Quotes from Chip Heath

the first surprise about change: What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.

Curse of Knowledge. Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our

By identifying and enshrining your core priorities, you make it easier to resolve present and future dilemmas.

When we use statistics, the less we rely on the actual numbers the better. The numbers inform us about the underlying relationship, but there are better ways to illustrate the underlying relationship than the numbers themselves.

The project often feels like a failure in the middle. But if the team persists through this valley of angst and doubt, it eventually emerges with a growing sense of momentum. Team members begin to test out their new designs, and they realize the improvements they've made, and they keep tweaking the design to make it better. And they come to realize, we've cracked this problem. That's when the team reaches the peak of confidence.

If you've finished Switch and are hungry for more, visit the book's website: heathbrothers.com

Establishing your core priorities is, unfortunately, not the same as binding yourself to them.

The most talented practitioners seek out certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt,9 an honorific that has nothing to do with karate but rather reflects a noble and ultimately hopeless attempt to give the work some sex appeal.

You encounter a choice. But narrow framing makes you miss options.     ââ'¬Â¢ You analyze your options. But the confirmation bias leads you to gather self-serving information.     ââ'¬Â¢ You make a choice. But short-term emotion will often tempt you to make the wrong one.     ââ'¬Â¢ Then you live with it. But you'll often be overconfident about how the future will unfold.

Calendar time is easier to feel than number counts.

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to marry your long-term goal with short-term critical moves.

He inspired them to feel more determined, more ready, more motivated. And when you build people up in this way, they develop the strength to act.

The Happiness Hypothesis, by Jonathan Haidt

contexts. To make our communications more effective, we need to shift our thinking from "What information do I need to convey?" to "What questions do I want my audience to ask?

They are creating the expectation of failure. They are telling team members not to trust that initial flush of good feeling at the beginning of the project, because what comes next is hardship and toil and frustration. Yet, strangely enough, when they deliver this warning, it comes across as optimistic.

the common perception that time seems to accelerate as we get older. Our lives become more routine and less novel. We're seeing more and more brown shoes and fewer alarm clocks. Now

Mindset, by Carol Dweck

CONNECTION: Defining moments are social:

First, there's what we called the emotional side. It's the part of you that is instinctive, that feels pain and pleasure. Second, there's the rational side, also known as the reflective or conscious system. It's the part of you that deliberates and analyzes and looks into the future. In the past

The growth mindset, then, is a buffer against defeatism. It reframes failure as a natural part of the change process.

The Heart of Change, by John Kotter and Dan Cohen [Business and organizational change].

Variety is the spice of life." But notice that it does not say, "Variety is the entrée of life." Nobody dines on pepper and oregano. A little novelty can go a long way. Learn to recognize your own scripts. Play with them, poke at them, disrupt them. Not all the time—just enough to keep those brown shoes looking fresh.

Mindless Eating, by Brian Wansink [Dieting