Change or Die

By: Alan Deutschman

Narrated by: Brian Keeler

""CHANGE OR DIE. What if you were given that choice? We're talking actual life and death now. Your own life and death. What if a well-informed, trusted authority figure said you had to make difficult and enduring changes in the way you think, feel, and act? If you didn't, your time would end soon—a lot sooner than it had to. Could you change when change mattered most?""

This is the question Alan Deutschman poses in Change or Die, which began as a sensational cover story by the same title for Fast Company. Deutschman concludes that although we all have the ability to change our behavior, we rarely ever do. In fact, the odds are nine to one that, when faced with the dire need to change, we won't. From patients suffering from heart disease to repeat offenders in the criminal justice system to companies trapped in the mold of unsuccessful business practices, many of us could prevent ominous outcomes by simply changing our mindset.

A powerful book with universal appeal, Change or Die deconstructs and debunks age-old myths about change and empowers us with three critical keys—relate, repeat, and reframe—to help us make important positive changes in our lives. Explaining breakthrough research and progressive ideas from a wide selection of leaders in medicine, science, and business (including Dr. Dean Ornish, Mimi Silbert of the Delancey Street Foundation, Bill Gates, Daniel Boulud, and many others), Deutschman demonstrates how anyone can achieve lasting, revolutionary change.

Change or Die is not about merely reorganizing or restructuring priorities; it's about challenging, inspiring, and helping all of us to make the dramatic transformations necessary in any aspect of life—changes that are positive, attainable, and absolutely vital.

©2007 Alan Deutschman; (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Power of Community

Number 1 take-away is that change doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Many of the negative reviews of this book seem to be saying “where are the hacks and tricks to help me change?” They seem to be missing the point, that change doesn’t come about through finding the right management far, diet,’or political view, but through finding a community of caring, like-minded individuals to share your goals with and mutually reinforce each others’ goals.

If this didn’t pop out of the text for you, the student isn’t ready.

Exceptional Book for All to Learn From

This book is really good about describing successful change strategies on an individual level and a corporate level. The principle ideas for change are straight forward and the examples used to explain the principle ideas for change are entertaining and enlightening. The author talks about changing the lives of convicts permanently by teaching trust through relationships. The book also highlights a story of turning around a manufacturing plant of hostile union labor workers from a plant shut down due to the union labor tension all the way to the same plant with the same workers becoming the world leader in their industry by relating and trusting. The book also highlights unique ways heart diseased patients are actually permanently changing their lives and avoiding major surgeries. This book is really quite good. I think it is a must read. It is entertainment, inspiring, and informational.

Great book!

Where has this book been! Second book in a series I'm reading and it just hit a home run in my world!

A feast for the mind

The premise - given the right environment and support, dramatic, even unthinkable change can happen. The author uses three case studies. First, he talks about very sick heart patients who change their lifestyles to become healthy again using Dr. Dean Ornish's heart health program. Next, he tells us about convicted drug addicted often sociopathic criminals who become well adjusted contributing members of society at Delancey Street. And finally, he narrates the transition of GM's worst union member nightmare with nearly 40 defects per car coming out of the Fremont, CA plant to nearly zero defects just by changing management (GM to Toyota). He then draws lessons from these three dramatic reversals - change or die - stories. He narrates at a good pace and his voice is easy to listen to. Anyone interested in how to bring about change in his/her own life, his/her family, or his/her organization might find some useful ideas in this bravura performance. The author writes well, chooses dramatic illustrations to make his point, and reads/narrates with passion.

Well written book.

This book is passionately and carefully written. It skirts around being judgmental and instead is caring and firm. Anyone serious about making changes in their lives, should read it.