Bill's Blog

Mahout the Change

Like their previous book, “Made to Stick”, the Heath Brothers, Chip and Dan have another insightful title in “Switch, How to Change Things When Change is Hard”.

It’s really work reading in full but to summarise, it covers a strategy to manage the dichotomy of our minds: our rational side and our emotional side. The Heath Brothers prefer to use the more colourful analogy first introduced by Jonathan Haidt, in “The Happiness Hypothesis”, namely the emotional Elephant and the rational Rider.

The weakness of the Elephant, our emotional side is evident: looking for the quick payoff rather that the long term goal. When attempts to change fail, it’s usually the Elephant’s fault but it can also be as a result of the rider not being able to control the Elephant long enough to reach the destination.

The book sets out a three-part framework for change:

Direct the Rider: What often looks like resistance is in fact a lack of clarity. So there is a need to provide crystal-clear instruction.

Motivate the Elephant: What looks like laziness is often exhaustion  - a put upon Elephant by a forceful Rider. It’s critical that you engage with people’s emotional side, get them connected and on the path to cooperation.

Shape the Path: what may look like a people problem is more likely a situational problem; what is the Path? When the path is clear and well defined change is more likely.

I’ve a background in IT and software development which could readily benefit from the framework. I’ve often heard developers say, “our biggest problem is users” but is it? Developers fall in love with their code and don’t like feedback from testers and as a result any changes arising from testing are mere “tweaks”. How does the framework effect the change and align software releases much closer to the customer’s needs?

Direct the Rider: Set the scene. Point to the destination of a celebration of a successful software package. This certainly floats the developer’s boat with the peer appreciation (and CV content) it brings. Set out the steps to get there: closer understanding of the end user, better appreciation of their needs, features that the customer needs not those the developer wants to develop.

Motivate the Elephant: Get out and get on. Get the developers out of their cubicle and next to users to experience the issues first hand. See the user’s pain. Experience their frustration. Put a name to the issue: Steve’s problem, Carrie’s confusion.

Shape the Path: Many developers have the best of equipment, unlike the end user who may have had his technology for a number of years. Swap the best for the common and then you are truly developing for your user and you will more easily create a solution that delivers.

There are many more gems in the book and here is Action University’s take.

 As a friend of Action University, I’m privileged to be able to offer you the summary as a download. You can find it here.

So, have you made a Switch? Would the framework have helped? Do you have examples where you have motivated your elephant? I’d love to hear.

Forget social media, lets learn!

As a number of companies look to social media for marketing advantage, very few, and here’s your opportunity, have considered the wider impact of the social tools on learning. Are your people not your best asset? Should you not be giving thought as to how these assets can be enhanced?

At a recent workshop I attended, given by Hamish Taylor, former CEO of EuroStar and Sainsbury Bank, he stated, people were at the core of innovation and innovation leads to competitive advantage.

I believe companies could be on to a great thing if they use all of the widely available social media tools for professional development. Is it not always easier to share in a learning experience?

Here’s the take of Action University, put together for social learning and their summary of the equally aligned book by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner,"The New Social Learning".

 

So, what’s your take on social learning? Is it a more profound way of using the tools we see many companies approaching but never getting past first base?

What to start off your social learning and share the summary? You can download it here.

Happy learning!

How to work better? Sleep on it!

Now, I'm always interested in finding better ways to work. I've read quite a few books on time management and productivity, but never one that says you should take a nap at work!

In his book, The Way We're Working, isn't Working", Tony Schwartz suggests the multitasking human is an myth and we need to find ang great workplaces must companies must provide and environment that will provide us with the regular physical renewal, emotional reward, mental stimuli and sense of purpose and significance that we need.

Action University by PolarUnlimited has neatly summarised the book and highlights:

1. The secret to better resting habits that will significantly increase your performance;

2. Why you need to be active throughout the day to keep your brain working;

3. How executives at some of the most high-powered organizations in the world handle their emotions in stressful situations; and

4. Why multitasking is a myth, and how the most effective executives in the world create focus in their work.

Interested in a copy of the summary? Download the summary now.