Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success [Hardcover]
Product Description
A strategic, step-by-step guide to breaking longstanding bad habits from the authors of Crucial Conversations draws on research coming out of their Change Anything Labs, where they study and work with people struggling with self-destructive patterns.
The authors introduce a system for adopting—and sticking to—better behaviors in this smart, sensible work. Targeting the main problem areas—weight, addictions, spending, career advancement, and relationships—the authors exhort readers to avoid blaming their inability on willpower ("the willpower trap") in favor of recognizing powerful influences that can counteract temptation: e.g., offering ourselves financial incentives or radically changing our physical spaces to see that we stick with healthier habits.
The authors present a highly detailed holistic plan, illustrated by encouraging case studies, for making systemic changes that approach problems from every angle and promote active change.
From the First Page
Any book that claims that it can help you change anything in your personal and profestional life-from increasing your disposable income, career options, and physical fitness, to decreasing your smoking, food intake, and relationship struggles-had better be based on careful scientific inquiry. It had better report results-to three decimal places. Most of all, any recommendations it makes had better come from careful study of human subjects-not just redents or simians.
With this in mind, we'll start our journey down the trail of personal success with a rather engaging piece of scientific inquiry into the habits of real people. This particular experiment was conducted at the Change Anything Labs nestled at the base of the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. It is in this lab that we conduct research, pore over contemporary social science findings, and interview people we call Changers. Changers are individuals who once faced enormous personal challenges, wrestled them to the ground, and have remained successful for at least three years. These Changers and this research provide us with both the practical advice and the scientific results people need to not only change, but change for good.
This particular day, we used the Change Anything Labs to conduct a rather fascinating study. There, in a room by himself, sat a four-year-old boy name Kyler. We were examining his ability to resist temptation, and from the strained look on his face, it looked as if he just migh lose. To test his ability to delay gratification, we seated Kyler across the table from a formidable foe-a scrumptios marshmallow.
Five decades ago, the legendary psychologist Walter Mischel demonstrated that kids who could sit down with a marshmallow in front of them and not eat it for a full fifteen minutes did better in almost every area of life than more impulsive kids who scooped up the treat and ate it right away-in spite of the fact that they were all instructed to wait.
As Mischel followed his research subjects for the next two dacades, he learnedthat children who delayed gratification eventually scored hundreds of points higher on standardized school tests. Thaey also had stronger relationships, were promoted more often, and were happier. Mischel showed that the capacity to delay gratification is, indeed, a big deal.
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Review
It is such a disappointing feeling when we set out to change something only to succeed for a little while and then be met with failure. Change Anything is full of great ways to overcome the things that cause you to fail.
This book also provides an entire section on how these tools and techniques have been applied by those in challenging situations and have used them and found success. There are so many tools in this book to choose from, such as incentives and rewards; to very personal skills you may not even realize you possess.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they have tried everything, because so many of the suggestions found in this book seemed new and original!
Reviewed by: Diane (Timisoara, Romania)
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Kerry Patterson has authored award-winning training programs and led multiple long-term change efforts. He received the prestigious 2004 BYU Marriott School of Management Dyer Award for outstanding contribution in organizational behavior. He did doctoral work in organizational behavior at Stanford University.
Joseph Grenny is an acclaimed keynote speaker and consultant who has designed and implemented major corporate change initiatives for the past 20 years. He is also a cofounder of Unitus, a nonprofit organization that helps the world's poor achieve economic self-reliance.
David Maxfield is a leading researcher and frequent conference speaker on topics ranging from dialogue skills to performance improvement. He did doctoral work in psychology at Stanford University, where he studied personality theory and interpersonal-skill development.
Ron McMillan is a sought-after speaker and consultant. He cofounded the Covey Leadership Center, where he served as vice president of research and development. He has worked with leaders ranging from first-level managers to corporate executives on topics such as leadership and team development.
Al Switzler is a renowned consultant and speaker who has directed training and management initiatives with dozens of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. He is on the faculty of the Executive Development Center at the University of Michigan.
ABOUT VITALSMARTS:
An innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, VitalSmarts is home to multiple training offerings, including Crucial Conversations', Crucial Confrontations', and Influencer'.
Each course improves key organizational outcomes by focusing on high-leverage skills and strategies.
The Company also has three New York Times bestselling books, Influencer, Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations.
VitalSmarts has been ranked twice by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in America and has taught more than 2 million people worldwide.
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