer|y |n the t|unk o!
his ca| eve|y t|me he d|ives. That way, he wou|dn't have to !|ght the E|ephant
when |t buttes. ¿.1W68k Iß6 6ßVÍI0ßm6ßI. The s||en song o! the B|ackBer|y |s
its butt (o| ring o| !|ashing |ed |ight). Can you tu|n o!| the sound! Cover up the
||ght! (Pa|nt over the |ight with W|te·0ut |! necessa|y.) J. K8ÌÌÿ Iß6 ß6f0. John's
co||eagues shou|d make sure he knows he`s not !ool|ng anybody | n meetings.
They shou|d make a pact that, each time John sneaks a |ook at h|s B|ackBerq
unde| the tab|e, they w||| a|| stare at h|m unti| he meets the|r (disapproving) eyes.
S.
Jhc  Iatakì  casc  study  may havc  |clt |orcìgn  to you.  !t probably 
docsn't bcar many supcrhcìal sìmìlarìtìcs to thc changcs you´rc con-
tcmplatìng. But look at thc undcrlyìng dynamìcs. You want ccrtaìn 
pcoplc  to  act  dìhcrcntly,  but  thcy arc  rcsìstant  to  thc  changc.  So 
you rally thc support o| othcrs who ìn turn could ìnhucncc thosc 
you hopc to sway.  !n csscncc, ìt´s an attcmpt to changc thc culturc, 
and  culturc  ohcn  ìs  thc  lìnchpìn  o|  succcsshl  organìzatìonal 
¿4¿ 5 H A P b T H b P A T H
changc. A Iormcr íBN LLL Lou Lcrstncr said, "í camc to scc, in
my timc at ÏBN, that cuIturc isn`t ¡ust onc aspcct oI thc gamc-it
isthc gamc.¨ But organìzationaI cuIturc is a sIippcry, abstract con-
ccpt. How do you changc it: Ñhcrc do you start:
ín I 984, Libby Zion, an I 8-ycar-oId Ircshman at Bcnnington
LoIÍcgc, at homc visitìng hcr parcnts in Nanhattan, dìcd in a
^cw York tcaching hospitaI. Shc´d bccn givcn thc wrong mcd-
icatìon by a mcdicaI rcsidcnt who'd bccn working Ior ovcr
! 9 hours. Hcr dcath sparkcd an outcry ovcr thc cxccssivc hours
workcd by mcdicaI intcrns. (Intcrns arc hrst-ycar rcsìdcnts.
Jhcy´vc compÍctcd thrcc ycars oI mcdicaÍ schooI and arc bcgin-
ning IuIl-timc work in hospitaIs.) JraditionaIIy, ìntcrns havc
workcd an astonishing I 20 hours pcr wcck.
Jhc story oI Libby Zìon bccamc thc ccntcrpiccc oI a cam-
paig
¿
to Iimit thc workwccks oI mcdìcaÍ rcsidcnts. ^Imost two
dccadcs Íatcr, ìn 2003. Longrcss hnaIIy sccmcd rcady to movc.
Jhcn thc ^mcrican LounciI Ior Lraduatc NcdicaÍ !ducation~
which accrcdits mcdìcaÍ schooIs-madc an chort to prccmpt con-
grcssionaÍ IcgisÍation by rcguìring 80-hour workwccks Ior
rcsìdcnts starting in |uIy 2003. Jhat might sccm to bc thc cnd oI
thc story. ^ switch happcncd in mcdicaI schooIs bccausc somconc
wìth hat powcr mandatcd thc changc.
Ïn this casc, though, hat powcr IaiIcd. ^ subscgucnt study by
thc }ou¬a/o/theZmericanMedica/ZssociationIound that onIy a
third oI gcncraI surgcry rcsidcncy programs compIicd with thc
ncw workwcck Iimits. Ñhy wouId hospitaÍs IaiÍ to changc thcìr
ways in spitc oI thc Iact thcy wcrc putting paticnts at risk (as wcII
as thcir own accrcditatìon):
Kathcrinc KcIIogg, an cthnographcr at NíJ´s SÍoan SchooI
oI Nanagcmcnt, wantcd to undcrstand why somc organizations
compIìcd with such rcguIations and othcrs didn´t. Shc dccidcd to
study two northcastcrn tcaching hospitaÍs, nicknamcd ^Ípha and
K ð l Í ÿ t h e N e f d Z43
Bcta, that wcrc wcÍl matchcd in sizc, scctor, structurc, and othcr
Iactors. Shc was givcn hÍÍ acccss to thc stahcrs oI thc two hospi-
taÍs, and shc obscrvcd thc two hospitaÍs Ior an avcragc oI twcnty
hours a wcck, cach, Ior hhccn months. KcÍÍogg was thc pcrIcct
cycwitncss U  a rcaÍ-worÍd cuÍturaÍ changc chort.
6.
ín thc gucst to rcIorm, thc hcrccst battÍc wouÍd bc Iought ovcr a
surprisingÍy mundanc practicc caÍÍcd thc "daiÍy signout. ¨ Jhc
daiÍy signout is thc point, usuaÍÍy about 9 or I 0 p. m. , whcn sur-
gicaÍ intcrns hand oIÌ thcir paticnts to thc on-caÍÍ night rcsidcnt.
Ouring thc signout, thc intcrn bricIs thc rcsidcnt on cach pa-
ticnt's status. so that thc rcsidcnt is prcparcd to takc carc oI any
cmcrgcncics that happcn ovcrnight.
But intcms wcrcn´t rcaIÍy handing oh thcir work, and that`s
onc rcason why thcy wcrc working I 20 hours a wcck. Ln cvcry
third night, thcrc was no handoh at alÍ-thc intcrns wcrc on duty
aÍÍ through thc night. And on thc othcr nights, thcy staycd Íatc
to hnish thc papcrwork thcy shouÍd havc handcd oII. Ñorsc,
night rcsidcnts usuaÍÍy rchscd to do any papcrwork ovcrnight,
so thc intcrns had to show up carÍy thc ncxt morning-at, say,
4 a.m.-to compÍctc it bcIorc bcginning thcir normaÍÍy schcd-
uÍcd rounds at 6 a.m.
Jo cnIorcc an 80-hour workwcck, thc hospitaÍs nccdcd to
start taking thc daiÍy signouts scriousÍy, but that wasn´t quitc as
casy as it sounds. LmotionaÍ rcsistancc to rcIorm was cntrcnchcd
in both AÍpha and Bcta and, indccd, in most hospitaÍs across thc
country. Signing out conhictcd with Íong-standing cuÍturaÍ prac-
ticcs. íor instancc, onc opponcnt said, "You Ícarn by bcing hcrc.
Jhcrc is a hugc amount oI inIormation passcd on in an ad hoc
Iashion at 2 L
¹
cÍock in thc morning whcn thc scnior rcsidcnt and
244 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
you arc trying to gct a patìcnt's bIood prcssurc up or an íV ìn. You
nccd to bc thc onc managìng ìt, doìng ìt, ìn ordcr to Ícarn.` (ín
othcr words, ìntcrns wouÍd bc putting thcìr mcdìcaÍ cducation
at rìsk by, cr, slccpìng.)
Lthcr opponcnts strcsscd thc ìmportancc oI "continuìty oI
carc¨~minimìzìng thc numbcr oI tìmcs that paticnts wcrc passcd
among doctors. A onc rcsìdcnt saìd, "Jhc problcm wìth hand-
ohs ìs that things IaÍÍ through thc cracks and thìngs gct mìsscd.¨
^ hnaÍ objcctìon, ìn csscncc, was that iI thc ìntcrns dìdn´t pay
thcìr ducs, ìt would bc unIair Ü cvcryonc who'd aÍrcady put ìn
timc as thc papcrwork Íackcys. "Jhcsc guys havc bccn thcrc and
donc that . . . . You can scc how ìt wouÍd bc tough as a Iourth-
ycar rcsidcnt to bc toÍd to do thc ìntcrn ¡ob aÍÍ ovcr agaìn.¨
íortunatcÍy, at both ^Ípha and Bcta, thcrc was substantiaÍ
support Ior sìgnout changc among thc ìntcrns' supcriors, such as
scnìor rcsìdcnts and chìcI rcsidcnts. ^t ^Ípha, I3 oitt oI 3 I su-
pcrìors wcrc ¨rcIormcrs¨ who supportcd thc changc, at Bcta, I 2
out oI I 8 wcrc rcIormcrs. Bccausc oI thìs support, cìrcumstanccs
lookcd rìpc Ior rcaÍ changc. ^lÍ sìgns wcrc ¨Lo.¨ ^t Íong Íast, thc
I 20-hour workwcck wouÍd bc aboÍìshcd.
Jhcrc was j ust onc probÍcm: Jhc ìntcrns wouÍdn't sìgn out. A
onc ìntcrn saìd, "Bcìng considcrcd a good intcrn has nothìng to
do wìth what you know or how wcÍÍ you managc your patìcnts.
ít ìs totaÍÍy bascd on workìng hard and not handìng stuh oh ít`s
your attìtudc, not your abìÍìty . . . . Jhis ìs whcrc Ï lìvc. í onÍy go
homc to sÍccp. ít sounds sìck, but thcsc pcopÍc arc Íìkc my Iam-
ìÍy.¹hc worst thìng wouÍd bc not to bc rcspcctcd by thcsc guys. ¨
íor thc intcrns, socíaÍ status was at stakc. Jhc ìntcrns IcÍt thcy
wouÍdn`t bc rcspcctcd ìI thcy cmbraccd thc sìgnout. Lhangc was
comìng ìnto conhìct wìth cuÍturc, and Íct´s Iacc ìt, a ncw ruÍc is
no match Ior a cuÍturc.
LouÍd thc hospìtaÍs changc thcir cuÍturc: Hcrc´s whcrc thcìr
K ð Ì Ì ÿ t h e h e f d ¿4b
paths divcrgc.  Fihccn months into Kathcrinc KcÌlogg's  rcscarch, 
Alpha had managcd to win thc  culturc  battÌc,  and ßcta had Ìost 
it. Anyonc who wants  to  crcatc  organizationaÌ  changc  nccds to 
undcrstand why. 
7.
KcÌÌogg discovcrcd that thc changc hingcd on thc smaÌlcst work 
tcams at thc HospitaÌ, which mct cach day tor "ahcrnoon rounds." 
Lach tcam was composcd ot thrcc or tour rcsidcnts (both intcrns 
and morc scnior pcoplc), and during ahcrnoon rounds, thcy dis-
cusscd thc paticnts undcr thcir carc and othcr important issucs. 
Jhc  attcrnoon  rounds  at  thc two  hospitaÌs  dittcrcd  a grcat 
dcal. 
° At AÌpha, thc rounds wcrc lcngthy (around an hour)  and 
had a high attcndancc ratc. Jhc tcams tcndcd to mcct in 
quict corncrs, moving trom paticnt to paticnt around thc 
hospìtaÌ hoor. 
" At  ßcta,  thc  rounds wcrc morc  casuaÌ. Jhcy wcrc shortcr 
(twcnty  or  thirty  minutcs),  and  tcam  mcmbcrs  ottcn 
calÌcd in or scnt a mcssagc instcad ot showing up in pcr-
son. Jhc tcams at ßcta didn't mcct  at paticnts`  bcdsidcs, 
thcy mct in thc computcr Ìoungc, whcrc aÌl thc rcsidcnts 
hung out bctwccn shihs.  (Jakc a momcnt to contcmplatc 
thc dihcrcnt bchaviors  that  míght bc cncouragcd  by  thc 
dihcring tormats ot thcsc rounds.) 
Jcams wcrc shumcd about oncc a month, and cvcry so ohcn, 
by  thc luck ot thc draw,  aÌÌ thc  pcopÌc  on a  tcam wouÌd  bc rc-
tormcrs who  supportcd  thc  shortcr workwccks.  At AÌpha,  thc 
rctorm-mindcd tcams tound grcat strc
¿
gth in thcir rounds. Jhcy 
24b 5 H A P E T H E P A T H
wcrc spcndìng an hour in privatc discussìons with a group oI thcir
IcÍÍow bcÍicvcrs. But at Bcta, thc Iormat oI thc ahcrnoon rounds
bÍockcd any momcntum Ior rcIorm. Jhc tcams mct Ior onÍy a
short timc, and mcmbcrs ohcn wcrc missìng. Ñorsc. tcams wcrc
mccting ìn thc computcr loungc, whcrc Íots oI pcopÍc who op-
poscd rcIorm couÍd ovcrhcar thcir convcrsation, whìch Ícd
rcIorm-mindcd mcmbcrs to scÍI-ccnsor.
Bottom linc. ^t Bcta, thc ahcrnoon rounds wcrc irrclcvant to
thc changc. ^t ^Ípha, thcy bccamc thc spark, and thc rounds bc-
camc, in csscncc, undcrground rcsistancc mcctings.
8. 
Kcscarchcrs who study socìal movcmcnts caÍÍ situations Íìkc thcsc
"Ircc spaccs¨ -smaÍÍ-scaÍc mcctìngs whcrc rcIormcrs can gathcr
and rcady thcmscÍvcs Ior colÍcctìvc action without bcìng obscrvcd
by mcmbcrs oI thc dominant group. írcc spaccs ohcn pÍay a crit-
icaÍ roÍc in IaciÍìtatìng socìal changc. CìviÍ rìghts Ícadcrs, Ior ìn-
stancc, wcrc abÍc to usc southcrn black churchcs as Ircc spaccs to
prcparc thcmscÍvcs Ior actìon.
KcÍlogg was prcscnt, cvcry day, at ^Ípha and Bcta as onc rc-
Iorm movcmcnt bÍossomcd and thc othcr wìÍtcd. Shc attcndcd
thirty-onc Ircc-spacc mcctings at ^Ípha and twcnty-two mcct-
ings at Bcta. Jhc mcctings at Bcta had a comparabÍc numbcr oI
rcIormcrs but wcrcn't conductcd in a Ircc spacc.
^t ^Ípha, 77 pcrccnt oI thc mcctìngs ìncÍudcd discussion
about thc lcgìtimacy oI thc sìgnout proccss, and 8 I pcrccnt oI
thc mcctìngs drcw boundarics bctwccn "us¨ and "thcm¨-
rcIormcrs vcrsus rcsistcrs. ^t Bcta, nonc oI thc mcctings Icaturcd
cìthcr kind oI dìscussion.
Ourìng thc ^Ípha Ircc-spacc mcctìngs, thc rcIormcrs bcgan
to dcvcÍop a Íanguagc Ior taÍking about thc advantagcs oI thc
K ð l l ÿ t h e h e r d 247
rcIorm. For instancc, during onc mccting,  thc chicI rcsidcnt dc-
constructcd  thc  "continuity oI carc"  argumcnt  madc  by changc 
rcsistcrs: 
It  is  important  to  takc  pcrsonal  rcsponsibiÌity.  ßut  I 
think you can prcscrvc this pcrsonaÌ commitmcnt with-
out having  onc  pcrson  thcrc aÌÌ  thc  timc.  Somc pcopÌc 
arc oUscboo/and say,  ``I`m going to  do  it  myscÌI"  Ior 
mc, it is tbeteamthat is going to takc carc oí cvcrything. 
£ach ol us takcs  pcrsonaÌ  rcsponsibility  to  makc surc 
that paticnt carc is  thc  bcst  it can  bc,  but  tbatdoesn't
meandoingitah¡ourseq as long as aÌl oI thc picccs ht to-
gcthcr.  ¸cmphasis addcd| 
Jhis  rcsidcnt was  dcvcÌoping  what  KcÌÌogg caÌls  an  "opposi-
tional idcntity" lvcry cuÌturc, whcthcr nationaÌ or organizationaÌ, 
is  shapcd  powcrmÌÌy by  its  Ìanguagc. Across thc  rcIorm-mindcd 
Apha tcams,  a ncw languagc was bcing incubatcd that rchcctcd 
a ncw sct oI valucs. CÌd school vcrsus ncw schooÌ. Jrusting your 
tcam vcrsus doing it alÌ yourscÌt  ßcing  cmcicnt vcrsus Ìiving in 
thc hospitaÌ. 
At  Alpha,  thc  rcIormcrs  had  thc  spacc  and  thc  languagc 
nccdcd to brcw a ncw idcntity. At ßcta,  thcy didn't. Jhc Ìcssons 
arc cÌcar.  II you want to changc thc culturc oI your organization, 
you`vc got to gct thc rcIormcrs togcthcr. Jhcy nccd a írcc spacc. 
Jhcy nccd timc to coordinatc outsidc thc gazc oI thc rcsistcrs. 
CountcrintuitivcÌy, you`vc got to lct your organization havc an 
idcntity conbict. For a timc, at Ìcast, you`vc got to pcrmit an "us 
vcrsus  thcm"  struggÌc  to  takc placc.  Vc  know  this  vioÌatcs  our 
"wc'rc aÌÌ on thc samc tcam," Kumbaya-ish instincts. It's not dc-
sirabÌc, but it's ncccssary. Jhink oI it as organizationaÌ molting. 
Jo  cncoutagc this moÌting in your cuÌturc, think oI athc tools 
¿48 5 h A P L   T h L   P AT h 
wc´vc buiÍt up in thc ¡ath scction. !irst, you nccd to twcak thc
cnvironmcnt to providc a Ircc spacc Ior discussion. ^t ^Ípha, thc
rotationaÍ tcams had a privatc pÍacc to mcct, and that crcatcd a
Ircc spacc whcrc thc ncw idcntity couÍd grow. Oo your own "rc-
Iormcrs¨ havc a privatc pÍacc whcrc thcy can mcct and coordinatc:
Sccond, you shouÍd buiId good habits. KccaÍÍ thc idca oI ac-
tion triggcrs-visuaÍizing whcn and whcrc you arc going to do
somcthing important. Jhc intcrns at ^Ípha wcrc csscntiaÍÍy sct-
ting action triggcrs. Jhcy thought about what thcy wouId say,
and how thcy wouÍd act, whcn º  p.m. camc and thc signout
proccss was triggcrcd. Jhcy mcntaÍÍy rchcarscd how thcy wouÍd
rcspond iI an argumcnt harcd up with thc night rcsidcnt. Íavc
mcmbcrs oI your tcam rchcarscd how thcy´IÍ rcact whcn thcy
mcct rcsistancc Irom your organization´s "oId guard¨:
!inaÍÍy, you shouÍd raÍIy thc hcrd. ^t ^Ipha, thc Icadcrs hcÍpcd
thc rcIormcrs hnd onc anothcr, and thc rcIormcrs bcgan to crc-
atc a Íanguagc-as wc saw in thc cxampIcs oI thc dcsignatcd
drivcr and íataki-that aÍÍowcd thcm to taÍk about thcir vaÍucs
with othcrs. Aa Icadcr, you can hcÍp prod thcm to crcatc this Ían-
guagc, to hnd ways to articuÍatc what is dihcrcnt and bcttcr about
thc changc you scck.
V. 
Ñc startcd thc íath scction by discussing thc !undamcntaÍ ^t-
tribution Lrror-thc tcndcncy to attributc bchavior to pcopÍc´s
charactcr rathcr than to thcir cnvironmcnts. Look again at thc
tcaching-hospitaÍ cxampÍc. ^t ^Ípha, 42 pcrccnt oI supcriors sup-
portcd thc changc, at Bcta, 66 pcrccnt supportcd it. ^Ímost aÍI oI
us wouÍd havc put our moncy on Bcta. Þot many of us, whcn
conIrontcd with that data, wouId havc immcdiatcÍy thought, Ks,
butuhataboutthesituationa/ /rces·
K ð Í Í ÿ t h e N e f d 249
^t thc two hospitaÍs, individuaÍ charactcr compctcd with sit-
uatìonaÍ Iorccs, and situationaÍ Iorccs won. Jhis brings us back
hÍÍ circÍc to thc Iood drivc study, whcrc a ¡crk with cÍcar in-
structions was morc charitabÍc mæa saint with gcncric instruc-
tions. Jhc Íinc bctwccn saìnts and jcrks wasn´t as cÍcar as wc might
havc thought. Þcithcr was thc Íinc bctwccn supportcrs and rc-
sìstcrs oI hospitaÍ rcIorm.
Il thc right íath can turn a ¡crk into a saint, thcn thc right
íath can aÍso turn a changc cncmy into an aÍÍy.

ßBBµ ¡hB bWÌ ¡fh Ü0Îng
I .
"^ Íong journcy starts with a sìngIc stcp.¨ ^ cIìchcs go, that´s
prctty wisc.
But you know what cÍsc starts with a singIc stcp! ^n ìÍÍ-
conccìvcd ambIc that you abandon ahcr a Icw mìnutcs.
So, ycs, a Íong ¡ourncy starts with a sìngÍc stcp, but a singIc
stcp docsn´t guarantcc thc Iong journcy. How do you kccp thosc
stcps coming!
Jhc brst thing to do ìs rccognìzc and ccÍcbratc that brst stcp.
Somcthìng you´vc donc has workcd. You´vc dircctcd thc K¡dcr,
you´vc motìvatcd thc LIcphant, you'vc shapcd thc íath-and now
your tcam is moving, or you´rc moving. Ñhcn you spot movc-
mcnt, you'vc got to rcìnIorcc ìt. Cn this front, wc can takc ìn-
spiration Irom a rathcr unIikcÍy sourcc. traìncrs oI cxotìc anìmaIs.
Jhc writcr ^my SuthcrÍand studìcd animaÍ traìncrs who tcach
doIphìns to ¡ump through hoops and monkcys to ridc skatc-
K 0 0 g I 0 0 å W Í I L 0 Ü 0 Ì 0 @ Z5I
boards. Jhcsc arc vcry, vcry Íong j ourncys indccd. Ñhat do you
do, in thc hrst hour oI thc hrst day, to tcach a monkcy how to ridc
a skatcboard:
Jhc answcr docsn´t invoÍvc punishmcnt. ^nimaÍ traincrs
rarcÍy usc punishmcnt thcsc days. You can punish an cÍcphant
onÍy so many timcs bcIorc you wind up as a spÍintcr. ínstcad,
traincrs sct H bchavioraÍ dcstination and thcn usc "approxima-
tions,¨ mcaning that thcy rcward cach tiny stcp toward thc dcs-
tination. íor cxampÍc, in thc hrst hour oI thc hrst day oI training,
thc hturc skatcboarding monkcy gcts a chunk oI mango Ior not
hcaking out whcn thc traincr puts thc board in his cagc. Latcr, hc
gcts mango Ior touching thc board, thcn Ior sitting on it, thcn for
Íctting thc traincr push him back and Iorth on it. Nango, mango,
mango. Hundrcds oI scssions Íatcr, you´vc got a mango-bÍoatcd
monkcy rcady to skatc a haÍI-pipc.
A^my SuthcrÍand studicd thc cxotic-animaÍ traincrs, shc
had an cpiphany: Shc wondcrcd what wouÍd happcn iI shc uscd
thcsc tcchnigucs on that "stubborn but ÍovabÍc spccics, thc ^mcr-
ican husband.¨ Ínspircd by thc idca, shc wrotc a hiÍarious N¬
KrkImesarticÍc on hcr attcmpts to train hcr husband. Jhc ar-
ticÍc, "Ñhat Shamu Jaught Nc ^bout a Happy Narriagc,¨ bc-
camc thc most c-maiÍcd articÍc on thc 7meswcbsitc in Z00ô, and
it Ícd to a book on thc samc top¡c.
írustratcd by hcr husband`s various pccadiÍÍocs, SuthcrÍand
bcgan to usc approximations with him: "You can´t cxpcct a ba-
boon to Ícarn to hip on command in onc scssion, just as you
can`t cxpcct an ^mcrican husband to bcgin rcguÍarÍy picking up
his dirty socks by praising him oncc Ior picking up a singÍc sock.
Ñith thc baboon you hrst rcward a hop, thcn a biggcr hop, thcn
an cvcn biggcr hop. Ñith Scott thc husband, í bcgan to praisc
cvcry smaÍÍ act cvcry timc. ifhc drovc just a miÍc an hour sÍowcr,
tosscd onc pair of shorts into thc hampcr, or was on timc Ior
2b2 K e e g I h e b w Ì I t h U 0 Ì n g
anything.¨ ^nd Scott, baskìng ìn thc apprccìatìon, bcgan to
changc.
Jhìs approach contrasts wìth much oI thc thinkìng on ìm-
provìng rcÍatìonshìps at work. !or ìnstancc, you probabÍy havc
bccn askcd to takc a pcrsonaÍìty tcst or a "work stylc¨ tcst Ior a
job. Jhc ìdca ìs that it you undcrstand your coÍlcagucs´ "typcs,¨
you'ÍÍ aÍl gct aÍong bcttcr. ^nd somc pcopÍc may hnd thc knowÍ-
cdgc oI typcs uscIuÍ. But notìcc that thìs sounds Íikc íundamcn-
taÍ ^ttrìbution Lrror thìnkìng. Jo dcvcÍop bcttcr rclatìonshìps,
you don´t nccd to know whcthcr your colÍcaguc ìs a ^avìgator or
a íÍcascr or a íassìvc-^ggrcssìvc Lhìchaìn. You just nccd to no-
tìcc and rcìnIorcc your coÍlcaguc´s positìvc bchavìors-as Suthcr-
Íand dìd wìth hcr husband-and trust that your colÍcaguc wiÍÍ
do thc samc wìth you. ^hcr aÍÍ, advìcc about aÍìgnìng styÍcs and
cxpcctatìons can`t bc thc answcr to cvcrythìng. ^ traìncr in LaÍì-
Iornìa taught six cÍcphants to stand in a Íinc and urìnatc on com-
mand, and thcy hadn't cvcn compÍctcd a Nycrs-Brìggs.
KcìnIorccmcnt ìs thc sccrct to gcttìng past thc hrst stcp oI
your Íong journcy and on to thc sccond, thìrd, and hundrcdth
stcps. ^nd that´s a probÍcm, bccausc most oI us arc tcrrìbÍc rcin-
Iorccrs. Ñc arc guìckcr to grousc than to praisc. ^t work, wc Íovc
to bond wìth our coIIcagucs through communaÍ compÍaìning.
(SuthcrÍand caÍÍs thìs bchavìor ¨vcrbaÍ grooming.¨) But thìs ìs aIÍ
wrong. Ñc nccd to bc Íooking Ior brìght spots-howcvcr tìny|
and rcwardìng thcm. íI you want your boss or your tcam to
changc, you bcttcr gct a Íìttlc Ícss stìngy wìth thc mango.
Lcarnìng to spot and ccÍcbratc approxìmatìons rcguircs us to
scan thc cnvìronmcnt constantly, Íooking Ior ÍìttÍc rays oI sun-
shìnc, and ìt ìsn´t casy. Lur Kidcrs, by naturc, Iocus on thc ncg-
ativc. írobÍcms arc casy to spot, progrcss, much hardcr. But thc
progrcss ìs prccìous. Shamu didn't lcarn to jump through a hoop
bccausc hcr traìncr was bìtchìng at hcr. Shc Ícarncd bccausc shc
K e e g I h e b w Í I t h U o Î n g ¿>J
had a traincr who was paticnt and Iocuscd and rcinIorccd cvcry
stcp oI thc journcy.
ísychoÍogist ^Ían Kazdin prcscribcs an aÍmost idcnticaÍ sct oI
tcchniqucs Ior parcnts. Kazdin urgcs parcnts to "catch thcir chiÍ-
drcn bcing good. ¨ Hc said, ¨íI you want your chiÍd to do two
hours oI homcwork on hcr own cvcry night, you don´t withhoÍd
praisc and rcwards untiÍ shc docs two hours oI homcwork with-
out bcing askcd to.¨ ínstcad, you sct smaÍÍ goaÍs and graduaÍÍy
buiÍd hcr up. ^nd whcn a chiÍd docsn´t gct somcthing right,
Kazdin adviscd. "^sk yourscÍt `Ñas thcrc anything about it that´s
a componcnt oI what í'd Íikc hcr to do:´ íI thc answcr´s ycs, and
it aÍmost aÌways is, thcn ¡ump on that componcnt: Ituasgeat
that¡oudid`. ¨
Kazdin points out that in ccrtain situations, parcnts do this
kind oI rcinIorccmcnt instinctivcÍy~Ior instancc, whcn a chiÍd
hrst starts trying to wæk. "You praìscd him wiÍdÍy whcn hc puÍÍcd
himscÍI up Irom a crawÍing to a standing posturc. You hcÍd his
hands and hcÍpcd him to takc a Icw stcps, cncouraging him by cx-
cÍaiming, Lookat¡ou!Ku'reua/king!Vhata/ig/o¡!Hc was not
waÍking, oI coursc . . . but you wcrc shaping that bchavior by rc-
inIorcing thc stagcs on thc way to it.¨
Lct´s bc cÍcar, wc`rc not advising that you trcat your coÍÍcagucs
or IcÍÍow citìzcns Íikc monkcys or chiÍdrcnRogef ¡oucut/ack
¡ouro¸enses /tmonth!whata/ig/o¡¡ou are!KcinIorccmcnt
docsn´t havc to bc condcsccnding, and it docsn´t havc to comc
with a powcr dynamic. Jhink oI thc way a Iricnd urgcs you on
at thc gym ("Lood work-now do onc morc rcp!¨) . But rcin-
Iorccmcnt docs rcquirc you to havc a cÍcar vicw oI thc dcstination,
and it rcquircs you to bc savvy cnough to rcinIorcc thc bright-
spot bchaviors whcn thcy happcn.
Jhc most important Ícsson wc can Ícarn Irom Kazdin and thc
animaÍ tra¡ncrs is this: Lhangc isn´t an cvcnt, it´s a proccss. Jhcrc
2:4  K e e g I h e b w l I t h U o l n g
ìs no momcnt whcn a monkcy Ícarns to skatcboard, thcrc´s a
proccss. Jhcrc ìs no momcnt whcn a chìÍd Ícarns to waÍk, thcrc´s
a proccss. ^nd thcrc won´t bc a momcnt whcn your communìty
starts to ìnvcst morc ìn ìts schooÍ systcm, or starts rccycÍing morc,
or starts to bcautìþ ìts pubÍìc spaccs, thcrc wìÍÍ bc a proccss. Jo
Ícad a proccss rcguìrcs pcrsìstcncc.
^ long journcy rcguircs lots oI mango.
¿. 
ín thc !Ícphant scctìon, wc toÍd thc story oI Stcvcn KcÍman, thc
man who acccptcd thc dauntìng task oI rcIormìng thc IcdcraÍ
govcrnmcnt´s procurcmcnt proccsscs. În hìs book 0n/eashing
Change, hc obscrvcd an cncouragìng dynamìc ìn hìs changc cI-
Iorts: Lncc thc changc startcd, it sccmcd to Iccd on ìtscÍt
Ñc`vc sccn thìs snowbaÍÍing chcct many timcs. Jhc cìtìzcns oI
Nìncr Lounty, cagcr to rcvìtaÍízc thcìr communìty, bcgan thcìr
chorts by simpÍy digging up trcc stumps. Ñithìn a Icw ycars, thcy
managcd to buìÍd up thc tax basc oI thc cntirc county. ^t Kack-
spacc, thc customcr-scrvìcc tcam had thc caÍÍ-qucuìng systcm un-
pÍuggcd. ít was a sìmpÍc changc, but ìt dìdn´t takc Íong bcIorc thc
customcr-scrvìcc cthìc took root and Ícd thc company to a spcc-
tacuÍar pcriod oI growth.
!cÍman, thc procurcmcnt guru, attrìbutcd thc snowbaIlìng
chcct to scvcraÍ phcnomcna. ísychoÍogìsts caÍÍ onc oI thcm thc
mereex¸osureg ct,whìch mcans that thc morc you`rc cxposcd to
somcthìng, thc morc you Íìkc ìt. íor ìnstancc, whcn thc !ìhcÍ
Jowcr was hrst crcctcd, íarìsìans hatcd ìt. Jhcy thought ìt was a
haÍI-hnìshcd skcÍctaÍ bÍight on thcìr Iaìr city, and thcy rcspondcd
wìth a Ircnzy oI protcst. But as timc wcnt ly, pubÍic opìnìon
cvoÍvcd Irom hatrcd to acccptancc to adoratìon. Jhc mcrc cxpo-
surc prìncìpÍc assurcs us that a changc chort that ìnìtìalÍy IccÍs
K e e g I h e b w Ì I t h U 0 Î n g ¿bb
unwcÍcomc and Iorcign wiÍÍ graduaÍÍy bc pcrccivcd morc Iavor-
abÍy as pcop|c grow accustomcd to it.
^Íso, cogniti:edissonanceworks in your Iavor. ícopÍc don't
Iikc to act in onc way and think in anothcr. So oncc a smaÍÍ stcp
has bccn takcn, and pcopÍc havc bcgun to act in a ncw way, it
wiÍÍ bc incrcasingÍy dimcuÍt Ior thcm to disÍikc thc way thcy'rc
acting. SimiÍarÍy, as pcopÍc bcgin to act dihcrcntÍy, thcy´ÍÍ start to
think oI thcmscÍvcs dihcrcntÍy, and as thcir idcntity cvoÍvcs, it
wiÍÍ rcinIorcc thc ncw way oI doing things. (Jhink oI BrasiÍata`s
"invcntors.¨¡
KcÍman points out that thcsc Iorccs arcn't contingcnt on
changc chorts bcing succcsshÍ in thc carÍy going, thcsc arcn`t thc
rcinIorcing spoiÍs oI achicving "smaÍÍ wins.¨ Kathcr, thcy kick in
automaticaÍÍy as timc gocs by. So, aÍthough incrtia may bc a Ior-
midabÍc opponcnt in thc carÍy goings oI your switch, at somc
point incrtia wiÍÍ shiIt Irom rcsisting changc to supporting it.
SmaÍÍ changcs can snowbaÍÍ to big changcs.
3.
Jhcsc arc cncouraging rcaÍizations: Big changcs can start with
vcry smaIÍ stcps. SmaÍÍ changcs tcnd to snowbaIÍ. But this is not
thc samc as saying that changc is casy. ÏI it wcrc, wc wouÍdn't scc
around us so many struggÍing aÍcohoÍics and troubÍcd marriagcs
and Íagging companics and thwartcd sociaÍ changc chorts.
Lhangc isn`t aÍways casy and it isn't aÍways hard. ín somc ways
changc is ubiquitous, in othcrs it's unÍikcÍy.
Ñc can say this much with conhdcncc. Ñhcn changc works,
it tcnds to IoÍÍow a pattcm. Jhc pcopÍc who changc havc cÍcar di-
rcction, ampÍc motivation, and a supportivc cnvironmcnt. ín
othcr words, whcn changc works, it's bccausc thc Kidcr, thc LÍc-
phant, and thc íath arc aÍÍ aÍigncd in support oI thc switch.
¿5b K e e g I h e b W Í I t h U o Ì n g
Jakc bccomìng a parcnt. ¡I you thìnk rhc organìzatìonal
changc you´rc conrcmpÍatìng ìs wrcnchìng, Iorgct about ìt-it
can´t hoÍd a candÍc to rhc amount oI changc rcquìrcd by havìng
kids. Ñhatcvcr acts oI wìÍÍ may bc rcguircd to cxccutc your ncw
ìdca at work, no onc wìÍÍ bc caÍÍcd upon to scnd thc controÍÍcr to
coÍÍcgc (or to burp rhc LíL).
Kaìsing chìÍdrcn ìs an absolurcÍy massìvc changc that works
prcrry darn wcÍÍ, and ìt´s no grcar mystcry why. íor onc rhìng, it´s
a cIcar and vìvìd dcstìnatìon. Ñc´vc aÍÍ bccn kìds, and wc´vc aÍÍ
sccn parcnts (our own and orhcrs) ìn actìon. Ñc'vc rcccìvcd
dccadcs oI vìcarìous traìning ìn parcnrìng. So rhc Kidcr knows
whar dircctìon to go and what kinds oI bchavìors Ícad ro succcss.
(Nind you, thcrc's srìÍÍ a Iot oI wìnging ìr cn routc ro rhc dcstì-
nation.)
ÏcopÍc havc kìds bccausc oI IccÍìngs, nor knowÍcdgc. ^ rosy-
cycd coupÍc Íooks Iorward to raìsìng a chìÍd. Jhcy thìnk about
whar ìt`ÍÍ bc Íìkc to havc rhcìr own IìttÍc bundÍc oI ¡oy. So thc LÍc-
phant is cxcitcd to bcgìn a Íong and arduous ¡ourncy that, ìn
othcr cìrcumstanccs, mìght ìnducc panìc. íurthcrmorc, parcnr-
hood ìs an idcntìty that appcals-you start makìng your dccì-
sìons bascd on what`s good Ior thc kìds rathcr than on what`s mosr
comIortabÍc Ior you. Jhc ìdcntìty ìs so powcrhÍ, ìn Iact, that your
LÍcphant starrs cmbracìng short-tcrm JQLÌqLCJ Ior thc good oI
thc ktds.
Lncc wc bccomc parcnts, our Irìcnds and IamìÍìcs hnd ways
to shrìnk thc changc, cspccìaÍÍy ìn thc hrst Icw monrhs: Your
mom comcs to hcÍp in thc hrst Icw wccks, your Irìcnds brìng you
Iood, your cmpÍoycr gívcs you Ícavc Irom work, and your rcÍatìvcs
kccp tabs on you.
^nd rhìnk oI aÍÍ thc othcr ways that socìcty has shapcd thc
Ïath Ior raìsìng kids. Irom ÍittÍc thìngs, Íìkc hìgh chaìrs at LÍivc
Lardcn, to bìg thìngs, Íìkc matcrnity Ícavc and schooÍ systcms
K e e g I h e b w Í I t h Ü 0 Ì n g ¿b7
and ncìghborhoods buìIt cxpIìcìtIy to bc good pIaccs Ior raìsìng
chìIdrcn.
Naybc thìs sounds Íìkc common scnsc to you. But ìI ìt`s com-
mon scnsc, thcn ìt´s common scnsc that stays conhncd to thc
"parcntìng arca´ oI our braìns. Bccausc ìI wc rcaIIy dìd undcr-
stand why an cxtrcmc changc Iìkc havìng kdworks whìIc mìnor
changcs routìncÍy IaìI~ìI wc rcaIIy dìd undcrstand that changc
rarcIy happcns unIcss ìt`s motìvatcd by IccIìng, or that thc
cnvìronmcnt can act as a powcrhÍ brakc or acccIcrant on our
bchavìor-thcn, Ict's Iacc ìt, thc íood íyramìd wouId not cxìst,
managcrs wouId ncvcr kìck oh changc ínìtìatìvcs wìth íowcríoìnt
prcscntatìons, and gIobal warmìng actìvìsts wouId ncvcr taIk
about thc numbcr oI carbon parts pcr mìIIìon ìn thc atmosphcrc.
ÎI ìt´s common scnsc, ìt hasn't guìtc madc thc Icap to actìon.
Ñhcn changc happcns, ìt tcnds to IoIIow a pattcrn. Ñc´vc got
to stop ìgnorìng that pattcrn and start cmbracìng ìt.
º. 
Ñhcn Nìkc Komano wcnt to Vìctnam, surroundcd by drugs, hc
startcd doìng opìum, and whcn hc camc homc, surroundcd by
Irìcnds and IamìIy, hc stoppcd. Ñhcn thc cmpÍoyccs at Kack-
spacc had a caII-gucuìng systcm, thcy dìdn`t answcr customcrs´
cæIs, and whcn thc systcm was thrown out, thcy startcd answcr-
ìng. Lhangc IoIÍows a pattcrn.
Ñhcn thc two oI us startcd j ury-rìggìng our computcrs to
hght c-maìÍ dìstractìons, wc wcrc hghtìng thc samc battIc as thc
pcopÍc who purchascd a LIocky, dctcrmìncd to kccp thcmscIvcs
Irom ovcrsIccpìng. Lhangc IoIÍows a pattcrn.
Ñhcn somc hotcl maìds wcrc gìvcn an ìdcntìty oI thcmscIvcs
as scrìous cxcrcìscrs, thcy turncd up thcìr actìvìty IcvcI a notch.
Ñhcn thc "invcntors¨ at BrasìIata taccd an cÍcctrìcìty shortagc,
25B K e e g I h e b w l I t h U o l n g
thcy camc up with so many cncrgy-saving idcas that thc hrm
cndcd up with a surpIus. Lhangc IoÍIows a pattcrn.
Ñhcn |crry Stcrnin wcnt to Victnam, thc govcrnmcnt gavc
him six months to makc a dcnt in maInutrition. Hc didn´t spcak
a word oI Victnamcsc, but hc kncw how to Íook Ior thc bright
spots, and soon mothcrs had Ícarncd cooking tcchniqucs that
IoiIcd maÍnutrition. Ñhcn thc conscrvationists at Karc saw how
St. Lucians had raÍÍicd bchind thcir parrot, thcy rcaIizcd thcy had
a bright spot on thcir hands, and sincc thcn, thcy'vc sprcad "íridc
campaigns¨ to ovcr hhy countrics. Lhangc IoÍÍows a pattcrn.
Ñhat´s notpart oI thc pattcrn is thc typc oI pcrson who´s
doing thc changing. Ñc mcntioncd a Icw LLLs in this book,
but wc mcntioncd vastIy morc pcopÍc who had Ícss imprcssivc ti-
tIcs and who didn`t havc much moncy in thcir budgcts. proIcssors
and nurscs and middÍc managcrs and govcrnmcnt burcaucrats
and principaIs and parcnts. Jhcir qucsts rangcd Irom ccccntric
to cpic. Ñc saw a proIcssor who shrank movicgocrs` popcorn con-
taincrs, and two pcopIc who rcincd in ^ttìÍa thc ^ccountant, and
a woman who rcIormcd chiÍd abuscrs, and a man with a stah oI
7; who savcd !00,000 Iivcs.
Jhcir situations wcrc dihcrcnt, and thc scaÍc of thcir changcs
was dihcrcnt, but thc pattcrn was thc samc. Jhcy dircctcd thc
Kidcr, thcy motivatcd thc LÍcphant, and thcy shapcd thc Ïath.
^nd now it´s your pattcrn.
Ñhat wiÍÍ you switch:
Î
H\Y 1\ N1Í1 1 b¾Í¯ÂW
Î0f fDÌ0g$ f0 CDð0g0, $000000y $000WD0Æ Dð$ f0 $fðO ðCfÌ0g
0ÌÒf00fly. Åðy00 Ìf´$ y0U, 0ðy00 Ìf´$ y0Uf f0ð0.
ÎÌCfUf0 fDðf µ0f$00 {0f µ00µl0).
LðCD Dð$ ð0 000fÌ00ðl Ll0µDð0f $Ì00 ð00 ð fðfÌ00ðl ÑÌ00f $Ì00.
T0U´V0 gOf f0 f0ðCD 00fD. M00 y0U´V0 ðl$0 g0f f0 Cl0ðf fD0 Wðy
î0f fD00 f0 $UCC000. Ì0 $D0O, y0U 0U$f 00 fDf00 fDÌ0g$¦
··
....
·
p
ÜÌÑ¢I( 1D£ KIO£I
ÎÜLLÜW 1HË ÜBÎÜH1 bËÜ1b. lHVPSIlQdIP WRdIS WOIKlHQ dHD ClOHP l\. [1PIIy
bIPIHlH lH YlPIHdH, SOlUIlOHS·ÍOCUSPD IRPIdÇy]
bLBÎË1 1HË LBÎ1ÎLÅL NÜVËb. LOHI IRlHK DlQ ÇlCIUIP, IRlHK lH IPIHS OÍ SÇPClÍlC
DPRdVlOIS. [J 7 HllK, ÍOUI IUlPS dI IRP ÜIdZllldH IdllIOdD]
ËÜÎN1 1Ü 1HË ÜËb1ÎNÅ1ÎÜN. LRdHQP lS PdSlPI WRPH yOU KHOW WRPIP yOU´IP
QOlHQ dHD WRy lIS WOIIR lI. [´TOU ll DP IRlID QIdDPIS SOOH,´ ´NO DIy ROlPS´ dI ÜÍ|
....................................
p Q§(J\
@
(¢ 1D£ b!£ÇD
¿
D
1
ÎÎNÜ 1HË ÎËËL¡NÜ. 6HOWlHQ SOHPIRlHQ lSH I PHOUQR IO CdUSP CRdHQP. NdKP
ÇPOÇlP ÍPPl SOHPIRlHQ. [ÍlllHQ QlOVPS OH IDP IdDlP, IRP CRPHOIRPIdÇy VIDPO QdHP,
hODyH VdIPISS DPHOS dI 1dIQPI]
bHBÎNÄ 1HË LHÅNÜË. ÜIPdK DOWH IRP CRdHQP UHIll lI HO lOHQPI SÇOOKS IRP clP·
ÇÍdHI. [1RP b·NlHUIP hOOH hPSCUP, ÇIOCUIPHPHI IPÍOIH]
ÜBÜW YÜUB ËËÜËLË. LUlIlVdIP d SPHSP OÍ lDPH\lIy dHD lHSIlll IRP QIOWIR HlHD·
SPI. [ÜIdSlldIdS ´lHVPHIOIS,´ ]UHlOI·RlQR HdIR KIDS IUIHdIOUHD]
.............................................. .......@
@
@
¢ 1D£ P
¿
1D
1WËÅÄ 1HË ËNVÎBÜNNËN1. VRPH IRP SlIUdIlOH CRdHQPS, IRP DPRdVlOI
CRdHQPS. bO CRdHQP IRP SlIUdIlOH. [1RIOWlHQ OUI \RP ÇROHP SySIPH dI hdCKSÇdCP,
J·LÍlCK OIDPIlHQ, SlHÇllÍylHQ IRP OHllHP IlHP SRPPI|
ÜUÎLÜ HÅÜÎ1b. VRPH DPRdVlOI lS RdDlIUdl, lIS ´ÍIPP´~lI DOPSHI Id× IDP hlDPI.
LOOK ÍOI WdyS IO PHCOUIdQP RdDlIS. [bPIIlDQ ´ dCIlOH IIlQQPIS,´ PdIlHQ IWO DOWlS OÍ
SOUÇ WRllP DlPIlHQ, USlHQ CRPCKllSIS]
BÅLLY 1HË HËBÜ. ÜPRdVlOI lS COHIdQlOUS. |PlÇ l\ SÇIPdD. [´ÍdIdKl´ lH 1dHZdHld,
´ÍIPP SÇdCPS´ lH ROSÇlIdlS, SPPDlHQ IRP IlÇ ]dI|
  ÜMËÑLÜ N Î M Õ ÜÜb 1MLLËb  
he|e we ||st twe|ve common p|ob|ems that peop|e encounte| as they !ight !or
change, a|ong with some advice about overcomi ng them. (Note that we'|e
speak|ng in shorthand here¬th|s adv|ce won't make sense to anybody who
hasn't |ead the book.)
PfODÎØN¦ PØOQÎØ OOO´T SØØ THØ OØØO TO CH&O@Ø.
~0vlC0. 1. You a|e not go|ng to overcome th|s by ta|k|ng to the Ride|. l nstead,
!ind the !ee| |ng. Can you do a d|amatic demonst|at|on |ike the 6|ove Sh||ne,
or |i ke Robyn Wate|s's demos at Ta|get! ¿. C|eate empathy. Show peop|e the
prob|ems with 00I changing (th|nk Att||a the Accountant). J.Tweak the env|·
ronment so that whether peop|e 500 the need to change |s |r|e|evant. Remem·
be|, Rackspace emp|oyees didn't necessar||y see the need to improve custome|
sen|ce, but a!te| the ca||·queu|ng system d|sappea|ed, they had to pick up the
phone.
PfODÎØm¦ δN H&VÌO@ THØ ¨OOT ÌOVØOTØO HØfد QfODÎ ØN¦ PØO-
QÎØ fØSÌST N§ ÌOØ& DØC&USØ THا S&§ ¨WØ´VØ OØVØf ÓOOØ ÌT
Î Ì KØ TH&T ØÎOfØ.
~0vlC0. 1 . h|gh|ight |dentity. ls the|e some aspect o! you| idea that's consistent
w|th the his!o|y o! your organization! (E.g., W090 8Íw 0000 l00 þl0000H l0
I0l5 l00U5IQ.) 0| is you| idea cons|stent w|th a p|o!ess|ona| ident|ty that people
sha|e! ¿. ||nd a b||ght spot that l5 invented here and c|one |t.
¿D¿ Û V 0 f L 0 m Ì 0 § Û 0 5 I 8 L Î 0 5
PfODÎ ØN¦ WØ SDOUÎO DØ OOÌO@ Somethíng, DUT WØ´fØ @ØTTÌO@
DO@@ØO OOWO Ì O &O&ΧSÌS.
~0vlCC. 1. 0cn't cve|ana|yte and p|ay Ic the weaknesses c! the Ride|. |nstead,
!|nd a !ee|ing that wi|| get the E|ephant mcving. ¿. C|eate a dest|naticn pcst·
card. Tat way, the Rider sta|ts ana|yting 00w I0 g0I I00l0 rathe| than w00I00I
80yI0l0g 500UÌ0 00 0000. J. Simp||!y the prcb|em by sc|ipting the c||t|ca| mcves.
What's ycur equiva|ent c! the Vmi|k campaign!
PfODÎØN¦ 1DØ ØOVÎfOONØOT H&S SDÌÎTØO, &OO WØ OØØO TO OVØf-
CONØ OUf OÎO Q&TTØfOS OÎ DØD&VÌ Of.
~0v/CC. 1 . Can ycu c|eate a new habit sc the R|der dcesn't ccnstant|y have tc
wrest|e the E|ephant! ¿. Set an acticn t||gge|. Pre|cad ycu| dec|s|cn by |magin·
ing the time and p|ace where ycu'|e gc|ng tc act d|!Ie|ent|y. J.0se Nata|ie E|de|'s
st|ategy c! creating a |cut|ne !cr the mcrn|ng that e||m| nates the c|d, bad be·
havic|. 4.The c|d pattern is pcwe|!u|, sc make su|e tc sc||pt the c|it|ca| mcves,
because amb|guity |s the enemy. A|| rai||cad came up with !cu| s|mp|e |u|es tc
wc|k |ts way cut c! !inancia| d|st|ess.
PfODÎØN¦ PØOQÎØ SÌ NQÎ § &fØO´T NOTÌV&TØO TO CH&O@Ø.
~0vlCC. 1. |s an |dent|ty ccn!||ct standing | n the way! |Ísc, ycu'|| need tc se|| ¨
the new |dentity (think Brasi |ata's inventcrs). Enccu|age pecp|e tc take a sma||
step tcward the new identity, as |n the ¨0r|ve Sa!e|y¨ study. ¿.C|eate a destina·
t|cn pcstcard that makes the change mc|e attract|ve (||ke the teache| whc tc|d
her !i|st g|aders ¨Ycu'|| be thi|d g|aders by the end c! the yea|¨). J. |cwer the
ba| tc get pecp|e mcv|ng, as w|th the 5·M|nute Rccm Rescue. 4.0se sccia| p|es·
su|e tc enccu|age change (as when 6erard Cachcn pcsted the review t|mes !c|
the cperat|cns ¡curna|). b. Can ycu smccth the Path sc much that even an un·
mctivated perscn wi|| s||de a|cng! Remembe( even ¡erks in the dc|m dcnated tc
the !ccd d|ive when g|ven a spec|Þc |nv|taticn and a map.
Ü V 0 f L 0 m Ì 0 g Ü 0 5 I 8 L Î 0 5 2bJ
PfODÎØN¦ Î ´ Î Î CH&O@Ø TONOffOW.
~0vlC0. 1. Shr|nK the change sc ycu can start tcday. ¿. |! ycu can't start tcday,
set an acticn tr|gger !c| tcmc|rcw. J. MaKe ycurse|! acccuntab|e tc scmecne.
|et ycur cc||eagues cr |cved cnes Kncw what ycu'|e try|ng tc change, sc thei|
pee| pressu|e wi|| he|p ycu.
PfODÎØN¦ PØOQÎØ KØØQ S&§ÌO@, ¨Î T WÌ Î Î OØVØf WOfK. ¨
~0v/C0. 1 . |i nd a b||ght spct that shcws i t can wcrK. There's nc situat|cn that's
OO pe|cent !a||u|e. |iKe a sc|ut|cns·!ccused therap|st, |ccK !c| the !|ashes c! suc·
cess. ¿.T|n| c! B|| | Parce||s and the way he prcds p|ayers !c| sma|| v|ctc||es |n
practice. Can ycu eng|nee| a success that ccu|d change ycur team's attitude! J.
Scme pecp|e p|cbab|y 00 th|nK it wi | | wcrK. Cawe cut a !|ee space !c| them
where they can caIa|yte the change w|thcut !acing d||ect cppcsiticn.
PfODÎØN¦ Î KOOW WH&T Î SHOUÎO DØ OOÌO@, DUT Î ´ N OOT
OOÌO@ ÌT.
~0v/C0´ 1. Kncwing isn't encugh. Ycu've gct an E|ephant prcb|em. ¿.Ti nK c!
the 5·M| nute Rccm Rescue. Starting sma|| can he|p ycu cve|ccme dread. What
|s the mcst tr|v|a| th|ng that ycu can dc¬||ght at th|s mcment¬that wcu|d
rep|esent a baby step tcward the gca|! J.|ccK !c| Path sc|uticns. hcw can ycu
tweaK ycu| env|rcnment sc that ycu'te ¨!crced¨ tc change! 4. Behav|c| is ccn·
tag|cus. 6et scmecne e|se invc|ved w|th ycu sc that ycu can |e| n!crce each
cthe|.
PfODÎØN¦ XOU OOO´T KOOW N§ QØOQÎØ. 1Hا BDSOÎUTØΧ H&TØ
CHBO@Ø.
~0v/C0. hcw many c! ycu| pecp|e a|e ma|||ed cr have a chi|d! Whatever ycu'|e
p|cpcs|ng |s a less dramatic change. (And, by the way, |eread the sect|cn cn the
|undamenta| Attr|buticn Errc|. Ycu'|e ccmmitt|ng |t.)
Zb4 Û V Ø f C 0 Æ Ì R @ Û B S I & C Î Ø S
PfODÎØN¦ PØOQÎØ WØfØ ØXCÌTØO &T ÎÌfST, DUT THØO WØ HÌ T SONØ
fOU@H Q&ICHØS &OO ÎOST NONØOIUN.
~0v/C0. 1. |ocus on bu||d|ng hab|ts. When you c|eate habits, you get the new be·
havio| "!o| !|ee¨ (think o! the stand·up meetings), and you'|e |ess ||ke|y to back·
s||de. ¿. Motivate the E|ephant by |em|nding peop|e how much they've a||eady
accomp||shed (|ike putting two stamps on the|| ca|·wash cards). J.Teach the
g|owth mindset. Eveq success |s go|ng to |nvo|ve |ough µatches. Reca|| the l0E0
examp|e, wh|ch wa|ned peop|e not to pan|c when the go|ng got tough.
PfODÎ ØN¦ ÎT´S ¿UST TOO NUCH.
~0vlC0. 1 . Sh|ink the change unti| |t's not too much. 0on't g|ve the E|ephant an
excuse to g|ve up. ¿.Stad deve|op|ng the g|owth m|ndset. P|og|ess doesn't a|·
ways come easi |y¬ach|eving success |equ||es some !a||0|es a|ong the way. 0on't
beat you|se|! up when those !a||u|es occu|.
PfODÎØN¦ bVØf§OOØ SØØNS IO &@fØØ IH&T WØ OØØO TO CH&O@Ø,
DUT OOTHÌO@´S H&QQØOÌO@.
~0vlC0. 1. Remembe|, what |ooks ||ke |es|stance |s oRen |ack o! c|a||ty. M|ne|
County |es|dents |ea||y sta|ted moving when the high schoo| studenu sc|ipted the
c|it|ca| move o! spend|ng !0 pe|cent mo|e money |n Mine| County. ¿. 0on't !o|get
the Pth. A|e the|e obstac|es to change Ihat you can |emove! J. Can you !ind a
b||ght spot that can sene as a mode| !o| the ||ght behav|o|! T|nk o! the mothers
in the ¥ietnamese vi||age. Tey a|ways wanted the|| k|ds to be beRe| nou||shed, but
they d|dn't change unt|| two th|ngs happened. (! ) They |ea|ned exact|y what to do
!|om the b|ight·spot moms (e.g., use b|ine sh|imp and sweet-potato g|eens), (2)
Sæ|ng the success o! the b||ght·spot moms made them hope!u| and |eady to move.
N0XI bI0µ5
| Í yOU´VB ÍÌDÌSDBO >wÌtCD ðDO B|B DUDg|y ÍO| RO|B, VÌSÌI IDB DOO8´S
WBDS|IB'
www.SwÎtththeb00k.t0mÍfeS0ufteS
LD IDB S|IB, yOU CðÞ ÍÌDO |BSOU|CBS Ì Ì 8B IDBSB'
º ÜBE-þðgE 0VEfVÌEW. Û0W0|0ð0 ð00 p||0I I06 006·pðg6 0V6N|6W
[566 pðg6 2S9)ð00 50ð|6 |I W|I0 y0u| C0||6ðgu65. [ÎÛÎ Í0|0ðI]
º 10E bWÍfCD þ0d CðSI SEfÌES. ||5I60 I0 ð 56||65 0Í 500|I, Ið||0|60
p00Cð5I5, |0 W0|C0 I06 ðuI00|5 0ÍÍ6| I06|| I00ug0I5 ðß0uI 00W I0
ðpp|y I06 ß00K5 C00C6pI5 I0 0|ÍÍ6|60I K|005 0Í C0ð0g6.
º ðwllC0 Í0Ibu5l0055
º ðwllC0 Í0I%8I80l0O
º ðwllC0 Í0I l00 ð0Cl8lð0Cl0I
º ðwllC0 Í0lÍ0I5008l L080g0
º bWÍfCD 000k CÌd0 ßðIEfÌðÌS. Ü6I ðCC655 I0 ð ÎðC|| |IðI0l5 Üu|06
065|g060 I0 06|p |6ð0 ß00K·C|uß 0|5Cu55|005 00 ðwllC0. [ÎÛÎ Í0|·
0ðIj
º bWÌICD T0df ÜlgðBÌ7ðIÌ0B 0dIÌÌBE. U56 I0|5 0uI||06 I0 gu|06
y0ul I6ð05 6ÍÍ0|I5 I0 C0ð0g6 y0u| ßu5|0655 0| 000pI0Í|I. [ÎÛÎ Í0|·
0ðI]
hPC 00HP0 0 8l| 0 0 S Í0 | P0 0 ' \ ' 0 0 8 l hP8 0 ' 0 g
Ñc rcad tons oI books on changc whìÍc wrìtìng Suitch. Hcrc ÜC
somc oI our Iavorìtcs, ìn no particuÍar ordcr.
¹  !heHa¸¸iness]¸othesis, by|onathan Haìdt ¸ísychoÍ-
ogy, íhìÍosophy, Happìncss| . Haìdt camc up with thc LÍc-
phantlKìdcr anaÍogy that wc usc ìn Suitch. ÎI you want to
bc happìcr and smartcr, you shouÍd rcad his book.
¹  Mindset, by LaroÍ Íwcck ¸ísychoÍogy, índivìduaÍ
changc] . Îf you Iound our dìscussìon oI thc growth mìnd-
sct (in Lhaptcr 7) ìntcrcsting, thcn pÍcasc go to thc sourcc.
Lvcryonc shouÍd own thìs book.
¹  !heHearto/Change, by|ohn Kottcr and Ían Lohcn
¸Busìncss and organìzatìonaÍ changc] . Lur Iavorìtc book
of !ottcr`s, thìs book wìÍÍ bc uscfuÍ ìI you arc tryìng to
changc a bìg organìzation.
¿b8 K e t o m m e n d ð I Í o n 5 Î o f A d d Ì I Ì o n ð l K e ð d Ì n g 
¹  Mind/essEating, by brian Ñansìnk ¸Oictingj . Oo you
want to Íosc a Icw pounds, or arc you just curious about
why cvcryonc cÍsc is gctting Iattcr: Jhis book ìs hÍÍcd wm 
cÍcvcr rcscarch Íìkc thc popcorn study wc dcscrìbcd in thc
hrst chaptcr.
" !udge, by Kìchard ¯haÌcr and Lass Sunstcin ¸Occision
makìng and pubÍic poÍicyj . Jhc authors arguc that pcopÍc
can bc "nudgcd¨ to makc bcttcr dccìsìons, and thcy pro-
posc somc grcat lath soÍutions.
¹  OneSmadSte¸ Can Change XurLq,by Kobcrt Nau-
rcr ¸ÏndivìduaÍ and organìzationaÍ changcj . íI you Íikcd
thc chaptcr on shrinkìng thc changc, this is your book.
Naurcr shows how smaÍÍ stcps can Ícad to grcat changc.
" Dioorceßusting, by NìchcÍc Ñcincr-Oavis ¸KcÍatìon-
shìpsj . ^nyonc ìn a rcÍationshìp can bcncht Irom this
book by a practìtioncr oI soÍutions-Iocuscd thcrapy.
" !n¡uencer, by Kcrry íattcrson ct aÍ. ¸SocìctaÍ and orga-
nìzationaÍ changcj . ¯hc authors bchìnd Crucia/Coniersa-
tiomwrotc thìs cxccÍÍcnt book on bchavìor changc.
" Cn/eashingChange, by Stcvcn KcÍman ¸Govcrnmcnt,
LrganizationaÍ changc] . KcÍman rcvicws his cxpcricncc in
Ícadìng procurcmcnt rcIorm in thc IcdcraÍ govcrnmcnt. !I
you'rc Íooking Ior a changc book thar´s rigorous and mÍl oI
data, chcck out this onc.
N0¡ 6S
Chapter One 
ÍogLotu- Íor dozcns oI cÌcvcr studics oI cating bchavior, scc
ßrian Vansink (200ó), Minduss Eating, Mcw York: ßantam Icll.
Jhc popcorn study is on pp. !ó÷I º.
5 ClnUy.  SaÌcs statistics comc |rom this MÎJ onÌinc magazinc.
http.l/wcb.mit.cdulinvcntliowlnanda.html (acccsscd |unc 20,
200º). Most o| thc salcs camc through Manda's own wcbsitc. Ac-
cording to thc articÌc, Manda "was somcwhat takcn by surprisc
whcn thc dcvicc attractcd a grcat dcaÌ o| attcntion ahcr its dc-
scription was postcd, aÌong with dozcns o| othcr studcnt proj-
ccts, on thc Mcdia Lab wcbsitc. ScvcraÌ trcnd-watching bÌogs and
wcbsitcs such as Lngadgct took notc o| thc Clocky conccpt and
soon had introduccd thousands oI potcntial customcrs to thc dc-
vicc through photos and Ììnks onlinc.¨ Gauri Manda rcccivcd an
Ig MobcÌ Îrizc in Lconomics in 2005 Ior "thcorcticaÌÌy adding
many morc hours to thc workday.¨
7 ¿ouaUæ Mædt. Scc Haidt (200ó), Ihe Ha¿¿iness H¡¿othesis:
Findir:g Modern Iruth in ³ncient wisdom, Mcw York. ßasic
2/O N o I e $
Books,  cspccíaÌIy  pp.  3÷5. Haídt  rcvícws  mctaphors  prcscntcd 
by  Buddha,  ÏIato  (íncIudíng  thc  guotation  wc  íncIudc) ,  and 
írcud  and  thcn  prcscnts  hís  own  mctaphor.  »c  Iovc  hís  LIc-
phant/Rídcr  mctaphorparticuIarIy  thc  obvíous  í mbalancc  in 
physícaÌ powcr bctwccn thc two-and wc'rc gratctuI  to hím  lor 
Ictting us usc ít hcrc. În  Ihe Ha¿¿iness H¡¿othesis, ¡aídt locuscs 
not on  changc  but  rathcr  on  undcrstandíng what wc  can  Ìcarn 
about bcíng happy trom thc íntcrscctíon  ot ccnturíts ol  wisdom 
and modcrn psychoÌogy.  Îl you want to  bc happicr and smartcr, 
rcad hís book. 
I 0 bcÎt-controÎ ís & æausUbÎc rcsourcc. Jhc  papcrs wc circ in 
this scctíon arc trom an cxcitíng arca ot rcscarch,  startcd in thc Iast 
hhccn ycars. Jhc cIassíc hrst papcr, whích íncIudcs thc chocoIatc-
chip cookìc study,  ís Roy Í  Baumcístcr,  LÌIcn  Bratslavsky,  Mark 
Muravcn,  and  Líannc  M.  Jicc  ( I ºº8), "Lgo  Lcplction.  Îs  thc 
^ctívc ScIt a Limítcd Rcsourcc:¨ }ou¬a/ o/Persona/:ç and Socm/
Ps¡cho/og, /4,  I 252~¡265. Jhc sad-movíc  study ís part ot Mark 
Muravcn,  Líannc  M.  Jícc,  and Roy Baumcistcr  ( I ºº8), "ocÌt-
LontroÌ  as  Límitcd  Rcsourcc.  RcguIatory  LcpÌctíon  Ïattcrns," 
}ou¬a/ o/Persona/iç and Socia/ Ps¡cho/ogy, ¯4,  774÷78º. Jhc cx-
pcrimcnts  that  show  thc  scI|-control  probÌcms  índuccd  by  too 
many choíccs arc dcscríbcd ín KathIccn  L. Vohs, Roy Ì Baumcis-
tcr  ct  aÌ.  (2008), "Makíng  Lhoíccs  Împaìrs  oubscgucnt  ocÌt-
LontroI.  ^  Límítcd-Rcsourcc  ^ccount  ot  Lccisíon  Makíng, 
ScÌt-Rcgulatíon, and ^ctívc Înítíatívc," }ourna/ o/Persona/iµ and
Socia/ P¸chougj; V9,  883÷8º8. În thc wcdding-rcgístry study, cx-
pcrimcntaÍ  particípants  spcnt  onIy  twcIvc  mínutcs  scttíng  up  a 
simuIatcd rcgístry, yct that short amount ol timc wa s sumcicnt to 
sap thcír scÌl-controI. Gívcn that rcaÌ bridcs spcnd months choos-
ing ínvítations,  pIacc scttings,  rcccption vcnucs,  and musíc  Ìísts, 
it´s no wondcr that somc  turn into BrídczíIIas. 
I 3 424knd ot ÎoVcs. |on  Stcgncr`s  story and thc guotatíons arc 
lrom |ohn  Í  Kottcr  and  Lan  S.  Lohcn  (2002), Ihe Heart o/
Change, Boston.  Harvard Busíncss SchooI Ïrcss, pp. 2º÷30.
I 5 I% miß íor thc story ol thc dcvclopmcnt ot this campaìgn, scc 
Stcvc  Booth-ButtcrhcId  and  BíII  Rcgcr  (2004), "Jhc  Mcssagc 
Lhangcs  BcIíct and  thc  Rcst  Îs Jhcory.  Jhc  ` I M  or  Lcss'  MiIk 
N o t e $ 2/J
Lam¿aígn and Rcasoncd ^ction,¨ Pre:enti:e Medicine, 39, 58! -
588.  Jhc  actual  study  is  dcscribcd  i n BíII,  Rcgcr,  Margo  G.  
»ootan, Stcvcn Booth-ButtcrhcId, and HoÌli Smíth ( ! 998), " !   M 
or  Lcss.  ^  Lommuníty-Bascd  Ìutrítíon  Lampaígn,¨  Pul/ic
Hea/th Re¿orts, 1!3. 4! 0-4! 9. 
! 9  In 2004,Donald Berwid. Bcrwick`s  ! 00,000 Iívcs campaígn is 
thc sub¡cct ot a casc study prcparcd by Lhíp`s coIIcagucs at Stan-
tord  Lnívcrsity`s  Graduatc  SchooI  ot Busincss.  Scc  Hayagrccva 
Rao  and Lavíd Hoyt (2008), "¡nstítutc tor HcaIthcarc  Împrovc-
mcnt. Jhc Lampaign to Savc  ! 00,000 Lívcs, ¨ Stantord Graduatc 
SchooI  ot Busincss  Lasc  Study L- IJ.  Îor  addítionaI  insíght  ínto 
this  casc,  chcck out  an  articIc  by  Rao  and  Robcrt  Sutton  (Scp-
tcmbc·r  2008),  "Jhc Lrgonomics ot Înnovatíon,¨  1he McKinsç
Quarter[. http.//¾ .mckínscyguartcrIy.com/Jhc_crgonom-
ics_oI_ínnovation_2! 97  (acccsscd May  ! 7, 2009). 
Chapter Two 
27  In I990,)erry Stein. Jhc Vìctnam story ís compiIcd trom var-
ious sourccs. ^ artícIc by Lavìd Lorscy (Lcccmbcr 2000), "Ïos-
ìtívc  Ocviant,¨  Fast Com¿an¡, p.  42, hrst  íntroduccd  popuÌar 
audícnccs  to |crry and Moniguc  Stcrnín´s  work  on posítivc dc-
viancc.  Cthcr  dctaiÌs  arc  trom jcrry  Stcrnin´s  prcscntatíon  at thc 
Bostoo  LoÌÌcgc  Lcntcr  tor  Lorporatc  SocíaÌ  RcsponsíbíIíty  ín 
^pril  2008  and trom íntcrvicws ol |crry Stcrnín by Lhip  Hcath 
in March and ^príI 2008  and ot Moniguc  Stcrnin ín May 2009. 
2/  ºWe were l±e  orphæs." Most ot thc dírcct guotatíons  ín this 
scctíon arc trom  Lorscy,  "Ïosítivc  Lcviant." 
28  Bright spots. Stcrnín`s tcrm tor thcsc outIicrs ís ¿ositi:e d:iants,
whích  ís  bascd  on  a statístícaÌ  anaIogy.  Ïícturc  a  statisticaI  bcII 
curvc  on  whích  most  pcopÌc  havc  outcomcs  around  avcragc. 
Stcrnio  was  Ìooking  tor  pcopIc  on  thc  posítívc  taiI  ot thc  bcII 
curvc. 
^Ìthough  thc  positívc  dcviancc  mcthodoIogy  píonccrcd  by 
Stcrnín ís vcry uscmÌ, wc tound that thc "dcvíancc¨ tcrminoIogy 
tcnds to  bc conmsing or oh-putting to  pcopÌc who arcn`t tamíl-
iar wírh statistics, so wc usc thc "brígt-spots¨ tcrmínoÌogy.  Latcr 
272 N o t  e $
ín this chaptcr, wc  carry thc tcrm  lright s¿on ovcr to  othcr situa-
tíons that ínvoIvc c×ccptíonaÍ  posítívc pcrtormancc. 
jcrry  Stcrnín  dícd  ín  Ìovcmbcr  2008.  Hís  work  Ìívcs  on 
through thc work ot Moniguc Stcrnín and thc Ïositìvc Lcvíancc 
Înítiatívc  at Juns  Lnívcrsity.  !or an ovcrvícw ot thc Ìargc num-
bcr  ot domaíns  ín which positívc  dcvíancc  mcthods  havc pro-
duccd  substantíaI  changc,  scc  thc  bíbÍíography  ot  work  at 
http.//¾ .posítívcdcviancc.org/matcriaIs/bib_subj .htmI.  Ïosi-
tívc  dcviancc was  onc  ot thc  "Îdcas  ot thc Ycar"  híghIíghtcd by 
Neu Xrk Hmes Magazine in 2008. 
J2  Emory University's  School  of Public  Health.  Scc  \.  Agncs 
Jrính  Mackíntosh,  Lavíd  R.  Marsh,  and  Lírk  G.  Schrocdcr 
(2002),  "Sustaíncd  Ïosítívc  Lcvíant  LhíId  Larc  Ïractíccs  and 
Jhcír Lhccts on LhíId Growth in Vict Ìam,¨ Food and Nutrition
Bu/letin, 23. ! 6-25.  
JJ  "School stink" said Bobby.  Bobby´s story ís trom ]ohn |.  Mur-
phy  ( ! 994),  "»orkìng with »hat »orks.  ^  SoÌution-Îocuscd 
^pproach  to  SchooI  Bchavíor  ÏrobIcms,¨  Schoo/ Counse/or 42, 
59-+6. 
J4  Solutions-focused brief therapy.  ^  rcIatívcIy  ncw  thcrapcutic 
approach, soIutíons-tocuscd bríct thcrapy (SÎBJ) was píonccrcd 
by thcrapísts  at  thc ÏaIo AIto  McntaÌ  Rcscarch Înstítutc,  whcrc 
Stcvc dc Shazcr and Însoo  Kim  Bcrg díd thcír training.  Lc Shazcr 
and  Bcrg  arc known tor  thcír  cmphasís on soÍutíons  and on thc 
MíracIc  Qucstíon,  which  wc  consídcr  Iatcr.  S!BJ has  bccn  ap-
pIícd m many díhcrcnt arcnas. »aIÌacc |. Gíngcrích ot Læc »ct-
crn  Rcscrvc  kccps  a  Ìíst  oI  S!BJ  studics  on  his  wcbsítc. 
http.//¾ .gíngcrich. nct/SÎBJ/200/_rcvicw.htm. !or hís 200/ 
rcvícw ot thc Ìítcraturc, Gíngcrích accumuIatcd a Iíst ot I 50 stud-
ícs,  most  conductcd  síncc  I 99/,  that  ínvcstígatcd  thc  chcct  ot 
S!BJ on  bchavíor.  S!BJ has  bccn  appIícd  to  day-io-day sítua-
tíons  such  as  coupIcs  thcrapy,  buIIying  at  schooI,  and how  kids 
pcrtorm  ín  math.  Ít aIso  has  bccn  uscd  with  cvcn  morc  scrious 
probIcms.  domcstic  víoIcncc  ohcndcrs,  prísoncr·,  substancc 
abuscrs, índívíduaÍs tound guiÌty otL\Î, and suícídc prcvcntíon 
programs.  Scc Stcvc dc Shazcr, Yvonnc  LoÌan,  Harry Korman, 
Jcrry Jrcppcr, Lríc McLoIIum, and Insoo Kím Bcrg (200/), More
N o I e $ 2/3
than Miracus· Ihe State o/the ³rt o/ So/ution-Focused Bri¸Iher-
a¿y Ïcw York. Ìaworth Írcss, Q. I 57. 
J5  Marriage therapist Michele Weiner-Da¬s. ¯hc guotattons tn
thts scctton and thc goÍt cxamQÍc arc trom Ñctncr-Lavts, Di:one
Bustin¿ (! 992), Ïcw York: oImon & ochustcr, QQ. ! 5-!8.  ¯hIs Is
onc oI thc most InsIghttuÍ and QractIcaÍ books on changc wc
tound In any domatn. Lvcn tt your rcÍattonshtQ ts goIng wcÍÍ,
youÍÌ bcncht trom rcadtng thts book.
J6  Miracle Qumtion. ¯hts vcrston ot thc gucstton ts trom dc ohazcr
ct aÌ., More than Mirac/es, thc book that brought dc ohazcr and
bcrg, thc toundcrs ot otb¯, togcthcr wIth tour othcr cxQcrtcnccd
soÍutIons-tocuscd thcraQtsts to taÍk about currcnt QractIcc. otb¯
thcraQtsts tyQtcaÍÌy rccord thctr counscÍIng scsstons, wtth thcIr
cÍtcnts QcrmtssIon, tor usc tn tratntng ncw thcraQtsts and rchn-
Ing thctr own tcchntguc, and thcsc authors sQcnt ttmc rcvtcwtng
vIdcotuQcs ot thcraQy scsstons and askIng onc anothcr, ¨Ñhy dtd
you ask that thcrc:´ Kcadtng More than Mirac/es ts thc thcraQy
cguIvaÌcnt ot sIttIng around rcvIcwIng gamc taQcs wtth ouQcr
bowÍ-wtnntng tootbaÌÍ coachcs. Íts a grcat cxQcrtcncc tor a thcr-
aQtst or counscÍor.
J6  Briæ Cade. ¯hc mo counscÍIng scssIons by brIan Ladc arc dc-
scrtbcd tn Þathryn ohInc (Narch 24, 2002), ¨Lmon, gct haQQy,´
Sun HeraH, Q. J8. PÍso scc Ladc and ÑtÍÍtam Ìudson, ³ Bri¸
Cuide :o Bri¸ Ihera¿¡ ( ! 99J), Ïcw York: Ïorton.
J7  Man wU a driming problem. ¯hc cxamQÍc ts trom thc Har-
:ard Menta/ Hea/th Letter (ocQtcmbcr ! ,  2006), ¨ooÍutton-tocuscd
thcraQy (mcthods ot QsychothcraQy) . ´
4Î 7Îær.  ¯hc 7oÍaIr cxamQÍc ts dcscrtbcd tn KIchard ÏascaÍc and
)crry btcrntn (Nay 2005) ,   ¨Your LomQany´s occrct Lhangc
¡cnts. ´ Har:ard Business Re:ieus, QQ. 7J÷8! .  
45   Learn  Engish  at  home.  Lo to httQ://¾ .cngÍtsh-at-
homc.com/vocabuÍary/cngÍtsh-word-tor-cmottons/ (acccsscd
Nay Î /, 2009). 
46  Bad  is  stronger  than  good.  ¯hts rcvIcw QaQcr ts unusuaÍÌy
Íong, thorough (2JJ  rctcrcnccsl), and dcQrcssIng. occ Koy Í 
baumcIstcr, ÏÍÌcn bratsÌavsky, Latrtn tInkcnaucr, and ÞathÍccn
L. Nohs ¦200!),  ¨bad Ís otrongcr than Lood,´ Re:ieu o/ Cenera/
Z74 N o t e $
Ps¡cho/og, 5, J2J-J70.  ¯hc hnaÌ summary guoi atton ts on
p. J55.  
47  Marcus  Buckingham.  Íntcrcstcd rcadcrs couÌd start wtth thts
book: bucktngham (2007), Co Put Iour Smngths to wrk: ó Pou-
eq/ Ste¿s to ³chieoe Outstanding Pe¸rmance, Ïcw York: 1rcc
Írcss.
48  A  husband  forgot  his  wife's  birthday.  Ïor an cvcn trcaktcr
worÍd, tmagInc that thc husband had torgottcn aÌÌ but onc ot hts
wttc´s Ìast tourtccn btrthdays, yct shc, bcIng a brIght-sQot ah-
ctonado, was energized bccausc shc kncw succcss was QosstbÌc.
48  Solving problems versus scaling successes. Pnothcr domatn tn
whtch QcoQÌc havc madc Qrogrcss toÌÌowtng brtght sQots ts thc
hcÌd caÌÌcd PQQrccIattvc Íngutry (A),whtch tocuscs on anaÌyztng
succcsscs rathcr thm tatÌurcs. Ïor Instancc, an AQractIttoncr who
ts tnvcsttgatIng customcr-scrvIcc QrobÌcms wouÌdnt ask, ¨Ñhat
can wc do to mtntmtzc cÌIcnt angcr and comQÌaInts¦´ Ínstcad,
shcd ask, ¨Ñhcn havc customcrs bccn most QÌcascd wtth thctr
scrtcc, and what can wc aQQÌy trom thosc momcnts ot succcss:¨
¯om Þrattcnmakcr, a Qracttttoncr ot A,says, ¨Íostttvc stortcs,
unÌIkc data or ÌIsts, sttr tmagtnatIons and gcncratc cxcttcmcnt
about thc comQany and what tt ts caQabÌc ot accomQÌtshIng In
thc mturc. ´ occ ¯om Þrattcnmakcr (2005), ¨Lhangc ¯hrough
PQQrcctattvc ÍnguIry,´ tn Managng Change to Reduce Resistance,
boston. Ìarvard Üustncss ochooÌ Írcss, QQ. 49-5B,  thc guota-
tton ts on Q. 55.  
Chapter Three 
49  Chronic hip pain. ¯hc study that showcd Qhystctans wcrc morc
ÌtkcÌy to rctcr a QatIcnt to surgcry whcn controntcd wIth two
mcdtcatton oQtIons ts LonaÌd P. KcdcÌmctcr and LÌdar ohahr
(¡ 995), ¨NcdtcaÌ Lcctston Naktng tn oItuattons ¯hat Lhcr NuÌ-
ttQÌc PÌtcrnattvcs,´ }ourna/ o/ the ³merican Medical ³ssociation,
2Zð. J02-J05.  
50  Decision paralysis.  oomc ot thc Ìanguagc I n our dIscusston ot
dcctston QaraÌysts hrst aQQcarcd tn a coÌumn wc Wrotc tor Fast
Com¿an¡ (Ïovcmbcr 2007),  ¨AnaÌysts ot ÍaraÌysts, httQ. //www
N o I e $ 2/5
.tastcompany.com/  magazìnc/ ! 20/  anaÍysìs-ot-paraÍysis.htmÍ  (ac-
ccsscd May  !7,  2009). 
50  Shopping is Ülot more tiring. Kcscarchcrs havc shown that thc 
tocuscd dccìsìons you havc  to makc whìÍc you`rc  shoppìng actu-
aÍÍy  dcpÍctc your scÍt-controÍ.  »hat saps  your controÍ  is  not thc 
tìmc you  spcnd shoppìng, ìt`s thc numbcr ot choìccs  you havc to 
makc. Jhat must bc why Lcccmbcrs arc so bad tor ovcrìnduÍgìng 
ìn tood and drìnk. Scc KathIccn L. Vohs, Koy Í  Baumcìstcr ct aI. 
(2008),  "Makìng  Lhoìccs  Împairs  Subscgucnt  ScÍt-LontroÍ. A 
Lìmìtcd-Kcsourcc Account ot Lccìsìon Makìng, ScÍt-KcguÌatìon, 
and Actìvc ¡nitìatìvc,¨ }ourna/ o/Persona/iç and Socia/ P¸cho/og,
91 88J-898. 
50  Scene I, 2, J.Scc Shccna S. ¡ycngar and Mark K. ¡cppcr (2000) , 
"»hcn Lhoìcc Îs Lcmotìvatìng.  Lan  Cnc Lcsìrc Joo Much  ot 
a Good Jhing:¨ }ourna/ o/Persona/iç and Socia/ Ps¡cho/og;; 79,
995-! 006.  Scc  Shccna  Scthi-Îycngar,  G.  Hubcrman,  and  Ñ 
|ìang (2004) , ¯How Much Lhoìcc ¡s Joo MuU:  Lontrìbutìons 
to  40! ¸k)  Kctircmcnt  ÏÍans,¨  ìn  C.  S.  MìtchclÍ  and  S.  \tkus 
(cds.), !emion Design and Structure: Neu Lessons ]m Beha:iora/
Finance (pp.  8J-97), Cxtord. Cxtord \nìvcrsìty Ïrcss. Jhc  dat-
ìng study  ìs  Kay  íìsman,  Shccna  S.  Îycngar,  E. Kamcnìca,  and 
Îtamar Sìmonson  (2006),  "Gcndcr Lihcrcnccs ìn Matc ScÍcctìon. 
Lvìdcncc trom a Spccd Lating Lxpcrìmcnt,¨  Quarter[ }ou¬a/ o/
Eonomics, 12!(2),  67J-697.  Shccna S.  Îycngar`s  book Hou W 
Choose: Ihe Sultot o/Lq (Mc York. JwcÍvc ÏubÍishcrs) ìs com-
ìng out around May 20! 0, and you shouÍd Íook tor it. 
52  Barry  Schw  Scc Schwartz  (200J),  Ihe Paradox o/ Choice:
wh¡ More Is Less, Ìcw York:  Lcco, p. 2.  
54  America Launa Logsuca (A  ).Jhc casc ot  thc BrazìÍian raiÌ-
road ìs dcscribcd ìn LonaÌd M. SuIl, Andrc LcÍbcn SìÍva, and ícr-
nando  Martìns  _anuary  ! 4,  2004), ³merica Latina Logistica,
Harvard  Busìncss SchooÌ Lasc  9-804- ! J9, Boston. Harvard Busì-
ncss SchooÍ Ïrcss. 
60  Food Jramid. Jhc íood  Ïyramìd  graphìc  and  data  arc  trom 
thc sìtc http.//mypyramìd.gov/pyramìd/ìndcx.htmÍ. 
62  Ïc  c¬ncaI Parb. Scc  MichacÍ  Bccr,  KusscÍÍ A.  Lìscnstat,  and 
Bcrt  Spcctor  ¦ ¡ 990),  Ihe Critica/ Path to Co¸orate Reneua/.
2/b N o t e $
boston.  Harvard  busìncss  SchooI  Ïrcss.  Jhc  contrast  bctwccn 
outcomc goaÍs and bchavìoral goaÍs ìs on p. 244. 
6J  I I0parents who had abused their children. Jhc rcsuIts ot thc 
study  arc  dcscrìbcd  ìn  Mark  Lhamn,  janc  !  SìIovsky,  bcvcrIy 
Îundcrburk  ct  aI.  (2004),  "¡arcnt-LhìId  Întcractìon  Jhcrapy 
wìth  ÏhysìcaIIy  ^busìvc  Ïarcnts.  Lmcacy  tor  Rcducìng  Îuturc 
^busc Rcports,¨ }ou¬a/ o/Comu/ting and c|inica/ P¸;choug 72,
500-5¡0.  Most ot thc guotatìons arc trom an ìntcrvicw bctwccn 
Lhìp  Hcath and  bcvcrIy  Îundcrburk ìn Cctobcr 2008. 
67  Miner Counq. Jhc story ot thc rcvìtaIìztìon ot Mìncr Lounty ìs 
bascd on two sourccs.  ( I)  ìntcrvìcws bc~ccn  Lhìp  Hcath,  Kndy 
Ïarry,  and  Kathy La!Iìcs  ìn  May 2008 and  May  200'I  and  (2)  an 
artìcIc by jonathan  Lìg  (March 27, 2005), ``A  Îarmcrs LwìndÍc, 
Jowns  Makc bcst o! Vhat`s In,¨  ¼ä Street }ou¬a/ Lìg`s artìcÍc 
ìs  cspccìaÍIy  ìntcrcstìng  bccausc  hìs  cdìtors  orìgìnaIÍy  scnt  hìm  to 
wrìtc  a  "turn  out  thc  Iìghts¨  story  about  thc  Íast ycars  ot Mìncr 
Lounty.  but thc communìty dìdn´t know that, and rcsidcnn sharcd 
wìth hìm thc rcmarkabIc changcs ot thc prcvìous tcw ycars. Lìg was 
ìmprcsscd,  and  thc  story hc wrotc was  guardcdÍy  optìmìstìc,  not 
thc bIcak taÍc hc´d origìnaIÍy cnvìsìoncd.  Hìs cdìtors wcrc so shockcd 
by hìs optìmìstìc tonc  that thcy  rcjcctcd hìs  hrst tcw  drahs bccausc 
hìs story was so tæ  trom what  thcy had bccn cxpcctìng. 
Chapter Four 
7J  Crysml ]ones. |oncs`s  story ìs  trom a traìnìng manuaI tor young 
tcachcrs  who  arc  goìng  to  tcach  ìn  somc  ot thc  toughcst  schooI 
dìstrìcts ìn thc country.  |oncs´s  story ìs dcscrìbcd on  pp.  26,  50-
5 I ,  and thc othcr goaI  ìs  guotcd  on  p.  J7 ot 1eaching a· Leader-
shi¿ (2008), Ñashìngton,  LL. Jcach  Îor  ^mcrìca. 
75  BHG. Scc |amcs  L.  LoIÍìns  and |crry Í.  Ïorras  ( I 994), Bui/t to
Last: Succesq/ Halits o/visionaç Com¿anies, Ìcw  York. Harpcr 
busìncss. Jhc cxampÍcs otbH^Gs arc trom jamcs L. LoÍÍìns and 
|crry 1.  Ïorras  ¦Scptcmbcr-Cctobcr I996) , "buìIdìng Your Lom-
pany`s Vìsion, ¨ Har:ard Business R:ieu, pp.  65-77. 
76  Lura Esserman.  Îor Lsscrman´s  story,  scc Vìctorìa Lhang and 
|chrcy Ïtchcr (200J), "Laura Lsscrman  (^) ,¨ Stantord Graduatc 
N o t e $ ¿11
Schoo| ot Busìncss  Lasc  Study CB-42^.  Quotatìons not ìn thc 
casc study arc trom  ìntcrvicws  that  Lhip  Hcath conductcd wìth 
Laura  Lsscrman  and  Mcrcdìthc McndcIsohn in May 2009. 
82  "I5%æW on equity." Scc MichacI Bccr,  RusscIÌ ^. Lìscnstat, 
and Bcrt Spcctor ( I 990),  Ihe Crinca/ Path to Organiotiona/ Re-
neual Boston.  Harvard Busincss SchooI Ïrcss,  p.  85.  
85  ]udy Samuelson. Jhìs LÌinìc ìs trom an intcrvicw bctwccn Oan 
Hcath and |udy SamucIson ìn May 2009. 
87  BP's "No  m holm."  Industry history,  guotations,  and  thc dc-
scriptìon ot BÏ´s "No dry hoIcs" goaI arc trom ìntcrvicws by Lhip 
Hcth wth Ïctc LaIIaghcr, |im íarnsworth, and Îan Vann ìn 2005. 
94  ]ad Rivkin. Jhc turnaround ot thc Shcarson  Lchman  rcscarch 
dcpartmcnt is  dcscribcd  ìn ^shish  Nanda,  Borìs  Groysbcrg,  and 
Laurcn Ïrusincr _anuary 25,  2006), Lehman Brothers ¾)·Rise o/
the Equiç Research De¿artment, Harvard  Busincss  SchooÌ  Lasc 
Study 9-906-0J4,  Boston.  Harvard Busincss  SchooI  Ïrcss. 
Chapter Five 
I 02  Robyn Waters,  Target. »atcrs´s  story  is  trom  an  intcrvicw  by 
Lhip  Mcath wìth Robyn »atcrs  in Novcmbcr 200d. 
I05  In  He Hea¬ o[ cbaoge. Scc |ohn Í  Kottcr and Lan S. Lohcn 
(2002),  Ihe Heart o/ Change, Boston.  Harvard  Busìncss  SchooI 
Ïrcss,  p.  X· Jhc guotc about thc advantagcs  ot anaÌytìcaI tooIs ìs 
on p.  I 2. 
I 08  HopeLab  Re-Mission. Jhc backstory ot thc  Rc-Mìssìon  gamc 
is trom an  intcrvìcw by Lhìp  Hcath with  HopcLab  rcscarch  dì-
rcctor Stcvc  LoÌc ìn Ìovcmbcr 2008. Jhc  HopcLab  cIinicaI tcst 
ot thc  Rc-Missìon  gamc  ìs  dcscrìbcd  ìn  ÏamcIa  M.  Kato,  Stcvc 
Ñ  LoÌc,  ^ndrcw  S.  BradIyn,  and  Brad  H.  ÏoÌÌock  (2008),  '`A
Vìdco Gamc Improvcs  BchavìoraI  Cutcomcs in ^doIcsccnts  and 
Young ^duIts wìth Lanccr. ^ Randomìzcd JrìaI,¨ Pediatrics, 122.
c505-c5I 7.  Jhc  doubÌing  ot odds  tor  a  20  pcrccnt  incrcasc  in 
compÌìancc ìs ìndicatcd by |can L. Rìchardson ct a¡. (! 990), "Jhc 
Lhcct ot LompIiancc with Jrcatmcnt on Survival ^mong Ïaticnts 
with  Hcmatologic  MaÌignancics, " }ou¬a/ o/ C/inica/ Onco/og,
8(2), 556-564. 
Z7B N o I 0 5
I I 0  "Where'd yu 5nd sir dumb people?" Scc M. A. Cusumano
and R. Ñ  ScÌby ( I 995),  Microso¸ Secreu, Mcw York. Frcc Prcss.
Jhc Microsoh usability tcst Ìab is dcscribcd on p. J7º. Jhc prob-
Ìcm o| programmcrs having morc advanccd machincs than thcir
customcrs is dìscusscd on p. J47 
! I J  Fake  Weatherman.  Scc Pctcr ßorkcnau and Ancttc LicbÌcr
( I 99J), "Convcrgcncc o| Strangcr Katings o| PcrsonaÌity and In-
tclÌigcncc with Scl|-Ratings, Partncr Ratings, and Mcasurcd In-
tcÌÌigcncc,¨ }ourna/ o/ Persona/iç and Socia/ Ps¡cho/og, óp, 
546-55J.  Jhc corrclatìon bctwccn scÌ|-ratings and mcasurcd IQ
was . 29, accounting |or 8  pcrccnt o| thc variancc. Jhc corrcla-
tion bcwccn strangcr ratings and IQ was .J8, accounting |or ! 4 
pcrccnt o| thc variancc. Strangcrs thus did about 66 pcrccnt bct-
tcr than pcoplc thcmscÌvcs.
I !4  We're all lousy self-evaluators. Jhc rcscarch studics on scÌ|-
cvaluation and thc cxampÌcs o| positivc iÌlusions arc summarizcd
in Oavid Ounning, Chip Hcath, and ]crry SuÌs (2004), "FÌawcd
Scl|-Asscssmcnt: Implications |or HcaÌth, Lducation, and thc
VorkpÌacc,¨ Ps¡cho/ogica/ Science in the Pul/ic Interest, p,  69-
I 06.  Oavid Ounning also has somc intcrcsting rcscarch on what
hc calÌs thc ¨unskilÌcd and unawarc¨ phcnomcnon. Jhc worst
scÌ|-cvaÌuators arc pcoplc who Ìack skìÌl. For instancc, pcopÌc
who don`t havc a scnsc o| humor arc most likcÌy to think thcir
bad ¡okcs arc |unny, and pcopÌc who Ìack skilÌ in grammar arc
most ÌikcÌy to conhdcntÌy ignorc a usc|ul corrcction. Vhcn thc
rcscarch camc out, dozcns o| ncwspapcr articÌcs appcarcd ilÌus-
trating thc "unskiÌlcd and unawarc¨ phcnomcnon with a discus-
sion o| workpÌacc bosscs, a topic not covcrcd in thc originaÌ
rcscarch articÌc.
I I 5   Attila the Accomtæt.  Sìm Sitkìn, who is now a pro|cssor o|
managcmcnt at Oukc Lnivcrsity`s Fuqua SchooÌ o| ßusincss, toÌd
this story U Chip Hcath in May 2009. 
I ! 9  ºIn the absence of a dire  threat."  Scc Oavid ^.  Garvin and
Mìchacl A. Robcrto (Fcbruary 2005), "Changc Jhrough Pcrsua-
sion,¨ Har:ard Business Re:ieu, pp. !-8,  rcprìntcd ìn Harvard
ßusincss SchooÌ Prcss (2006), Har:ard Bminess Re:ie» on Leading
Ihrough Change ,pp. 85-I04),  ßoston. Harvard ßusincss SchooÌ
N o I e $ 2/9
Ircss. Jhc "dirc thrcat¨ quotc is on p. 86, thc "dcathbcd¨ quotc
is on p. 87.
I ! º Rd bottom. Scc Ruth MæwcÌl ( ! º86), Breakthrough: what to
Do when ³ùoho/ism or Chemica/ De¿endenç Hits C/ose to Home,
Ncw ¥ork. ßallantinc ßooks, thc conlcrcncc incidcnt is on pp.
4-5.
I ! º The bmng pladorm. Scc Nìlliam E. Smith and HcÌcn Gìbson
(|uÌy ! 8, ! º88), "Oisastcr ` Scrcamìng Ìikc a ßanshcc, ' Ime,
http.//¾ .timc.comltìmc/magainc/articÌc/O,ºI 7! ,º67º! 7,00.
htmÌ (acccsscd May 28, 200º).
I 20 GmgapGmRoss. Scc Oavid Mamct ( ! º84), Cungarç C/en
Ross: ³ PL¡. Ncw York. Grovc Ircss.
I 2! What Good Are Positive Emotions? Scc ßarbara L. Frcdrìckson
( I ºº8), "Ñhat Good ^rc Iosìtìvc Emotìons!¨ Re:ieu o/Cenera/
Ps¡chology, 2,  300-3!º. Among thc studics Frcdcrickson citcs:
Ooctors cxpcricncing posìtivc cmotions soÌvc a tricky mcdicaÌ
diÌcmma morc hcxibÌy and quick!y. Studcnts in a positivc mood
dcvisc morc innovatìvc soÌutìons to a tcchnìcaÌ chaÌÌcngc. Ncgo-
tiators in a positìvc statc ol mind arc morc succcssn:Ì and crcativc
ncgotiators, thcy hnd "wìn-win¨ solutìons morc ohcn. Iosìtivc
cmotìon also makcs it casìcr lor pcopÌc to makc conncctìons
among dissìmiÌar idcas, and it makcs thcm lcss likcÌy to slip into
an "us vcrsus thcm¨ mcntaÌity. AÌl ol thcsc tcndcncics-hcxiblc
probÌcm soÌving, innovativc solutions, lcss poÌìtical inbghting-
would bc vcry uscml in a changc sìtuatìon.
Chapter bw
I 24 A study of hotel  maids.  Scc AÌia |. Crum and Ellcn |. Langcr
(2007), "Mind-Sct Mattcrs. Excrcisc and thc IÌaccbo Edcct,¨ P¸-
cho/ogi.a/ Science, 18, I65-I 7I .
I 26 Car-wash loyalty m.  Scc |. L.  Nuncs and 7. Orczc (2006),
"Jhc Indowcd Irogrcss Ehcct. How ^rtihciaÌ ^dvanccmcnt In-
crcascs Ehort,¨ }ou¬a/ o/Consumer Research, ±2. 504-5!2.
I 27 50percent of  the money m the b@. Jhis practicc was discusscd
ìn an intcrvìcw bctwccn Chip Hcath and |an Alhcri, ol thc
^ssociation ol Fundraising IrolcssionaÌs, in Fcbruary 200º.
2BO N o t e $
A!hcrt says that thts moncy Is usuaÌÌy raIscd tn what |und-ratstng
QrotcssIonaÌs caÌÌ thc ¨gutct QcrIod´ bctorc thc camQatgn ts an-
nounccd QubÌIcÌy. ¡tstortcaÌÌy thc amount was 30 Qcrccnt, but
somc rcccnt camQaìgns ratscd as much as 70 Qcrccnt. PÌhcrt says,
¨PÍÌ thts ts caÌcuÌatcd to gIvc donors thc assurancc thc camQatgn
wIÌÌ succccd. ´
! 29  Shrink Uc chæg. Ãhousands ot studtcs tn QsychoÌogy tndtcatc
that QcoQÌc do bcttcr whcn thcy havc htgh sttuattonaÌ scÌt-
conhdcncc, or scÌt-cmcacy. ÍcoQÌc wtth hIgh scÌt-cmcacy Qcrtorm
bcttcr on sQorts, acadcmtc, and work tasks, thcy Qcrscvcrc Ìongcr;
and thcy rcbound bcttcr whcn thcy cncountcr a sctback.
Ìow do you buIÌd thts kInd ot scÌt-cmcacy: Nost rcscarch
on scÌt-cmcacy ts corrcÌatIonaÌ so tt cant dtstIngutsh (a) scÌt-
conhdcncc as a mtndsct that L bc grown trom (b) scÌt-conhdcncc
that artscs tor othcr rcasons. NtchacÌ )ordan may rcQort htgh scÌt-
cmcacy In trytng a ncw sQort, but that scÌt-cmcacy may bc duc to
hts QhystcaÌ abtÌIttcs, not to hts mtndsct. Ãhc Ìttcraturc on scÌt-
cmcacy suggcsts a couQÍc ot ways to butÌd scÌI-cmcacy as a
mtndsct¬tor cxamQÌc, by cxQcrtcnctng QcrsonaÌ succcss tn a dtt-
hcuÌt sttuatIon or by scctng a roÌc modcÌ cxQcrtcncc succcss. Ãhosc
soÌutIons, howcvcr, may bc Ìcss avaIÌabÌc tn a tImc ot changc whcn
QcrsonaÌ succcss and roÌc modcÌs arc tn short suQQÌy.
5omc rcscarch sucsts that shrtnktng thc changc may QrovIdc
a good gamc QÌan tor butÌdtng scÌt-cmcacy. AÌ bandura and LaÌc
ochunk trtcd to tcach subtractIon sktÌÌs to cÌcmcntary schooÌ kIds
who had bccn Idcntthcd as havtng ¨gross dchcIts tn artthmcttc.´
Ln an InItta| 23-gucstton subtractton tcst, mo-thtrds ot thcIr kIds
got Ìcss than onc QrobÌcm corrcct. Ãhc rcscarchcrs dcvcÌoQcd
scvcn moduÍcs to tcach kcy subtractIon sktÌÌs (such as how to bor-
row trom thc ncxt coÌumn). Lach moduÌc outÌIncd a QrtnctQÌc,
gavc two cxamQÌcs, and Qrovtdcd stx Qagcs ot QrobÌcms to bc
workcd by thc stuOcnts. PÌÌ ktds wcrc brought tn tor scvcn 30-
mtnutc, scÌt-Qaccd scssIons wIth no coachtng trom a tcachcr. Lnc
grouQ was gtvcn a btg, dtstant goaÌ ot comQÌcttng thc scvcn mod-
uÌcs by thc cnd ot thc scvcnth scsston. Anothcr grouQ was gIvcn
a cÌosc-by, shrtnk-thc-changc goaÌ ot comQÌctIng onc moduÌc
durIng cach scssIon. Ln thc hnaÍ tcst, thc QroxtmaÌ-goaÌs grouQ
N o t e $ 2BJ
solvcd 8! pcrccnt ol thc probÌcms, and thc distaÌ-goaÌs groups
soÌvcd only 45 pcrccnt. Latcr, ahcr thc study scssions wcrc ovcr,
kids wcrc givcn a lrcc play pcriod and two scts ol cxcrciscs to cn-
tcrtain thcmscÌvcs-somc subtraction problcms and somc "solvc
thc codc¨ puzzlcs. Jhc kids with distant goaÌs did onÌy onc sub-
traction probÌcm on avcragc. ßut thc kids who buiÌt scll-cmcacy
through proximaÌ goals-cvcn though thcy initiaÌly hatcd math
just as much-soÌvcd lourtccn subtraction problcms on avcragc
during thc lrcc play pcriod. Strctch goals (or ßH^Gs) may bc
hnc whcn you aÌrcady havc strong scÌl-cmcacy. ßut ßandura and
Shunk`s study suggcsts that whcn you´rc buiÌding scll-cmcacy, you
might want to shrink thc changc. Scc ^bcrt ßandura and OaÌc
H. Scbunk ( !º8!), "Cultivating Compctcncc, Scll-Elhcacy, and
Intrinsic Ïntcrcst Jhrough Proximal Scll-Motivation,¨ }ourna/ o/
Persona/iµ and Socia/ Ps,cho/og, 41, 586-5º8.
!30 5-Minute  Room  Rescue.  Chcck out http.//¾ .hyÌady. nct/
pagcs/ILYIaq.asp (acccsscd Occcmbcr I7, 2008) .
! 3I Personal 5nance guru Dave  Ramsey.  Oavc Ramscy dcscribcs
thc Farrars' situation and his dcbt-hghting tcchniqucs in Ramscy
(2007), Ihe Iota/ Monç Makeo:er NashviÌÌc, Jhomas NcÌson.
Jhc Farrars' story is on pp. ! I 6-! I 7. Nc´vc Ìookcd at a Ìot olh -
nanciaÌ pÌans by various gurus, and Ramscy's strikcs us as thc
most consistcnt with thc psychoÌogicaÌ principÌcs ol changc wc
rcvicw in Suitch. Ramscy´s own cxpcricncc is on pagc 3, and thc
"motivation is morc important tban math¨ quotc is on p. ! !4.
! 37 Steve  Kelman . . .   procmement  reform.  Scc Stcvc KcÌman
(2005), |nuashing Change· 7 Stud¡ o/Organiotiona/ Reneua/ in
Co:e¬ment, Nashington, OC. ßrookings Institution Prcss. Kcl-
man disputcs thc classic assumption in thc organizationaÌ changc
Ìitcraturc that pcopÌc rcsist changc. Hc argucs that in many situ-
ations thcrc is a pcnt-up dcmand lor changc that mcrcÌy nccds to
bc "unlcashcd¨ by top Ìcadcrs, hc makcs a compcÌÌing-and in-
spiring-argumcnt that this is thc casc. Jhc chocoÌatc-chip
cookic milspccs is on p. 4. Jhc "sct othcr changcs in motion¨
quotc is on p. 83. Jhc story ol thc crcdit card and past pcrlor-
mancc pÌcdgcs is on pp. 82-88. Jhc ^ gradc lrom thc ßrookings
Institution is on p. 4.
2B2  N o t e $  
!38 $J20billion in discetionary purchases. Jhc doÌÌar amount is
lrom KcÌman, un/eahing Change, p. 3. Jhc comparìson ìs lrom
thc Statistica/ Xlstract o/ the |nited States, 20042005.Nashìng-
ton, OC, L.S. Ccnsus ßurcau. JabÌc 642 rcports thc 2002 out-
put ol "computcr and cÌcctronic products" as $! 3º.9 biÌÌion and
thc output ol "motor vchicÌcs, traiÌcrs, & parts¨ as $! ! º.3 bìl-
Ììon. So thcrc's actualÌy room Ìclt ovcr.
! 4I A ¬ìracu scau rangng ûom 0to ¡0.Scc aÌso thc discussìon ol
thc mìracÌc sca!c ìn Stcvc dc Shazcr, Yvonnc OoÌan, Harry Kor-
man, Jcrry Jrcppcr, Eric McCoÌÌum, and lnsoo Kim ßcrg (2007),
More than Mirac/es: Ihe State o/ the Xrt o/ Solution-Focused Bri¸
Ihera¿y Ncw York. Haworth Ircss, pp. 6!÷72. Jhcrc's a grcat
cxampÌc ol thc scaÌing qucstion in practìcc ìn thc casc study ol Lcc
thc dock managcr in Scott O. MiÌÌcr and Insoo Kim ßcrg (!ºº5),
Ihe Mimcu Method· X Rdica/[ Neu X¿¿roach to Prolum Drink-
ing, Ncw York. Norton, pp. 3º÷5º.
! 42 Trad patients' self-reported progess. Cncc thc 0 to !0 scaÌc is
sct up, it bccomcs casicr lor clicnts to noticc and start taÌking
about cvcn smaÌÌ ìmprovcmcnts toward thcir goal. Nhcn a thcr-
apìst idcntìhcs a substantiaÌ changc on thc scalc-say, a haÌl-poìnt
improvcmcnt toward thc goal÷thc thcrapist will ask, "How
dìd you do it!¨ Jhcrapists arc traincd U bc pcrsistcnt in asking
thc hou qucstion scvcraÌ timcs. "lt's important to bc pcrsistcnt
cvcn il, and ohcntimcs partìcularÌy ì[ thc cÌìcnt sccms to bc strug-
gÌìng a bit at hrst to lormuÌatc an answcr. Jhc qucstion impÌics
thc cÌicnt did somcthing that was hcÌpluÌ, things didn´t gct bct-
tcr without a rcason.¨ Somc thcrapists calÌ this proccss ¿ositi:e
lLming. Jry it wìth your kids whcn thcy makc an ìmprovc-
mcnt. Scc discussion around p. 63 ol dc Shazcr ct al., More than
Mirac/es.
! 43 NFL coach Bm Parcells.  Scc ßiÌÌ IarccÌÌs (200! ) , `'Jhc Jough
Nork ol Jumìng Around a Jcam," rcprìntcd ìn Har··ard Business
Re:ieu on 1urnaround (pp. ! 05÷! !4), ßoston: Harvard ßusincss
SchooÌ Ircss, thc quotation is on pp. ! ! I-! !2.
!44 UCL coach ]ohn Wooden. Quotcd in Robcrt Maurcr (2004),
One Smaä Ste¿ Can Change Iour Lq: Ihe Kizen w¡ , Ncw York.
Norkman, p. ! ! .
N o I e $ 2B3
! 44 Small w!ns. Scc Ñcìck (!º84), "Sma!l Ñìns. Rcdchnìng thc Scalc
ol Social ProbÌcms," Xmerican Ps¡cho/ogi·t, ±9( I) , p. 46.
!45 David Allen. Scc ^lÌcn (200I), Cetting Ihings Done, Ncw York.
Vìkìng Pcnguìn, p. 23º.
! 46 A-Anon.  Scc ^l-^non Famìly Groups ( I ºº5), Hou Xl-Xnon
wrks /r Fami/ies and Friend o/ ¬Loho/ics, Vìrgìnìa ßcach, V^:
A¡-^non Famìly Groups, thc quotatìon ìs on p. 73.
!47 George kissed Paula. Scc MìchcÌc Ñcìncr-Oavìs (I ºº2), Di:orce
Busting, Ncw York. Sìmon & Schustcr, p. º2.
Chapter Seven 
! 4º ColIege student Paul  Buder. Jhc lacts ol thc ßutlcr story arc
lrom an ìntcrvìcw Oan Hcath conductcd wìth ßutÌcr ìn Cctobcr
2O08. For a short vcrsìon ol thc story and a photo ol ßutÌcr, go
to http.llrarcconscrvatìon.orglaboutl pagc. php!subscctìon-Hìs
tory (acccsscd May 28, 200º).
! 52 Pride  mpaigns.  lnlormatìon about Rarc's Prìdc campaìgns ìs
avaìlabÌc on Rurc's wcbsìtc: http:llwww.rarcconscrvatìon.org. Rarc
now locuscs morc on protcctìng prccìous arcas, such as rccls and
lorcsts, than on prcscrvìng partìcular spccìcs. ßut Rarc conscrva-
tìonìsts contìnuc to work on prccìous arcas by raÌÌyìng thc pubÌìc
around what thcy caÌl a "charìsmatìc spccìcs" that symboÌìzcs spc-
cìbc arcas that nccd protcctìon. For ìnstancc, thc NapoÌcon wrassc
bsh was thc charìsmatìc spccìcs ìn thc watcrs surroundìng thc Jo-
gìan IsÌands olIndoncsìa, whìch contaìn 262 spccìcs ol coral and
countlcss othcr spccìcs that dcpcnd on thc coral.
I53 ]ames Mæch . . .  identity model. Scc March ( !ºº4), X Primer
on Decuion Making: Hou Decuiom Ha¿¿en, Ncw York. Frcc Prcss,
cspccìaÌly ch. 2, whcrc March provìdcs a bcautìluÌ contrast ol
conscqucncc-bascd dccìsìon makìng and dccìsìon makìng
through ìdcntìty. For a Ìongcr trcatmcnt ol thìs topìc, scc Chìp
Hcath and Oan Hcath, Made to Stick: wh, Some Idea Sur:i:e
and Others Die. Ncw York. Random Housc, 2007, pp. ! 82-!ºº,
ìncÌudìng thc story ol thc hugcly succcsshÌ "Oon`t Mcss wìth
´cxas" antìlìttcrìng campaìgn, whìch was a tcxtbook appÌìcatìon
ol ìdcntìty.
Æ4 N o t e $
! 54 Concerned about  the rapid turno¬r among its  nurses.  For
morc on thìs story and on ^pprccìatìvc Inquìry, scc Jom Krar-
tcnmakcr (2005), "Changc Jhrough ^pprcciativc Inquiry, ¨ ìn
Managing Change to Reduce Resistance (pp. 4º-58), ßoston. Har-
vard ßusincss SchooÌ Prcss. Jhc Nood quotatìon is on p. 57. Jhc
ìmprovcmcnt sratisrics arc lrom Oìana Nhìtncy, ^manda
Jrostcn-ßÌoom, and Oavid Coopcrrìdcr (2003), Ihe Pouer o/ X¸-
¸reciati:e Inquiç: 7 Pactica/ Cuide to Positi:e Chang.·, Ncw York.
ßcrrcrt-Kochlcr, pp. º4-º5.
! 56 Brasilata.  ßackground inlormation comcs lrom thc ßrasì-
Ìara wcbsìtc (acccsscd Fcbruary I 3, 200º). Rcvcnuc in 2007
was 384, I 02,000 ßraziÌian rcaÌs, pcr thìs pagc. http.ll¾
. brasiÌata.com.brlcnlhnancas_rcsuÌrados.php. Jhc numbcr ol
ìdcas pcr ìnvcntor is lrom http.//¾ . brasìÌara.com. brIcnl
projcto_historìco.php. For thc car-bumpcr inspìrcd can, go ro
hrtp.l/¾ .brasilata.com.br/cnlprod_! 8un_b.php. For rhc
cncrgy-saving idca storics, go to htrp.//www. brasilata.com.brlcnl
projccto_atos_rclcvanrcs.php. AÌl convcrsìons bcrwccn L.S. doÌ-
Ìars and ßrazìÌìan rcaÌs wcrc caÌcuÌarcd on Fcbruary !3, 200º.
! 58 Citizens for Safe Driving. Scc |onathan L. Frccdman and Scotr
C. Frascr ( I º66) , "Compliancc Nithout Prcssurc. Jhc Foot-in-
thc-Ooor Jcchnìquc,¨ }ou¬a/ o/ Perona/iç and Socia/ Ps¡cho/-
ogy, 4, !º5~203. Jhis study starrcd a wholc hcÌd that invcstìgatcs
"loot-in-thc-door¨ tcchniqucs. Most ol thcsc tcchniqucs sccm to
work bccausc thcy lorm (or rc-lorm) pcopÌc`s idcnrity. For an in-
sìghtluÌ analysis ol thcsc tcchniqucs, undcr thc Ìabcl "commit-
mcnt and consìsrcncy, ¨ scc Robcrt CìaÌdini (2000), In¡ucnce·
Science and Practice, 4rh cd., Ncw York. ^ÌÌyn & ßacon, ch. 3.
For thc "Cncc [rhc homc owncr] has agrccd . . . ` quotc, scc
Frccdman and lrascr, "Compliancc Nìrhout Prcssutc,¨ p. 20I.
! 63 "Fixed mindset" . . .   "growh  mindset." Jhis quìz and aÌÌ rhc
hxcdlgrowrh-mìndscr matcrìaÌ comc lrom Carol S. Owcck
(2006), Mindet: Ihe Neu Ps¡cho/ogy o/ Success, Ncw York. Ran-
dom Housc. Jhc quiz is on p. ! 3. Evcry tcachcr, coach, managcr,
and parcnr should rcad Owcck's book.
! 66 The  brain  is  like  a  muscle.  Scc Lìsa S. ßlackwcÌÌ, KaÌi
H. Jrzcsnicwski, and CaroÌ S. Owcck (2007), "ImpÌ.cit Jhcorìcs
N D I 0 5 éob
ol lntclÌìgcncc Ircdìct ^chìcvcmcnt ^cross an ^dolcsccnt Jran-
sìtìon. ^ Longìtudìnal Study and an lntcrvcntìon," ChiH De:e/-
o¸ment, /ö,  246÷263.
!67 Dramatic  transformations.  Jhc quotatìon ìs lrom Owcck,
Minden, p. 5º.
!68 "Failure m the middle." Scc Rosabcth Moss Kantcr (Novcmbcr
23, 2003), Leadershi¸ /r Change: Endunng Ski// /r Change Ma-
ters, Harvard ßusìncss SchooÌ Notc º-304-06, ßoston. Harvard
ßusìncss School Ircss, p. ! ! , bascd on hcr 200I book E:o/:e! Suc-
ceeding in the Digm/ Cu/ture o/ 1omo¬ow ßoston. Harvard ßusì-
ncss School Prcss.
! 68 "Three  steps  fo~ard  and  two  steps  back."  Scc MìchcÌc
Ncìncr-Oavìs ( ! ºº2), Di:orce Busting, Ncw York. Sìmon &
Schustcr, p. 2! 2.
I70 Amy Edmondson. Scc Edmondson (2003), "Framing lor Lcarn-
ìng. Lcssons ìn Succcssml Jcchnology ImpÌcmcntatìon," Ca/qr-
nia Mønagement Re:ieu, 45, 34÷54. Jo protcct hcr rcscarch
partìcìpants, Edmondson uscd pscudonyms lor thc hospìtals and
thc mcdìcal pcrsonncl.
I 7! Recover  Elly  in three weeks instead of two  months. Jhc
MlCS rccovcry statistìcs arc lrom ßarbara Kuhn Jìmby
and Nancy E. Smìth (2006), Introductor¡ Medica/-Surgica/
Nursing, ºth cd., Ncw York: Lìppìncott NìÌÌìams & NìÌkìns,
p. 53?.
I 73 A famous story about IBM.  Scc PauÌ ß. CarroÌl ( !ºº3), Big
B/ues, Ncw York. Crown, thc quotatìon ìs on p. 5 I .
I73 Molly Howard.  Oan Hcath ìntcrvìcwcd MoÌÌy Howard ìn ^u-
gust 2008. Jhc PrìncìpaÌ ol thc Ycar award ìs dcscrìbcd ìn Ocl
]oncs (March !6, 2008), "LS^'s Jop PrìncìpaÌ CouÌd Jcach
CECs a Jhìng or Jwo, " |S³ 1od¡, http.l/¾ .usatoday.com/
moncyl com panìcsl managcmcn tl2008-03- ! 6-prì ncì pal-
advìcc_N.htm (acccsscd Fcbruary 6, 200º). Howard toÌd Hcath,
"Companìcs L pìck and choosc thc raw matcrìals. PubÌìc cdu-
catìon acccpts alÌ. Nc arc a zcro-rcjcct busìncss. Jhat´s a bìg, bìg
dìhcrcncc. "
ìtt  N o t e s  
Chapter Eight 
! 80 ¾  Edwards  Deming.  Scc Ocming ¦ ! º82) , Out o/ the Crisis.
ßoston. Massachusctts lnstitutc ol JcchnoÌogy Ccntcr lor ^d-
vanccd Enginccring Study. Jhc hrcs story is on p. 325.
! 80 Fundamental Attribution Error.  Scc Lcc Ross ( l º77), "Jhc
Intuitivc Psychologist and His Shortcomings. Oistortions in thc
^ttribution Proccss,¨ in L. ßcrkowitz (cd.), ³d:ances in Eer-
imenta/ Socia/ P;ycho/ogy (vol. ! 0) , Ncw York: ^cadcmic Prcss.
Echocs ol thc Fundamcntal ^ttribution Error arc lound in thc
convcntionaÌ wisdom ol many hcÌds. Markctcrs taÌk about hnd-
ing thc right psychographic lor a consumcr good. HcaÌth psy-
chologists talk about thc importancc ol targcting pcopÌc who
arc "rcady¨ to stop smoking. Human rcsourccs pcoplc talk about
gctting thc right pcopÌc on thc bus. Changc cxpcrts talk about
cÌassi|ing thc thrcc typcs ol pcopÌc in any change chort. ßc-
Ìicvcrs, Fcncc Sittcrs, and Rcsistcrs. ßut social psychology is
hÌÌcd with cxampÌcs that show situations trump pcrsonal at-
tributcs. For cxampÌc, thc lood-drivc study discusscd in scction
2 ol this chaptcr says that you'rc thrcc timcs bcttcr-od with a
lood-drivc Rcsistcr with a map than with a truc ßcÌicvcr with-
out onc.
! 80 Marriage  therapist Michele Weiner-Davis.  Scc Ncincr-Oavis
( ! ºº2), Di:orce Busting, Ncw York. Simon & Schustcr, p. 42.
Jhc kind ol thinking lostcrcd by thc FundamcntaÌ ^ttribution
Error ha bccn shown to hurt marriagcs. Rcscarch has shown rhat
coupÌcs cxpcricncc morc distrcss whcn thcy insist on attributing
thcir rclationship problcms to traitÌikc charactcristics ol thcir part-
ncr that arc gÌobal and stabÌc. Jhcsc attributions Ìcad to morc
ncgativc convcrsatìons and scrious hghts whcn coupÌcs try to
work through thcir probÌcms. Scc Norman Epstcin, OonaÌd H.
ßaucom, and \ynn ^. Rankin ( I ºº3), "Jrcatmcnt oí Marìtal
Conhict. ^ Cognitìvc-ßchaviora¡ ^pproach,¨ C/inica/ P¸cho/og
Re:ieu, 13, 45-57.
! 82 Distinguish "saints" ûom "]erks." Jhc lood-drivc study is dc-
sctÎbcd  În  l.  VOss  and  R. E. ^ÎsbcU  (\ºº\), 1br  1rrson  and tbr 
N o t e $ 2B7
Situation: Pers¸ecti:es o/ Socia/ Ps¡cho/o¿, Ncw York. McGraw-
HiÌl, pp. !32-!33 .
, ! 84 Peter Bregman. Jhc sourcc oI this account is ßrcgman's blog,
¨Jhc Easicst Nay to Changc PcopÌc`s ßchavior'´ (March ! ! ,
200º), http.//bÌogs.harvardbusincss.org/brcgman/200º /0 3/ thc-
casicst-way-to.htmÌ, and an intcrvicw bctwccn Chip Hcath and
ßrcgman in May 200º.
! 87 Bec) Richards . . .   "medication vmu." Jhis story is bascd on
an intcrvicw bctwccn Chip Hcath and ßccky Richards in |unc
2008 and a conlcrcncc prcscntation by Richards at thc ßEACCN
coÌÌaborativc in San !rancisco in ApriÌ 2008.
! º! "Sterile  cockpit'  rule. Scc http./lcn.wikipcdia.org/wiki/StcriÌc_
Cockpit_RuÌc (acccsscd |uly 23, 200º). Jhc ruÌc was dcvcÌopcd by
thc F^ in !º8! ahcr invcstigations showcd that somc aircrah
crashcs during thc ! º70s wcrc causcd whcn hight crcws wcrc dis-
tractcd Irom thcir instrumcnts by idÌc chattcr in thc cockpit.
! º! The IT goup . . .   "sterile cockpit." Scc LcsÌic A. PcrÌow (! ºº7),
Finding Iime: Hou Co¸oratiom, Indi:idua/, and Fami/ies Can
Bene¸t ]om Neu wrk Practices, Ithaca, Ï:  ComcÌÌ Lnivcrsity
Prcss. Jhc quotations about thc rcsults oI thc "quict hours¨ cx-
pcrimcnt arc on p. !26. PcrÌow conductcd this study Ior hcr grad-
uatc schooÌ disscrtation. ^ an outsidcr to thc company, and onÌy
a studcnt at thc timc (shc's now a scnior prolcssor at Harvard),
Pcrlow was rcsponsibÌc lor a simplc intcrvcntion that thc division
vicc prcsidcnt dcclarcd "a ncw bcnchmark"!
!º3 Amanda Tucker. Jhis story is bascd on an cxampÌc Juckcr rc-
countcd in May 200º in a StanIord Graduatc School ol ßusincss
class on "How to Changc Jhings Nhcn Changc !s Hard.¨ Lscd
with hcr pcrmission.
!º7 Haddon Matrb.  !or an ovcrvicw ol thc Haddon Matrix, scc a
prcscntation onÌinc produccd by thc San !rancisco Ocpartmcnt oI
HcaÌui ¦which in turn draws on work by CaroÌyn !owÌcr at |ohns
Hopkins Lnivcrsity´s ßÌoombcrg SchooÌ ol Public HcaÌth) .
http./lwww.ccsIcdu/Rcsouros/!aculty/jcskinnc/ documcnts/HAO
2CompÌctc.pdl (acccsscd |unc ! 4, 200º). Cur thanks to CaroÌyn
!owlcr and Eric Jash Ior thcir insights on thc Haddon Matrix.
ÆB N o t e $
!ºº Rackspace. Jhc Rackspacc story and quotatìons arc lrom two
ìntcrvicws bcrwccn Oan Hcarh and Graham Ncston, conductcd
Cctobcr 2007 and !cbruary 200º. Rcvcnuc growth data lrom ìn-
rcrnaÌ company data wcrc suppÌìcd to rhc aurhors.
Chapter Nine 
203 Mike Romano. Mìkc's namc and a lcw irrcÌcvant dccaíÌs wcrc aÌ-
tcrcd to protcct his ìdcntìry. Jhc inlormatìon comcs lrom an in-
tcrvicw bctwccn thc soÌdìcr and rcscarch assìstant Elainc ßartlctr
ìn |anuary 200º.
204 The White House was so troubled. Jhc casc srudy ol drug usc
by soÌdìcrs bclorc and ahcr thc Vìcrnam Nar is ìn Lcc N. Robìns,
|ohn E. HcÌzcr, and Oarlcnc H. Oavìs ( I º75), "Narcotìc Lsc ìn
Southcasr Asìa and Ahcrward," ³rchi:es o/ Cenera/ P.¡chiap 32,
º55-º6! .
208 J6percent ol the successñl changes.  Scc Jodd Ì  Hcathcrton
and PatrìcìaA. Nìchols ( I ºº4), "Pcrsonal Accounts ol Succcssml
Vcrsus !aìÌcd atrcmprs ar Lìlc Changc," Persona/ip and Socia/ P¸-
cho/ogy Bu//etin, 20, 664÷675.
20º Peter Gollwiuer. GoÌÌwìtzcr`s summary ol hìs work on trìggcrs-
GoÌlwìtzcr calÌs thcm "ìmpÌcmcnratìon ìntcntìons"-can bc
lound ìn GoÌÌwìtzcr ( I ººº), "!mpÌcmcntarìon !ntcniìons. Strong
Ellccts ol SìmpÌc PÌans,¨ ³merican Ps¡cho/ogist, ,4,  4º3-b03.
Most ol thc studics dcscrìbcd ìn rhìs sccrìon arc rclcrcnccd ìn rhar
articÌc. Jhc quotarìon abour "passìng conrroÌ U thc cnvìronmcnr"
ìs on p. 4º5.
2! I Recovering ûom hip- or knee-mplacement surgery. Scc Shcìna
CrbcÌl and PaschaÌ Shccran (2000), "MorívatìonaÌ and VolìtìonaÌ
Proccsscs ìn Acrìon !nìtìarìon. A !ìcÌd Srudy ol thc RoÌc ol Im-
pÌcmcntation !ntcntìons,¨ }ou¬a/ o/ ³¸¸/ied Socia/ Pgchoug, 30,
780-7º7.
2! 2 Recent meta-study.  Pcrcr M. GoÌÌwìtzcr, PaschaÌ Shccran, and
Jhomas L. Ncbb ¦2005), "!mplcmcntatìon Ïntcntions and
HcaÌrh ßchavìors," ìn M. Conncr and Í  Norman (cds.), Predict-
ing Hea/th Beha:ior: Research and Practice uith Socia/ Coginon
Mode/ (2nd cdìtìon). ßuckìngham, LK: Cpcn Lnìvcrsìry Prcss.
N o t e $ ìtº 
2I 5 Stand-up meedng. Scc Villiam G. Pagonis with |cmcy I. Cruìk-
shank , I ºº2) , Mo:ing Mountains: Lessom in Leadrshi¸ and Lo-
gistics }om the Cu[ Wr  ßoston. Harvard ßusincss SchooÌ Prcss,
thc quotation is on pp. I 85÷I 86. For thc usc oI stand-up mcct-
ings in soItwarc dcvcÌopmcnt, scc http://cn.wikìpcdia.org/
wiki/btand-up_mccting (acccsscd May 27, 200º). Agilc pro-
grammcrs disdain thc typicaÌ IJ styÌc oI dcÌivcring a whoÌc pro-
gram a!Í  at oncc (and typicaÌÌy latc). Instcad, thcy coÌlaboratc on
a scrics oI quick prototypcs, cach oI which rcccivcs customcr
input, in thc hopc oI catching probÌcms carÌy and prcvcnting
costÌy rcwork latcr.
2I 7  Two cups of soup ¬ch day. Scc ßarbara ]. RoÌÌs, Iianc S. Roc,
Amanda M. ßcach, and Panny M. Kris-Ethcrton (2005), "Pro-
vision oI Foods Oihcring in Encrgy Ocnsity Ahccts Iong-Jcrm
Vcight Loss,¨ Olesip Research, 13. I 052÷I060.
2I7 Natæie EIder.  Oan Hcath intcrvicwcd MataIic Eldcr in August
2008.
220 The humbIe checklist.  Parts oI thc scction on chcckÌists origi-
naÌÌy appcarcd in our Fast Com¸an¡ coÌumn (March 2008), "Jhc
Hcroic ChcckÌist,¨ http.//¾ . Iastcompany.com/magazinc/
I23/hcroic-chcckÌist. html.
220 HoIy GraiI  of checklists.  Scc AuI Gawandc ,Occcmbcr ¡0,
2007) , ¨Jhc ChcckÌist. II Somcthing So Simplc Can JransIorm
Intcnsivc Carc, Vhat EÌsc Can It Oo²¨ Neu Xrker. pp. 86÷I 0I .
22I CheckIists educate peopIe about what's  best. Vc´rc not advo-
cating thc kind oI chcckÌists that arc associatcd with somc quaÌ-
ity improvcmcnt proccsscs~Ior cxampÌc, thc cÌaboratc proccdurc
manuaÌs compiÌcd Ior lSC º000 ccrtihcation. Jo cducatc pcopÌc
about what`s bcst and to hclp thcm avoid bÌind spots. a chccklist
has to bc simpÌc cnough that pcopÌc wilÌ actuaÌÌy use it. Jhc prc-
night chcckÌist Ior a 747  is Ìcss than onc pagc long. II your
chcck|ist rcquircs morc than onc shcct oI papcr, you nccd to sim-
pÌi| it.
222 Chronic pæking probIem. For thc parking study, scc C. Í  Gct-
tys ct aÌ. ( I º87), ¯ EvaÌuation oI Human Act Gcncration Pcr-
Iormancc,¨ Organizationa/ Beha:ior and Human Decision
Poces.es, 39,23÷5 ¡ .
Z9O N o t e 5
225 "bæd on me miæion-critical elemenu." Oan Hcath ìn-
tcrvìcwcd Or. Pronovost ìn |anuary 2008.
Chapter Ten 
226 A stream of smoke. Scc Iatanc and OarÌcy ( I º68), "Group ln-
hìbìtìon ol ßystandcr Intcrvcntìon ìn Emcrgcncìcs, " }ourna/ o/
Persona/ip and Socia/ P¸cho/og 10, 2I 5-22I . Iatanc and Oar-
Ìcy's work on bystandcr nonìntcrvcntìon ìs onc oI thc cÌcvcrcst
strcams ol rcscarch ìn socìal psychoÌogy. ßccaus'c ìt`s a classìc, pro-
lcssors ol socìaÌ psychoIogy tcach ìt oltcn, and thcy rccommcnd
to thcìr studcnts a sìmplc tcchnìquc to ovcrcomc nonìntcrvcn-
tìon: Poìnt to somconc ±d gìvc that pcrson a spccìbc ìnstructìon
such as " Iou caÌÌ º I ¡ . ¨ It`s not that pcopÌc arcn't wìÌÌìng to hcÌp.
It's just that thc Rìdcr ìs caught ìn an ìnhnìtc Ìoop, tryìng to Ìook
at cvcryonc cÌsc Ior cucs about how to bchavc, and thosc cucs
arcn´t comìng.
227 Obesiq u cont@ous. Scc NìchoÌas A. Chrìstakìs and |amcs H.
!owÌcr ¦2007) . "Jhc Sprcad ol Cbcsìty ìn a Iargc SocìaÌ Nct-
work ovcr 52 Ycars," Neu EngLnd}ou¬a/o/Medicine, 357570÷
57º. Jhc quotatìon ìs Irom Gìna KoÌata Qunc 25, 2007), "Study
Says Cbcsìty Can ßc Contagìous," Neu Krk Hmes. ßc on thc
Ìookout lor Chrìstakis and !owÌcr´s book Connected: Ihe Suçris-
ing Pouer o/ Our Socia/ Netuorks and Hou Ih¸ Sha¸e Our Li:es,
Ncw York: LìttÌc, ßrown and Company (200º).
227 Drinking  is  contagious.  Scc MìchacÌ Krcmcr and Oan Lcvy
(2005), "Pccr Ehccts and AÌcohoÌ Lsc Among CoÌlcgc Studcnts,"
Norkìng papcr, Harvard Lnìvcrsìty.
22º Guests at the  hotel reuse their towels.  Scc Noah }.Goldstcìn,
Stcvc |. Martìn, and Robcrt ß. Cìaldìnì (2008), Xs!50 Scientq-
ca/[ Pro:en w¡s to Be Persuai:e, Ncw York: !rcc Prcss, ch. I .
22º Gerard Cachon. Chìp Hcath ìntcrvicwcd Gcrard Cachon ì n ^u-
gust 2008 and May 200º.
255 Designated  driver.  Statìstìcs arc lrom Harvard Lnìvcrsìty`s
SchooÌ oI PubÌìc Hcalth, http:ll¾ .hsph.harvard.cdulrcscarchl
chclharvard-aÌcohoÌ-projcctl (acccsscd |unc I4, 200º). Jhc
Grant Jìnkcr quotatìons arc lrom Nìkki !ìnkc (Occcmbcr 2º,
N 0 I e $ 29J
I º88), "A Å Crusadc on Orunkcn Oriving,¨ Los ³ngeus 1imes,
p. 5!.
234 "Sugar-dµ relationships. Statistics about cross-gcncrationaÌ
rcÌationships arc Irom PopuÌation RcIcrcncc ßurcau (2007) , ³d-
dressing Cross-Cenerationa/ Sex: ³ Desk Re:ieu o/ Research and Pro-
gram·. Jhc Amcrican tccns statistic is on p. I6, thc statistic Ior
sub-5aharan AIrica is on p. º.
237 Fam. Vc Ìcd thc workshop that dcvcÌopcd thc Fataki idca and
thc hrst thrcc radio commcrciaÌs. A vidco oI Chip Hcath taÌking
about thc work on thc day thc hrst radio spots wcrc rccordcd is
on Ihe NeusHour uith }im Lehrer wcbsitc: http.//¾ .pbs.org/
ncwshour/bb/aIrica/¡ uly-dcc07/aids_I ¡ -30.html. Oan Hcath
was, at that momcnt, Photoshopping a prototypc oI thc hrst Fa-
taki biÌÌboards.
242 Lou  Gerstner . . .   "Culture . . .  H  the  game."  Scc Louis
N  Gcrstncr ,2002), who Sa¡s E/e¿hants Cant Dance?, lcw York.
Harpcrßusincss, p. I 82.
242 Katherine Kellogg. Jhanks to KcÌÌogg's carchÌ work, this is
onc oI thc most closcÌy obscrvcd changc cIIorts in thc cntirc or-
ganizationaÌ bchavior Ìitcraturc. Scc Kathcrinc C. KcÌÌogg
(2008), "Mot Faking It: Making RcaÌ Changc in Rcsponsc to
RcguÌatìon at Jwo SurgìcaÌ Jcachìng HospitaÌs,¨ Vorking
papcr, MIJ
Chapter Eleven 
25 I Skateboarmng monkey.  Parts oI thc scction on Amy SuthcrÌand
and cxotic-animaÌ training originalÌy appcarcd in our Fast Com-
¿an¡ coÌumn ¦April 2008), "Your ßoss !s a Monkcy," http://¾
. Iastcompany.com/magazinc/ I 24/your-boss-ìs-a-monkcy.htmI
(acccsscd |unc I4, 200º).
25 I "What Shamu Taught Me." !hc Neu Iork 1imes articÌc is Irom
|unc 25, 2006, and can bc Iound at http.//¾ .nytimcs.com/
2006l06/25/Iashion/25lovc.htmÌ (acccsscd May ¡ 7, 200º) . AÌso
scc Amy SuthcrÌand ¦2008), what Shamu Dught Me ³lout Lq,
Lo:e, and Marriage: Lessons ¡r Peo¿/e }om ³nima/ and Iheir
1rainers, lcw York. Random Housc. Jhc "vcrbaÌ grooming¨
Z9Z N o t e $ 
quotation and othcr dctaiÌs arc Irom an intcrvìcw bctwccn Oan
Hcath and Amy SuthcrÌand in |anuary 2008.
253 Psychologist  Alan  Kædin.  Scc Kazdin (2008), Ihe Kzdin
Method /r Parenting the De¸ant ChiU \th No Pill·, No Ihera¿¡
No Contest o/ \/h, Þcw York. Houghton Mimin. Jhc quota-
tions arc |rom p. 34.
253 Change  isn't an event;  it's  H process. Chip Hcath thanks ßo
ßrockman |or tcaching this idca.
254 Steven Kelman. Cn pp. 22÷24, Kclman cxplains vhy mcrc cx-
posurc and cognitivc dissonancc may causc pcoplc to rcsist
changc. Jhcn, in an insightmÌ anaÌysis on pp. ¡ 23÷I 27, hc shows
how thc samc Iactors makc changc hard to stop oncc thcy gct
going. Scc KcÌman (2005), |n/eashing Change· ³ Stud¡ o/Orga-
niotiona/ Reneua/ in Co:e¬ment, Vashington, L\: ßrookìngs
Institution Prcss.
PC K 0 0Wl 6 0 g 06!lS
Somc rcadcrs gavc us Iccdback on an carÍy drah oI thc tcxt. You
hcÍpcd us scparatc thc whcat Irom thc chaII and aÍso savcd us
Irom a ma¡or LÍoc| mìscuc. Jhank to Hans van ^!cbcck, LÍìssa
K. ^ÍÍcn, Iancc ^ndcrscn, Lassìc ^ndcrson, Nark Oyar, ^Ícx
Lstrada, Brucc íuÍÍcr, Lìsa Hoashì, Jom |anscn, Brctt ]cnks, Anc
Kcnncdy, Kay KìÍmcr, Kcn Kozck, Kuss Krìcgcr, Kon Nìsak,
Jimothy |. Norcau, Shashank íatcÍ, ^ndrc íìazza, |oannc Quan,
|ohn Sankovìch, Sam Scars, KarÍa Shcarcr, Nikc Short, |ìm Spìna,
Happy Ñcbbcrman, and íatty ÑìÍÍìams.
^ spccìaÍ thanks to somc pcopÍc who gavc us ìn-dcpth advìcc
on thc manuscrìpt. írcd and Brcnda Hcath, Brìan Lanahan,
|ustìn LsoIsky, Nark SchÍuctcr, Sìm Sìtkìn, and LÍcnn
Sommcr.
^ spccìaÍ thank-you to |on Haidt Ior sharìng hìs anaÍogy wìth
us. ,ímagìnc thc horror oI a Iramcwork caIÍìng Ior pcopÍc to ¨dì-
rcct thc rchcctìvc systcm¨ and "motìvatc thc unconscìous sys-
캫  A c k h o wl e d g M e h t $
tcm.¨) Jhanks to Lhìp´s studcnts ìn thc "How to Lhangc Jhings
Ñhcn Lhangc ís Hard¨ coursc at StanIord Ior hcIpìng rchnc thc
Iramcwork (and showìng us how to taÍk about brìght spots and
hndìng thc IccÍìng), and to thc pcopIc who artcndcd Oan´s work-
shop at Ñakc íorcst Lnìvcrsìty (and a shout-out to BiII Oavìs Ior
making that happcn) . Jhank you to LIaìnc BartIctt Ior hcr rc-
portìng on thc Nìkc Komano story.
Ñc work wìth such wondcrIuI partncrs and Irìcnds-wc can-
not thank you cnough. Bob Sahan, Oavid Lìdsky, and Lhris Ls-
ckoski and thc tcam at Fast Com¸an¡; Lcs Jucrk and Jom
ÞciIsscn and cvcryonc at Brìghtoìght, Kcvìn SmaII and hìs tcam
at KcsuItSourcc, and Nark íortìcr and Liz HazcÍton at íortìcr
lK LtcrnaI gratìtudc to Lhrìsty íIctchcr(Ior makìng us authors
and Ior "Swìtch¨) , as wcÍI as hcr tabuIous tcam at íIctchcr ö Lo.
Jhc tcam at Broadway Books has bccn incrcdìbIc: Jara
LiIbrìdc, Ncrcdìth NcLìnnìs, Ñhitncy Lookman, Songhcc
Kìm, and Kobcrt Sìck. ^nd a spccìaI authorìaI Íovc Icttcr to
NìchacI laIgon and our cdìtor, Kogcr SchoII-you'rc thc bcst.
^nd hnaÍIy, no thank-you wouId sccm adcquatc Ior aÍI that
our IamìIy has donc to support us, but wc´ÍI thank thcm anyway.
Nom, Oad, and Susan, and our wìvcs, Susan and ^manda.
accidcnt prcvcntion, I º7÷º8,
2I 3÷I4
action triggcrs, 20º÷I2, 248
addiction, 203÷8
airÌinc industry, ¡ º0÷º2
AÌcoholics ^nonymous ,A),
l 46
^LL (Amcrica Latina Logistica),
54÷57, G0
AÌlcn, Oavid, ¡45÷46
Amazon, I8J÷84, Iºº
ambiguity, 53, 57, 82, º0
^mgcn, º6÷!7
anaÌysis paralysis, 32÷33, 44÷45,
8I , 262
ancmia, drug |or, º6÷º7
animal train:·rs, 250÷54
Apprcciativc Inquiry (A), I 55,
274
| 0 06 X
approximations, ccÌcbration o|,
252-53
AttiÌa thc Accountant, I I 5÷I8
ßam|ord, Oavid, º2
bchavior.
automatic (habits), I I , 207÷8,
2I 5÷I7
i n changc, 4, ¡ 7÷I8, I 56
as contagious, 227÷28, 232
cucs to, 225÷26, 228÷2º
parcnting, 256÷57
situation vs., I 80÷8I
wcakìng thc cnvironmcnt, I 83
bchavioraÌ goals, 62÷63
bchavioraÌ script, º3, º6
ßchring, ^Ìcxandrc, 54-57, 60
29b I h d e X
ßcrg, Insoo Kim, 35
ßcrwick, OonaÌd, ! º÷24
ßHAG (ßig, Hairy, Audacious
GoaÌ), 75~76
big problcm, smaÌÌ soÌution, 44-
47
ßÌackßcrry addiction, 24O-4!
ßÌackcIÌ, Lisa, !65
ßobby (disruptivc ninth gradcr),
33-34, 42-4, 45, 7!
ßooth-ßuttcrhcld, Stcvc, ! 5-!6
ßorkcnau, Îctcr, ! ! 3-!4
ßÎ (ßritish ÎctroÌcum), 87~º3
brain.
cmotional sidc, 6
instinctivc sidc, 6
B likc a muscÌc, !75
rationaÌ sidc, 6, 7
ßrandstattcr, Vcronika, 2Oº
ßrasiÌata, ! 56-58, ! 6! , 255, 257
ßraziÌ:
bÌackout syndromc in, ! 57-58
railroads in, 54÷57, 67
brcast canccr, 76-8! , 85
brcast cxams, 2! 2
ßrcgman, Îctcr, ! 84-85
ßric| FamiÌy Jhcrapy Ccntcr,
Milwaukcc, 35
bright spots:
ßobby (disruptivc ninth
gradcr), 33-34, 42-44, 45,
7!
to dircct thc 8dcr, 28, 33, 45,
º8, 25º
in drug salcs, 4!-42, 43
|ocus on, 4! , 45, 48, º8
û positivc dcviants, 27! -72
qucstion o|, 4!
i n soÌutions-|ocuscd thcrapy,
3º-4!
in Victnam, 28-32. 33, 3º,
258
ßrown, Jim, !68-6º
ßrycc, Oavid, 2O0, 2O!
ßuckingham, Marcus, 47
budgct cuts, ! 34-36
burning pÌat|orm, ! ! º-2!
ßutÌcr, ÎauÌ, !4º÷52. ! 53, ! 56
Cachon, Gcrard, 229÷32
Cadc, ßrian, 36-37, 38
CalcioÌari, IuiÌio, 55
CalÌaghcr, Îctc, 87, 9!
Callics, Kathy, 6º
canccr, tccns with, ! 07-! O, ! ! 8
Cardoso, Fcrnando Mcnriquc, 54
changc.
action pÌan |or, 4O
bchavioral |caturc o|, 4, !7-! 8,
! 56
cÌcar dircctions |or, !6, ! 7
in dctails, 53
cmotions involvcd in, 5, !4
and cxhaustion, !2
|aiÌurc o|, 7, !68-6º
|ccÌing, !48
in habits, ! ! , 207÷8
hard vs. casy, 4
how to makc, 25º
and idcntiq, ! 54, 1 56
individual dccisions to, 56
motivation to, 262-63
l a d e X ¿JJ
pattcrns in, 255, 257÷58
pcopÌc probÌcm vs. situation
probÌcm, 3, 4, I 8, I 80, I 83
as proccss, 253÷54
rcsistancc to, 4, I 5, I 7, 53,
26¡÷64
scc-|ccÌ, I 06÷7
smalÌ changc, big impact, 44
snowbalÌing chcct, 254, 255
and unccrtainty, 53
charitabÌc gihs, I 82-83
CharÌcs, GabrieÌ, I 5 I
chcckÌist, 220÷24
ciÌd abuscrs, 63÷67
chiÌdprooí caps, ¡ º7
Christakis, MichoÌas, 227
CìÌÌcy, MarÌa, I 30÷3I
Cisco Systcms, 22I÷22
cÌarity, Ìack ol I 5, I 7, 53
CÌinics, 57÷º8
ßÌackßcrry addiction, 240÷4¡
budgct cuts, I 34÷36
cnd uscrs, I I 0÷I2
cxpcnsc rcports, 58~5º
sa|cty poÌic¡, 2I 3÷I 4
short-tcrm thinking, 83÷85
studcnts on timc, I 86÷87
CÌocky, 5÷6, 257
cognitivc dissonancc, 255
Cohcn, Oan, I2, ¡05÷6
CoÌc, Stcvc, ¡ 08, ¡ 0º
coÌÌcgc crcdits, 20º÷I0
CoÌÌins, ]im, 75÷76
conhdcncc, I 68÷6º, I 75÷76
conscqucnccs modcÌ, I 53
Coyotc, WìÌc L., 237
crisis, importancc ol I I º
Crum, Alia, I 24÷26
customcr scrvicc, I ºº-202
OarÌcy, ]ohn M., 226
Oavis, KathÌccn, I 55, ¡ 56
Ocbt SnowbaÌÌ, I 32÷33
dccision, prcÌoading, 2I 0
dccision making, modcIs ol
I 53÷54
dccision paralysìs, 50÷5 I , 56
dc|catism, ¡6º
OcÌoi ttc ConsuÌting, ¡ 05
Ocming, Ñ  Ldwards, I 80
dcsignatcd drivcrs, 233÷34
dcstination, cÌcar, 22÷23
dcstination postcards, 76, 82,
85÷87, º8
dict, Jtt cating habits
Oircct thc Rìdcr, I7, I º, 25º
anaÌysis paraÌysis, 32÷33
ßobby (disruptivc ninth gradcr),
33÷34, 42÷44, 45, 7¡
ßrazìÌian raìÌroads, 54÷57
brcast canccr cìnic, 76÷8I
bright spots, 28, 33, 45, º8, 25º
chiÌd abuscrs, 63-7
CÌinics, 58÷5º, 83÷85
criticaÌ movcs, 4º÷50, 56, º8
dccision paraIysis, 50-5 I , 56
dcstination, 73, º8, 25º
Food Pyramid, 60÷62
hcaÌth carc changc, 23
maÌnutrition in Victnam, 27÷
32, 33, 45
Mincr County rcvival, 67÷7¡
ìºs  I h d 0 X
Oircct thc Ridcr (cont.)
no dry wclÌs, 87÷º5
script thc criticaÌ movcs, 4º,
54, º8, 25º
soÌution Iocus, 44, 48
soÌutions-Iocuscd thcrapy 54÷
4¡
XoÌair, 4I-2, 45
you'Ìl bc third gradcrs, 75÷76
drivcr cducation, I º6
Ouchcnnc smilc, I 22
Owcck, CaroÌ, ¡ 64, ¡65÷68
cating habits.
changing, I 5÷I7
and "Iood pcrccption,¨ º÷¡ 2
portion sizc, I º2÷º5
rcscarch on, ¡÷5, ¡ 7º÷80,
2I 6÷I7
sclI-controÌ in, 6, º÷I 2
in Victnam, 2º÷5¡
Ldmondson, ^ny, ¡ 70÷7I , I 72
LihcÌ Jowcr, 254
LÌdcr, Matalic, 2¡ 7÷20
LÌcphant:
disagrccmcnt with Ridcr, 8ּ
and hopc, ¡ 4I , ¡47
and intcrprctation, I ¡4
Motivatc thc Llcphant, I 7, I º
strcngths oI, 8
wcakncsscs oI, 7÷8
LÌcphant and Ridcr, 7
cmotions.
in thc brain, 6
oI Llcphant, 7, 8, I 7
Ìcading to changc, 3,  I 4
ncgativc vs. positivc, 45÷46,
¡ 20÷22, I68÷6º
cnd uscrs, I I 0-I2
cnvironmcnt, shihing, 262
Lpogcn, º6÷º7
Lsscrman, Iaura, 76-8I , 85, º5
cxpcctcd valuc, 8º
cxpcnsc rcports, 58÷5º
|a¡Ìurc:
culturc ol I74
cxpcctation oI, I 62, I6º
û Ìcarning cxpcricncc, ¡6º,
¡ 72÷75
Fakc Vcathcrman, ¡ I 5÷¡4
Fansworth, |im, 8º, º0
Farrar, Stcvcn and ^nanda,
I 5I÷52
Ficdlcr, Icslic, 47
hnanciaÌ adviscrs, ¡ 5I ÷54
Find thc Fccling, I I 8÷2I , I+8,
¡ 75, 25º
CÌinic, I I 0÷I2
Fakc Vcathcrmcn, I I 5÷I4
Massachusctts OYS, ¡ I 5÷¡ 8
positivc iÌlusion, I I 4÷I 5
pos
[
tivc psychoÌog, ¡2I~25
Jargct, I 0¡÷7, I ¡ 5
tccn canccr, ¡ 07÷¡ 0
work gÌovc shrinc, I2÷¡5, 25,
I 07, I ¡ 8
hrst stcp, ccÌcbration oI, 250
5-Minutc Room Rcscuc, ¡50÷
5I , I54, I56, I ·I5
t M U Ø A
Fly Lady, I 30÷3I , I 34
Food Iyramìd, 60÷62
¨|oot ìn thc door" tcchnìquc,
I 5º÷60
FracnkcÌ, Fred, º5
Frascr, Scott, I 58÷6I
Frcdrickson, ßarbara, I 2I÷22
Frccdman, |onathan, I 58÷6I
"|rcc spaccs, " 246÷48
Frcud, Sìgmund, 6
Fundamcntal Attributìon Lrror,
I 80÷8I , I 85, I º4, 223,
248, 252
Fundcrburk, ßcvcrÌy, 63÷66
GarzarclÌì, Llaìnc, º4
Gawandc, AtuÌ, 220÷2I
Gchron, Mikc, 236
Gcncntcch, ¬I ÷42, 43
Gcncral Motors (GM), 2I 3÷I4
Gcrstncr, Lou, 242
Gìbson, Mc| I
goaÌs.
ß&V 86÷87, º2, º3
bchavioral, 62÷63
cmotìonal, 82
gut-smackìng, 8I
smaÌl succcsscs, I 43÷46
SMARJ, 8?
withìn immcdiatc rcach, I43,
I45
GolÌwìtzcr, Ietcr, 20º÷I 2
GI Invcstìmcntos Limìtcd, 54÷
57
Grow Your IcopÌc, 25º
conhdcncc, I 68÷6º, I 75÷76
dccìsìon modcls, I 53÷54
cxpcctation oí|aiÌurc, I 62, I 6º
hcart surgcry, I 70÷72
idcntity, I 58÷62
innovators, I 56÷58
mìndsct, I 63÷76
nursc turnovcr, I 54÷56
prìdc campaigns, I 52÷53
St. Lucia Parrot, I 4º÷52
schooÌ ìdcntity, I 73÷75
GuÌ| Var, 2 I 5÷I 6
gut-smacking goaÌs, 8I
habìts, I I , 52÷53, 25º
action trìggcrs, 20º÷I 2
addìction, 203÷8
bchavìoral autopìÌot, I I , 207÷
8, 2I 5÷I 7
chcckÌist, 220÷24
catìng, I-3, º÷I 2, I 5-I7,
I 7º÷80, I º2÷º3, 2I 6÷I 7
i n cÌcmcntary schooÌ, 2I 7÷20
instant, 2I 2
mcntal, 208ּ
tcam, 2I 5
Haddon matrìx, I º7÷º8, I ºº
Haìdt, |onathan, Ihe Ha¿¿iness
H¡¿othesu, 7
HamÌìn, Harry 233
Hardy LÌcmcntary School, 2I 7÷
20
hcalth carc.
brcast canccr cÌìnìc, 76÷8I
hcart surgcry, I 70÷72
3OO I h d 0 X
hcaÌth carc (cont.)
intcnsivc carc, 220÷2I
maÌnutrition, 27÷32
mcdicaÌ inrcrns, 242÷48
mcdication administrarion,
I87ּ0
nursing proIcssion, I 54÷57,
I 87ּ0
proccss improvcmcms in, I º÷
24
tccn canccr, I 07÷I 0
Hcaly, GaiÌ Annc, I I6, I I 8
Heart o/ Change, The (Kotrcr and
Cohcn) , I2
hcart surgcry, I 70÷72
Hcarh, !rcd, I 36
hip-rcplaccmcm surgcry, 4º÷50,
57, 2I I÷I2
hopc, I4I, I47, I 68
HopcLab, I 07÷I0, I I 8
hotcÌ maids, I 24-26, I 27-2º,
257
housccÌcaning, I 2º÷3I
Howard, MoÌÌy, I 73÷75
Howard, South Oakota, rcvivaÌ,
67÷7I , 254
husbands, training o[ 25I÷53
hypcrbolc, I 20
IßM, I 73, 242
idcntity modcÌ, I 53÷57, I 58,
I 60÷6I
IOLC, I68÷6º
inccntivcs, I 85
industriaÌ saIcty, Iº5÷º6
injury prcvcnrion, I º7-º8
insrincts, in rhc brain, 6
Insritutc Ior HcaÌthcarc Improvc-
mcnt (IHÏ), I º-24
inrcnsivc carc, 220÷2I
invcntors, I56-58, I 6I , 255, 257
invcsrmcnr rcscarch, º4÷º7
|chcrson County High School,
I 73÷75
|oncs, CrysraÌ, 73÷7ó, 8I , º3
juvcnilc jusricc systcm, Massa-
chuscrts, I I 5÷I 8
Kaiscr South Hospir:J, I 87ּ0
Kantcr, Rosabcth Moss, I 68
Kazdin, Alan, 253
Kccp thc Switch Going:
animaÌ rraincrs, 250÷54
mcrc cxposurc chcct, 254÷55
parrcrns ol changc, 255, 257÷
58
rcinlorccmcnr, 252÷53
snowbalÌing chcct, 254, 255
KclÌogg, Kathcrinc, ?42, 245,
246, 247
Kclman, Stcvcn, I 37÷4I , 234,
254
Þart] I 0I
Kottcr, |ohn, I2, I05÷6
l n d e X 3O!
Langcr, !IIco, I 24-26
Latanc, bìbb, 226
Ícarnìng lramc, I 7I -72
LìcbÍcr, Anctrc, I I3-I 4
Lovclacc HospìtaI 5ystcms, I 54-
56
Íoyalry cards, I 26-27
Manu/cturing and Ser:ice O¸er-
anons Management
(MSOM), 22º-32
March, |amcs, I 53, I 54, I 60
Massachusctts OY5, I I 5-I 8
MæwcÍI, Kurh, I I º
Mc!nroc, |ohn, I 64
mcdìcaI inrcrns, 242-48
mcdìcatìon admínìstratìon, I 87~
º0
McndcIsohn, Mcrcdìthc, 78-7º
mcntors, 23 ·
mcrc cposurc chcct, 254-55
Mícrosoh Iabs. I I 0-I2, I ! 8
Mìcrosoh CutÍook, I º5
MÎC5 (mìnìmaIly ìnvasìvc car-
dìac surgcry), I 70-72
milk, Iow-lat, I 5-I 7, 53, 56, 60
mindsct, hxcd vs. growth, I 63-
6B, I 6º, I 72, I 75
Míncr County rcvìval, 67-7I , 254
Mochan, Andy, I20
momcntum, lost, 264
Motìvarc thc !lcphant, I7, Iº,
25º
Clinìcs, I I O-I2, I 34-36
hnancìaI advíscrs, I 3I-34
hnd thc lccIìng, ¡ ! 8-2I , I48,
I 7', 25º
5-minutc room rcscuc, I 30-3I
grow your pcopÍc, I 4º, 25º
hcaIth carc changc, 23
hcart surgcry, I70-72
hotcI maíd study, I 24-26,
I 27-2º
idcntity, I 58-62
ìnnovators, I 56-58
ÍoyaÍty cards, I26-27
mainraìnìng, 223
Massachusctrs OYS, I I 5-I 8
mìndscr, I 6J-76
ncgatívc cmotíons, I 20-2I
nursìng prolcssìon. I 54-57
posìtìvc psychology, I 2I -23
prídc campaìgns, I 52-53
St. Lucia Parrot, I4º-52
shrink thc changc, I 24, I 2º,
25º
smaÍI wíns, I 36-4I , I43-46
Jargct, I 0I -7, I I3
tccn canccr, I07-I0, ¡ I 8
Mountaìn McdícaÍ Ccntcr, I 7I -
72
Murphy, ]ohn ]. .
and bobby, JJ-34· 42-44, 45
!xccptíon Qucstìon askcd by,
42-43
solutions-locuscd thcrapy ot
34-4I
^anda, Lauri, 5
nativc solurions, 3I , 32
1ºì  l n d e X
ncgativc, prcdilcction |or, 45÷47,
263
no dry joìÌ] wcÌÌs, 87÷º3
nothìng`s happcnìng, 264
nursìng pro|cssion, I 54÷5 7,
I 87ּ0
obstaclcs, 26I÷64
CFPP (Cmcc o| Fcdcral Pro-
curcmcnt PoÌìcy), I 37~4I
oiÌ wcÌÌs, 87÷º3
Cmidyar, Pam, I 07, I08
onc day at a timc, I 46
"opposìtionaÌ ìdcntìty, ¨ 247
optimism, I 6º
ovcrconhdcncc, 222
Pagonis, ViÌÌiam "Gus,¨ 2I 5÷I6
Papc, Jcss, I 88
ParccÌÌs, ßiÌÌ, I 43÷44, I 45
parcnt-child ìntcraction thcrapy
(PCIJ), 63÷67
parcnting, 256÷57
parkng probÌcms, 222
Parry, Randy, 67, 7I
Pasca|c, Rìchard, 4I÷42
Path, Shapc thc Path, I 8, I º
pccr pcrccption,
_
26÷28
pccr rcvìcw, 230~32
pcopÌc, conncctìng, 23
Pipcr AÌpha oil pÌat|orm, I Iº÷
2I
pÌaccbo chcct, I 27÷28
PÌanncr vs. Oocr, 7
PÌato, 6
Point to thc Ocstìnatìon, 73, 25º
brcast canccr cÌìnìc, 76÷8I
dcstination postcards, 76, 82,
85-87, º8
gut-smackìng goaI, 8 I
how to gct thcrc, 8 ¡
ìnvcstmcnt rcscarch, º4÷º7
no dry wcÌÌs, 87÷ºJ
SMARJ goaÌs, 82
you'ÌÌ bc thìrd gradcrs, 73~76
Poppc, Patti, 2I 3÷I4
Porras, |crry, 75÷76
portion sizc, I º2÷º3
posìtivc dcvìants, 27I-72
posìtivc iÌÌusion, I I4÷I 5
positivc psychoÌogy, |2I÷23
pridc campaigns, I 5?~53
probIcm |ocus, 45, 47÷48
procrastinatìon, 263
product dcsign, I º7
Pronovost, Pctcr, 22I , 223
purchasìng costs, controÌ o|, I 2÷
I 5, I 6
"guìct hours," I ºI
Rackspacc, I ºº÷202, 208, 236,
254, 257
RalÌy thc Hcrd, 25º
cucs, 225÷26, 228-2º
dcsignatcd drivcrs, 233÷34
l h d 0 X 1º1 
lrcc spaccs. 246-48
mcdical intcrns, 242÷8
MSOM, 2?º-32
pccr pcrccption, 226-28
in Janzania, 234-3º
Ramscy Oavc, I 3I-34
Rarc (conscrvation organization),
I 52-53, 258
rationaÌ brain, 6, 7
rationaÌization, 85-87, 8º-º0
RcdcÌmcicr, Oonald, 4º-50
Rcgcr, ßiÌl, ¡ 5-I 6
rcinlorccmcnt, 252-53
Rc-Mission (vidco gamc), I 08-º
Richards, ßccky, I87-º0
Ridcr.
anaÌysis paraÌysis oI, 33, 44-5,
8I
dccision paraÌysis ol, 50-5 I
Oircct thc Ridcr, I 7, I º
disagrccmcnt wìth LÍcphant, 8-
º
Ìack oI cÌarity in, I 5
probÌcm-sccking mindsct ol 45
routincs ol. 52-53
strcngths oI 7-8, 32, º8
wcakncsscs ol, 8, 32-33, º8
Ridcr and EÌcphant, 7
Rivkin, |ack, º4-º6
Romano, Mikc, 203-5, 207,
208, 223, 257
Ross, Lcc, I 80
saIcty poÌicìcs, I º5-º6, I º7-º8,
2I 3-I4
St. Lucia Parrot, I4º-52, I 53,
I 56, 258
mÌsa dancìng, I 6I -62, I65
Samuclson, |udy, 83-85
Savc thc ChiÌdrcn, 27-32
school, disruptivc bchavior in,
33-34
school idcntity, I 73-75
Schwartz, ßarry, The Paradx o/
Choice, 52
Scrìpt thc Critical Movcs, 4º, º8,
25º
bchavioraÌ goaÍs, 62-63, º3, º6
in ßraziÌian railroads, 54-57,
67
child abuscrs, 63-67
dccision paraÍysis, 50-5 I , 56
Food Pyramid, 60-62
hip-rcplaccmcnt surgcry, 4º-50
Mincr County rcvivaÌ, 67-7I
spccìhc instructions, 63-67
status quo, 52-54
scÌl-controÌ:
in cating habits, 6, º-I 2
û cxhaustibÌc rcsourcc, I 0-I I
naturc oI I I
scÌI-cmcacy, 280-8l
scÌI-manipulation, I º3-º5
ScÌigman, Martin, I 2I
Shahr, Lldar, 4º-50
Shapc thc Path, l8, I º, 23, 25º
action triggcrs, 20º-I 2
airÌinc industry, I º0-º2
Amazn, I 83¬84
animal traìncrs, 250-54
buì!d habits, I I, 52-53, 203-
8, 25º
1º-  l n d e X
Shapc thc Iarh (cont.)
charitablc donations, !82-83
chcckÌist, 220-24
Clinics, ! 86-87, 2! 3-!4, 240÷
4!
!undamcntaÌ ^ttribution Error,
! 80-8! , ! º4, 248
industriaÌ salcty, !º5÷º6
kccp thc Switch going, 250
mcdicaÌ proccdurcs, ! 87-º0,
242-4º
portion sìzcs, I º2-º3
Rackspacc, !ºº-2O2, 254
raÌÌy thc hcrd, 25
twcak thc cnvironmcnt, !7º,
208, 220, 25º
Shazcr, Stcvc dc, 35
Shcarson Lchman, º4-º7
short-tcrm thinkìng, 83-85
Shrink thc Changc, ! 24, 25º
brcak down thc task, !34
hnancial adviscrs, ! 3!÷34
5-minutc room rcscuc, !2º-3!
hotcÌ maid study, I 24-26,
! 27÷2º, !34
IoyaÌty cards, ! 26-27
miracÌc scaÌc, I 4!÷43
onc day at a timc, ! 46
pÌaccbo chcct, ! 27-28
smaÌÌ wins, I 36-4! , ! 43-46
Sìtkin, Sim, ! ! 6, ! ! 8
smaÌÌ wins, ! 36÷4! , ! 43-46,
253, 255
SMARJ goals, 82
smokcrs, quitting, 2O8, 2! 2
smoothing thc Iath, ! 82-83
solution locus, 44, 48
solutions, importcd, 3!
solutions-locuscd thcrapy, 34-4!
cloning bright spots in, 40-4!
Exccptìon Qucstion in, 38-3º,
42-43
idcnti|ing bright spots in, 3º-
40
invcntion ol, 35
in marriagc thcrapy. 35-37
MiracÌc Qucstion in, 36-37,
! 4!
miraclc scalc in, I 4 |÷43
sccncs rcplaycd in, 3º
Southwcst ^irÌincs, 57
spccibc intcrvcntions, proposal
ol, 23
status quo, 52-54
Stcgncr, |on, ! 2-I5, 23, !07,
I ! 8
"stcrilc cockpit¨ rulc, I ºI
Stcrnin, |crry, 27÷32. 33, 3º.
43,
45, 48, 7! , 258
stock-pickìng, º4-º7
strcngths, making thc most o[
47
studcnts on timc, ! 86-87
SuthcrÌand, ^my, 25O-52
Swìtch, how to makc, 25º
Janzanìa, "sugar-daddics¨ in,
234-3º
Jargct, ! O!-7, ! ! 3, | 2! , ! 23
Jcach !or ^mcrica, 73-74
tcam-buiÌding, º5-º6
tccn canccr, !07-!0, I ! 8
tìmc shccts, ! 84-85
Jinkcr, Grant, 233
I h d e X 3O5
too much, 264
Jotal QuaÌity Managcmcnt, ¡ 80
Jrzcsnicwsi, KaÌi, ¡ 65
Juckcr, Amanda, I º3÷º4, 208
Jwcak thc Lnvironmcnt, ¡7º,
I83, 220, 25º
accidcnt prcvcntion, I º7÷º8
airÌinc industry, ¡ º0÷º2
Amazon, I 83~84
and brcak habits, 208ּ
FundamcntaÌ Attribution Error,
I 80÷8I , ¡ º4
industriaÌ sa|cty, I º5-º6
mcdication administration,
I 87ּ0
portion sizc, I º2÷º3
Rackspacc, ¡ ºº÷202, 208
scl|-manipuÌation, I º3÷º5
timc shccts, I 84÷85
LÌrich, ßob, I02
LSAIO, 23Ó 
Vandcrby, ]im, 87
Vann, Ian, º0, ºI
¨vcrbaÌ grooming," 252
Victnam:
bright spots in, 28÷32, 33, 3º,
258
community norms in, 2º
maÌnutrition in, 27÷32, 33, 45,
258
nativc solutions, 3I , 32
swcct-potato grccns in, 30, 42
Victnam Var, 203-
ValMart, I 0 I , I23
Vansink, ßrian, 2, I º2
Vatcrs, Robyn, ¡ 02÷7, I I 3, I23
Vatson, Jom, I73
Vcick, Karl, I44
Vcincr-Oavis, MichcÌc, 35÷36,
¡46÷47, I 68, I 80
Vcston, Graham, I ºº~20!
Vhitc, PamcÌa, 236
Vinstcn, |ay, 233-34
Vood, Susan, I 55, I 56
Voodcn, |ohn, I44
Voods, Jigcr, I64
work glovc shrinc, I 2÷I 5, 23,
I 07, I I d
XoÌair, 4I÷42
you'Ìl bc third gradcrs, 73-76
Zion, Libby, 242
f Ï b L Ü `
LÍÍÍ ÍͽdÍ fÏΠͽΠÍͽdÍ
¯B D0W-I0 ¡0t
~

r
·
,
8
u
y
0
uc
WÌî
D
@
0
0d

¤
ª
r
,
¤
¡
)
¨'
Ìdc
8S
WD
0
W
8
uIS
I0
'P_ __ ¯f
d
Cc ¯

 


C8QIÌV8I c au 8u IcD
«
 

-
1ímc

 
`LOÌOtÍUÌ, DCDOtuDÌC, uDU,
.
¡ Ì ¯
DOSI lDgOtIuDI, USC U . ¬Îd5I l0mÿuItÿ
"P SuVVj uDu̸SÎS . . . 1SC IDC ÎCuIDS´ ItÎCKS . . .
IO gUDg Ug ¸OUt OMD VOÌUDC. ¯ ¬Ïc0ÿh
§www.madrtO8tìck.cOmmOOkrr8Ourcr8   _{gw²* ¯¯