Switch Book Summary - Switch Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Switch summary

Name: Switch
Rating: 4.4 (224 reviews)
Author: Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Chip Heath & Dan Heath

How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

4.4 (224 ratings)

20 mins

Topics

Routines & Habits Success Neuroscience Leadership

Table of Contents

Switch
Summary of 10 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 10

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Changing our behavior is not always easy, as anyone who has resolved to quit smoking, eat healthier or start running in the mornings will know. So what is it that can make change so difficult?

An excellent analogy for examining behavioral change is that of an elephant and its rider trying to follow a certain path. The elephant, being a powerful, stubborn creature, represents the emotional side of people, looking for a quick payoff rather than long-term benefits. The rider in turn represents the rational side that knows what should be done, and can tug at the elephant’s reins to exert some small degree of control over it. Finally, the path represents the situation in which the change is to take place.

Consider a situation where you want to get up at 5:45 in the morning to go jogging. Your inner rider has rationally analyzed the situation and thinks this is good for you. But what happens when the alarm actually goes off in the morning? If you’re like most people, your inner elephant will demand just a little more sleep, totally overpowering your rider, and you’ll end up skipping the jog.

But what about the situational factors that help or hinder your noble quest? A comfy bed and bad weather outside won’t help get that elephant moving, that’s for sure. On the other hand, the smell of freshly brewed coffee just might.

All three components influence whether change will be successful, whether progress along the path is made. From changing your own diet to influencing others' behavior, your success will depend on your ability to direct the rider, motivate the elephant and shape the path.

Implementing change is like riding an elephant: choose a direction, give your elephant some peanuts and stick to an easy path.

Find the bright spots, learn from them and spread them around.

Your inner rider is a terrific thinker and planner. Unfortunately, he is also prone to spinning his wheels: overanalyzing every aspect of a potential change without actually doing anything. Worse still, his analysis is totally problem-focused, obsessing over all the difficulties ahead.

But endless analysis of the obstacles in your way gets you nowhere; you must give the rider a clear direction to go in so he can put his planning and rational thinking to good use. Instead of looking at the problems, find and focus on the so-called bright spots: specific situations or areas where change has already succeeded. Then figure out how change was achieved and leverage these lessons to make the change more widespread.

The rider hates making decisions, so clearly script the critical moves needed for a change.

When faced with a change situation, the rider can easily succumb to something called decision paralysis. Say you’re trying to implement the vague behavioral change to “eat healthier.” The rider will try to analyze all the possible alternatives of how to do this: eating more vegetables, eating less pasta, using less salt, frying with a different oil, etc. Any one of those changes would already help, but the rider ends up doing a lot of analysis and changing nothing.

This is a very human tendency. Studies have shown that, somewhat paradoxically, the more choices we have, the less able we are to make a decision. Too many alternatives just confuse us. From the outside, this may look like resistance to change, but it’s actually lack of clarity on what to do next.

Use a destination postcard that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

When faced with change, the rider will often obsess about which direction to move in, wasting energy by overanalyzing every option. However, you can avoid this analysis paralysis by giving the rider a direction that he can navigate toward.

For example, when first-grade teacher Crystal Jones wanted to motivate her students, she told them that by the end of the year, they would all be honorary third graders: reading, writing, doing math and so forth at a third grade level. This was a powerful image because it spoke to the students’ inner riders, giving them a clear goal to strive for, but it also engaged their inner elephant by promising a desirable goal: the “cool” third-grader status.

To get the elephant moving in the right direction, evoke strong emotions.

While your inner rider may technically hold the reins of your inner elephant, in a battle of wills, the rider will only be able to command the powerful beast for so long before his strength runs out and the elephant veers off in the wrong direction. This is why successful changes usually demand motivating the elephant as well. Logical analysis and rational arguments that appeal to the rider are of no help here. Instead, to get the elephant moving in the right direction, a powerful emotion must be triggered.

When Jon Stegner wanted to convince the leaders of the manufacturing company he worked for that their purchasing function was hugely inefficient, he knew he needed to get their attention fast; charts and analysis would not be enough.

To get the elephant to climb a mountain, lead it up a small hill first.

Change often seems massive and daunting. For example, a person who is deeply in debt can feel like they’ll never be able to pay it off. To the elephant, a massive change looks like a demoralizing mountain that it is expected to climb, and hence it remains stubbornly still.

So how do you get this elephant moving? You need to shrink the change: show the elephant it just needs to climb a small hill first.

Grow your people by cultivating a change-friendly identity and adopting a growth mindset to overcome failure.

In 1977, most citizens of St. Lucia couldn’t have cared less about their native and gravely endangered St. Lucia parrot. Unfortunately, without their support there was no way to protect the gorgeous turquoise and lime-green bird from extinction.

But 21-year-old Paul Butler was tasked with doing just that. There were no rational economic arguments to sway the natives with, so he instead targeted their national identity: with bumper stickers, T-shirts and volunteer action, Butler started making the bird a part of their national identity. Soon, a groundswell of public support helped pass strict laws that saved the magnificent bird from extinction.

To change people’s behavior, give them an easy path to follow.

Sometimes, change can succeed even with a confused rider and reluctant elephant. The reason lies with the path they are following: situational or environmental factors affect people’s behavior. Hence, shaping the path to be a gentle, pleasant downhill stroll can be a great help in making changes.

People tend to underestimate the role of situational factors, especially when trying to explain the behavior of others. This is known as fundamental attribution error: we think the behavior of others derives from the way they are rather than the situation they are in.

To get a “free ride” in implementing change, build new habits and make the environment enforce them.

During the Vietnam War, the US government was concerned about rampant drug use among its troops. Some 20 percent of the soldiers developed a serious addiction in Vietnam, and there were concerns about the consequences when they brought their new habits back home.

Astonishingly, however, the government found that one year after returning, only one percent of the veterans were still addicted. Just as the environment in Vietnam had made so many of them addicts, their familiar environment and loved ones back home made them kick the habit.

Make the path look well-trodden: show people they are following the herd.

At heart, humans are herd animals: in situations where we’re not sure how to behave, we look to others for cues. For example, if you’re at a fancy dinner and don’t know which fork to use, you will look to other diners and follow their lead.

Behavior is contagious. This is why TV shows have laugh tracks and bartenders seed their tip jars at the beginning of an evening. We tend to follow the example set by others, laughing and tipping with the herd.

Want to see all full key ideas from Switch?

Key ideas in Switch

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Switch about?

Switch examines why it is often difficult for people to switch their behavior, and how, by understanding the mind, it is possible to find shortcuts that make change easier. Through scientific studies and anecdotes, Switch provides simple yet effective tools for implementing changes.

Who should read Switch?

Anyone who wants to change parts of their own behavior
Anyone who wants to implement a change in a group or organization
Anyone who wants to understand why changing behavior is often so difficult

About the Author

Chip Heath is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, and his brother Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University. They have co-authored two other bestsellers: Made to Stick and Decisive.

Categories with Switch

Marketing & Sales Personal Development

Books like Switch

Made to Stick

Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

How to Harness Change to Make It Work for You

22 min

4.4

You Only Have to Be Right Once

Randall Lane

The Unprecedented Rise of the Instant Tech Billionaires

How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism

The New Psychology of Success

A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment

How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

13 min

4.3

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

28 min

4.5

Marketing 5.0

Philip Kotler & Hermawan Kartajaya & Iwan Setiawan

Technology for Humanity

The Science of Self-Healing - A Practical Guide

An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career

How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work

A Brief History of Humankind

28 min

4.4

Charismatic Leadership (New Version)

Kevin Murray

The Skills You Can Learn to Motivate High Performance in Others

An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

101 Simple Truths for a Better Life

12 min

4.2

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy

Richard Rumelt

The Difference and Why It Matters

The Psychology of Persuasion

33 min

4.6

The Power of the Downstate

Sara C. Mednick

The New Science to Ignite Energy, Enhance Sharpness, and Reclaim Balance

22 min

4.7

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Richard P. Feynman

Adventures of a Curious Character

7 min

3.4

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

28 min

4.2

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills

A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. A Toltec Wisdom Book

The Secret to Achieving More with Less

18 min

4.4

Gaslighting

Stephanie Moulton Sarkis

Recognize Manipulative and Emotionally Abusive People - and Break Free

18 min

4.3

The Greatness Mindset

Lewis Howes

Unlock the Power of Your Mind and Live Your Best Life Today

16 min

4.3

The Surprising Science of Meetings

Steven G. Rogelberg

How You Can Lead Your Team to Peak Performance

The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace

The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking

Timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy

33 min

4.6

Discipline Equals Freedom

The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

23 min

4.0

Connect

David Bradford and Carole Robin

Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues

Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be

20 min

4.6

Dare to Lead (New Version)

Brené Brown

Brave work. Tough conversations. Whole hearts.

21 min

4.3

Rewire Your Ocd Brain

Catherine M. Pittman

Powerful Neuroscience-Based Skills to Break Free from Obsessive Thoughts and Fears

How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation

17 min

4.2

Learn Like a Pro

Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe

Science-based Tools to Become Better at Anything

How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

The secrets of 40 millionaires' wealth, revealed

How to Fuel Success, Create Happiness, and Conquer Anything

How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

The Science of Conversation

Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business

Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience

How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts

24 min

4.4

The Obstacle is the Way

Ryan Holiday

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph

And Other Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure

20 min

3.8

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.