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Switch  By  cover art

Switch

By: Dan Heath, Chip Heath
Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg
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Publisher's summary

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?

The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed best seller Made to Stick.

Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems - the rational mind and the emotional mind - that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort - but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people - employees and managers, parents and nurses - have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results:

  • The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients
  • The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping
  • The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service

In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change

Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.

©2010 Chip Heath (P)2010 Random House

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Well-Being Listens of All Time


We assembled our editors, scoured listener reviews, polled our most-trusted colleagues, and listened our ears off to bring you this list of 100 must-listen well-being titles on Audible. Whether you’re looking to get organized, stay motivated, find creative inspiration, or relieve stress, these audiobooks and podcasts are packed with insights from self-development and wellness experts to help you take the next step—or the first—in your personal journey.

What listeners say about Switch

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend

This is one of the best positive psychology books I have listened to. I have to disagree with the other reviews of the fit of the Narrator with the content of the book. CK gives the book's content some strength and keeps you listening for more and more examples. The Narrator almost sounds like Earl Nightinggale - the deep authoritative voice on radio in the 1950s. At times some of the examples are long, but this is not the Narrator's fault.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Book Horrible Narration

I wanted to be kind about the narrator and cut him some slack. Throughout the whole book I kept telling myself to refrain from being harsh, but alas, he detracted from an otherwise really helpful book. Listen anyway, wince when you must and focus on the information as best you can.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

change what you have been keen to change & couldn'

simple yet elegant book. nicely written. understand yourself better and situations around you. hold the key of change and turn it or stop the change if it is not good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Learned a lot and was intrigued!

The recording volume was so low that I had to crank up my car’s sound so much that when the navigation system came on louder, I near jumped out omg skin every time.

It would be nice to have a link to a pdf table of contents.

Other than that, I found this extremely worthwhile.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing

so enjoyable and educational. glad I checked it out it was insightful. really helped my perception of change

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

It just just enough humor

I got a lot of valuable info but am going to listen again and take some basic notes.

The reader was good, and the content had just enough humor.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So interesting and useful!

Really enjoyed it and found it thought provoking and inspiring ...exciting to begin applying principles. The examples were terrific!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome Book!

I really enjoyed this book, took many notes. I have read Jonathan Haidt's books, so I was happily familiar with the elephant and the rider theory. This used that concept beautifully to describe how to make change in others. Highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Must read

As an entrepreneur and recent parent, I believe this book is a must read. It’s easy to understand and supported by great examples. It takes very complex change strategies and simplifies them to actionable steps each of us can take.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

understand Change with this book

Great research on many aspects of change management. Done through studies and stories of success around the world.

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