The 2 sides of change : an Elephant story …

Do you know Dan Heath's book : Switch, How to Change Things When Change Is Hard ?

The core idea of this excellent book is that there are two sides to the way human beings think about any issue.

There’s the rational, analytical, problemsolving side of our brains, which may think, “I need to eat less.” But there’s an emotional side that’s addicted to impulse or comfortable routines, and that side wants a cookie.

At work, the rational side may say that the company needs to go in a different direction. But the emotional side is comfortable with the old ways of thinking and selling, and it has great anxiety about whether the company can change successfully.

Dan Heath’s favorite metaphor for this dynamic comes from the psychologist Jonathan Haidt 1, who talks about a human riding atop an elephant. The Rider represents our analytical, planning side. The Rider decides, “I need to go somewhere, here’s the direction I want to go,” and sets off. But it’s the Elephant, the emotional side, that’s providing the power. The Rider can try to lead the Elephant, but in any direct contest of wills the Elephant is going to win—it has a six-ton advantage.

So part of achieving change, in either our lives or in organizations, is aligning both sides of the brain by pointing out the direction for the Rider but also motivating the Elephant to undertake the journey. Of course, the Path the Elephant walks down matters too. High-ranking executives can shape that Path, that environment, and make the journey easier even when the Elephant is less motivated.2

So, dear Readers, let’s take care of the Elephant too…Lets make our people think : “We’re the kind of people who can successfully make this change.”

1. The Happiness Hypothesis: Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science,

London: William Heinemann, 2006
2. In Switch, the words Rider, Elephant, and Path represent characters in the mental play

that the book describes.

Source :The Emotional side of Change, Mac Kinsey Quarterly

The boss of the bosses # 1

If you are lucky as I am, then you have your CEO supporting your transformation journey... and this is a big hit ! Research and experiences show that four key functions collectively define a successful role for the CEO in a transformation:

1. Making the transformation meaningful. People will go to extraordinary lengths for causes they believe in, and a powerful transformation story will create and reinforce their commitment. The ultimate impact of the story depends on the CEO’s willingness to make the transformation personal, to engage others openly, and to spotlight successes as they emerge.

2. Role-modeling desired mind-sets and behavior. Successful CEOs typically embark on their own personal transformation journey. Their actions encourage employees to support and practice the new types of behavior.

3. Building a strong and committed top team. To harness the transformative power of the top team, CEOs must make tough decisions about who has the ability and motivation to make the journey.

4. Relentlessly pursuing impact. There is no substitute for CEOs rolling up their sleeves and getting personally involved when significant financial and symbolic value is at stake.

Everyone has a role to play in a performance transformation. The role of CEOs is unique in that they stand at the top of the pyramid and all the other members of the organization take cues from them. CEOs who give only lip service to a transformation will find everyone else doing the same. Those who fail to model the desired mind-sets and behavior or who opt out of vital initiatives risk seeing the transformation lose focus. Only the boss of all bosses can ensure that the right people spend the right amount of time driving the necessary changes.

Source : Mc Kinsey Quaterly