3. What We Will Cover
Why change is hard
The need to do three things at once:
● Direct the rider, the rational system of our brain
● Motivate the elephant, the emotional system of the
brain
● Shape the path
Apply strategies for day-to-day change
initiatives
4. Consider Your Changes
Think of a change you willing
embraced
● What were the characteristics of
the change that caused you to
embrace it?
Think of a change that you
resisted
● What were the characteristics of
the change that caused you to
resist it?
6. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind
Rationale Side - the conscious will
● The Rider
7. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind
Emotional Side –unconscious mind
● The Elephant
8. Brain Science
The Rational Mind – which
often likes change and
understands that it is good
The
Emotional
Mind – which
fights change
because it’s
easier to stay
the same.
9. Two Major Themes:
The brain has an organizing principle to minimize danger
(an away response)
and maximize reward
(a toward response)
Thus when approached with change we:
Apply cognitive biases without being aware of them
Relying on habitual mental tools (heuristics) to make
decisions
Brain Science of Human Interaction
AWAY response
TOWARD response
10. Why Change is Hard
The Brain Science
● The away response is stronger, faster, and longer lasting
than the toward response
● The away response can reduce cognitive resources,
make it harder to concentrate on your thinking, make you
more defensive, and incorrectly class certain situations
as threats
● Once an emotion kicks in, trying to suppress it either
doesn’t work or makes it worse
11. Why Change is Hard
70-90% - habits
10-30% - deliberate thought
13. Cognitive Biases
Bias What It Is
Endowment effect
Tendency to overvalue what we
already have.
Loss or regret aversion People hate losing twice as much as they
like winning.
Social proof
When uncertain, people turn to others
whom they admire or respect to
make a decision.
Reciprocity One favor for another.
Confirmation bias
The tendency to seek or be swayed by
information that confirms our position.
14. Why Change is Hard
Our brains are not designed for change.
● While human change appears hard, change in the brain is constant
Attention goes all too easily to the threat
Once you focus attention away
from threat, you can create
new connections
15. Why Change is Hard
Our ability to pay attention is quite limited
Focused attention changes the brain
Creating long-term change requires paying regular
attention to deepening new circuits
19. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind
Rationale Side - the conscious will
● The Rider
20. The Brain Isn’t of One Mind
Emotional Side –unconscious mind
● The Elephant
21. For Change to Happen
REMEMBER…
• What looks
like resistance
is often a lack
of clarity
• Action:
Direct the
Rider
REMEMBER…
• What looks like
laziness is often
exhaustion
• Action:
Motivate the
Elephant
REMEMBER…
• What looks like
a people
problem is often
a situation
problem
• Action:
Shape the
Path
31. Miracle Question
Suppose a miracle happens and all the problems that
brought you here… are resolved
What’s the first small sign you’d see that would make you
think, “Well something must have happened –
the problems are gone?”
32. Script the Critical Moves
Knowledge does not change behavior
What looks like resistance is
often a lack of clarity
35. Clarity dissolves resistance
What steps can you glean from the bright spots?
What are the small first steps that need to be taken?
What abstraction and ambiguity
can you eliminate?
Script the Critical Moves
36. Point to the Destination
Destination Postcards
37. Point to the Destination
Destination Postcards
Gut–smacking goal that appeals to both the
Rider and the Elephant
They show the Rider where you are headed and
show the Elephant why the journey is worthwhile
May require Black and White goals in certain situations
(NO cookies in the house – ever!)
Connect the long-term goal – the destination – with the
short-term critical moves
38. Directing the Rider
When appealing to the Rider keep the game
plan simple:
● What’s the end – what’s the outcome?
● What’s the first thing to act on?
● Don’t worry about the middle
39. Give it a Try
Consider the Switch you’d like to happen
What can you do to Direct the Rider?
● What bright spots can you follow?
● What critical steps can you script?
● What’s the destination postcard?
49. Grow Your People
Our brains and our abilities are like muscles.
They can be strengthened with practice.
And our inspiration
to change ourselves
comes from our
desire to live up
to those identities.
50. Grow Your People
What identities can
be cultivated?
Who am I?
What would someone
like me do in this
situation?
52. The Growth Mindset
1. You are a certain kind of person, and there
is not much that can be done to really
change that.
2. No matter what kind of person you are, you
can always change substantially.
3. You can do things differently, but the
important parts of who you are can't really
be changed.
4. You can always change basic things about
the kind of person you are.
55. Give it a Try
Consider the Switch you’d like to happen
What can you do to Motivate the Elephant?
● What feeling can you ignite?
● How can you shrink the change?
● How can you grow the people? Identity
59. Tweak the Environment
Beware of the Fundamental Attribution Error
We attribute people’s behavior to the way they
are rather than to the situation they are in.
69. Give it a Try
Consider the Switch you’d like to happen
What can you do to Shape the Path?
● How can you tweak the environment?
● How can you build habits?
● How can you rally the herd?
70. What’s Next?
What needs to happen
now?
● What are your critical
next steps?
What support do you
need for your Elephant
(motivation)?
What can you do to
Shape the Path to
make change easier?
