How ‘Switch’ helps you navigate change: A review and takeaways

Looking back at the past year, I think it’s fair to say we’ve all faced a common challenge: navigating change. For my March book selection, I chose one of my favorite books on the subject, “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard,” by Chip and Dan Heath. I first read the book many years ago and fell in love with it. I still apply its strategies on a regular basis when I'm facing a situation where I need to change or facilitate change, and I have to figure out the best path forward. 

“Switch” was published in 2010, but it feels especially relevant in this moment. As a society, we’ve just experienced a period of radical change in consumer and personal behavior. From a business perspective, as we figure out how to navigate this new world, it’s important to have a plan. That’s the core thesis of the book: Change is very hard, and if you want to navigate it successfully, you need a plan. 

Surprising things about change

So, change is hard, but people have kids, move, switch jobs and make other big changes all the time, which means that some changes are more challenging than others. To get at the root of this, the authors start by identifying three surprising aspects of change: 

1. What looks like a behavioral problem is often a situational problem. To change behavior, first change the situation, which means changing the environment and addressing what’s in your heart and mind.
2. What looks like laziness or lack of motivation is often exhaustion. Change is hard because people wear themselves out. If you try to change simply by exercising self-control, for example, you’ll probably run out of energy at some point. 
3. What looks like resistance to change is often a lack of clarity. You hear people say, “I hate change,” but what they really might be feeling is, “I don’t know what direction to go.” 

The rider, the elephant and the path

“Switch” develops its thesis using a metaphor of a rider and elephant, which the authors borrowed from social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Basically, you are the rider on an elephant, trying to make it go somewhere or perform an action. The rider represents the mind — your rational side, the part of you that knows you should eat better, for example. The elephant is the heart — your habits and emotions that resist change, because, despite what your rational self tells you, pizza tastes good and you don’t want to cook anyway. The path is the environment or situation, which may be unclear or blocked. The rider can try to move the elephant, but the elephant is big and stubborn, so it’s exhausting, and the rider gives up or goes in circles. 

So how do you change this cycle? The book outlines a strategy in three parts: direct the rider, motivate the elephant and shape the path.

Find the bright spots

Directing the rider means having the right information and a vision about where you want to go and what change you want to make. One aspect of the book that really stood out to me is the importance of finding the bright spots — the things that are working well — and replicating them to facilitate change. It’s a mindset shift: Instead of looking at the problems first and trying to fix them, you’re looking at the successes first and trying to copy them. Those bright spots can give you the information and vision you need to make change. 

Tap into emotional drivers 

Motivating the elephant means having the emotional drive to change — finding that thing deep inside your heart or mind that causes you to want to change. A good example from my own life is my dad quitting smoking. He used to be an avid smoker and tried to quit many times over the years. His “rider” knew he should quit, but his “elephant” wasn’t motivated enough. And then one day, according to the story my mom tells me, he was smoking, and the smoke was bothering my eyes. I was 3 or 4 years old at the time, and I looked up at him with these watery eyes and said my eyes were burning, and I asked if he could stop smoking. And that was what finally motivated my dad’s elephant, and he quit smoking cold turkey. He had tried to quit before, but he didn’t have that deep inner drive to change until he saw his child hurting. When you’re trying to help people change, it’s important to go deep and figure out what would make them want to change in a meaningful and emotional way. 

Modify your environment

Shaping the path is about changing your environment and building habits and systems of accountability so you can succeed. Once the rider and elephant are working together, environmental factors can still get in the way and block the path. Think about your environment and how you can reduce friction to shape your path toward change. Introduce friction in the places you don’t want to go, and remove friction on the path you’re headed down.  

When you’re thinking about which factors in your life cause friction, keep in mind that they can include the people you surround yourself with and many other things. 

Key takeaways

• Read the book! (Or start with a summary.)
• Change starts with having a clear direction — gather the right information and establish a vision about where you want to go.
• Look for the bright spots — the things that are already working — and copy them.
• Dig deep to find the meaningful emotional drivers that will motivate a desire to change.
• Shrink the change, so it feels closer and more attainable. Starting with a small win is motivating. 
• Remove friction and build habits that shape your path and help you stay on it. 

I wish you great success in whatever changes you’d like to make, and I highly recommend you check out “Switch” when you have a chance. If you’ve read the book and have additional insights or takeaways, please share in the comments, or include suggestions for other books that have helped you overcome obstacles to change. Check out my last review on "The ONE Thing" by Gary Keller and look for another book review from me in April!