"Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? ... 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....
... The duo's tension is [best] captured by an analogy used by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his wonderful book The Happiness Hypothesis. Haidt says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider. Perched atop the Elephant, the Rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider's control is precarious because the Rider is so small relative to the Elephant. Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose. He's completely overmatched.
The authors share some insights on overcoming this tension via this framework:
1) DIRECT THE RIDER: What looks like resistance is often a lack of clarity. So provide crystal-clear direction. (Think 1% milk.)
2) MOTIVATE THE ELEPHANT: What looks like laziness is often exhaustion. The Rider can’t get his way by force for very long. So it’s critical that you engage people’s emotional side—get their Elephants on the path and cooperative. (Think of the cookies and radishes study and the boardroom conference table full of gloves.)
3) SHAPE THE PATH: What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. We call the situation (including the surrounding environment) the “Path.” When you shape the Path, you make change more likely, no matter what’s happening with the Rider and Elephant. (Think of the effect of shrinking movie popcorn buckets.)
Want to know more? Get the book! Meanwhile, here are links to a one-page summary of this framework and handy resources for work or personal use.
