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What I Am Reading - March 2010 |
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Monday, 15 March 2010 13:52 |
 Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?
The primary obstacle is a conflict that's built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems-the rational mind and the emotional mind-that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort-but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.
 Malcolm Gladwell's new book, WHAT THE DOG SAW (Little, Brown and Company; publication date: October 20, 2009), presents nineteen brilliantly researched and provocative essays that exhibit the curiosity his readers love, each with a graceful narrative that leads to a thought-provoking analysis. The explorations here delve into subjects as varied as why some people choke while others panic; how changes meant to make a situation safer - like childproof lids on medicine - don't help because people often compensate with more reckless behavior; and the idea that genius is inextricably tied up with precocity.
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