Four Tips When You Encounter Pushback
In Switch, the Heath brothers talk about ways to instill change in resistant circumstances. They build on concepts mentioned in their previous book, Made to Stick. Rooting an idea in people's minds is the prerequisite for any lasting improvement. Like all their other books, the Heath brothers saturate your mind with inspiring examples. The success stories they share combine three principles: direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and shape the path. Directing the rider appeals to people's rational sides by looking at what's working now, such as studying how moms in poverty-stricken countries successfully nourish their children. Motivating the elephant gives people an emotional gut punch. By giving other mothers hope in how they can feed their children well, the parents become confident and satisfied in meeting their children's nutritional needs. Shaping the path makes the preferred choice easier to commit to. For this example, having successful moms teach classes streamlines the process of properly training more moms to cook, letting the original trainers move on to other tasks.
Takeaways:
Arguing doesn't inspire change. No matter how confident you are in your stance, twisting others' arms to embrace your view doesn't inspire them to change. Folks may still reject your best argument. Even if you win, they deference feels reluctant at best. My mom's pushing me to fall in love with her preferred candidate just because she checked a lot of Asian boxes didn't go so well. She might have had better luck asking me what I found attractive, then letting me consider how well the woman aligned with my preferences.
Celebrate incremental progress, no matter how gradual. As much as we like instant wins, the path to enduring change comes with sustained momentum. Highlight desired behavior whenever you see it, including the smallest things. Every bit counts, and even the perception of momentum gets your team feeling productive. Think of how excited people get when a vendor spots them a few stamps on their loyalty cards. People go faster from two to ten versus zero to eight, even if the amount they purchase is the same.
Strive for clarity. As part of communicating well, make sure to script simple, straightforward moves. Principles are great when you trust your teammates to choose wisely on their own, but non-negotiable boundaries have their benefits as well. If you have roommates, don't just insist on keeping the kitchen "clean." Give them criteria like "Make sure all dishes are washed and dried immediately after use."
Progress starts with you but doesn't end there. You need allies to create momentum. Being a one-person movement takes a lot of energy, no matter how capable you are. To help improve relationships between my technicians, I had them use a template of phrases to navigate awkward moments in one-on one conversations. Once the first pair experienced the benefit, they became advocates of the process and made sure the rest of the team followed through. To riff on Maxwell: one of us can never be as strong as all of us.
I wish I had read Switch before agreeing to take on any leadership positions, especially during my time as a church class director. The ideas from this book would've come in handy, and reading it assured me I wasn't alone in dealing with difficult situations. By sharing examples and a blueprint to increase my chances of progress, I could reframe future setbacks as opportunities to experiment. Maybe I could even have fun in the process. If anything, people who make the "switch" commit to the possibility of change, no matter how small. If your situation feels hopeless, building on the content of this book is a great place to start.
