Top Ten Quotes: Reset
It’s no secret that I’m a long-time fan of Chip and Dan Heath’s writing. I’ve talked before about Made to Stick, Switch, The Power of Moments, and Upstream, among others. Their books are one of a small handful by authors that I pre-order, no matter that title or topic, because I know each one will be great.
That was certainly the case with Dan’s latest: Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working. If you’ll indulge me in a proud dad moment, I have a highly-personal reason I was excited about this book. Dan lives in my city, and he’s a regular customer at the Chick-fil-A where my oldest son Jacob serves as manager of operations. (The entire Franks family – including two daughters-in-law but excluding me and our 14 year old – has been on the payroll there at one point or another.)
A few years ago he reached out to Jacob and Tony – the owner/operator – to inquire about some of their drive-through practices. You should know that early in his CFA career, Jacob was the drive through director, and he led them to be one of the top three drive throughs in the chain, frequently topping 400 cars per hour. Dan was intrigued by this, and Zoom calls and meetings led to more Zoom calls and meetings, which led to their story being featured in chapter 4 of Reset. (I should also mention my second oldest son Austin and his drone made a cameo, because I don’t want the drone to feel left out.)
Chapter 4 alone is an intriguing look at the nature of getting past constraints on the way to meaningful and lasting change. Fans of the Lord’s chicken will enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at how your number one (no butter, extra pickles) gets in your window faster than you can say “extra packet of Chick-fil-A sauce.”
Personal pride aside, Reset is a typically-fantastic Heath book. If you loved Switch (and you can’t read it without loving it), you’ll likely see Reset as I did: a different vantage point on the art and science of change. It’s not a sequel, but it’s certainly a great companion to that earlier title.
Here are my top ten favorite quotes:
- Achieving clarity [on what needs to change] is not an incremental victory. It is transformative.
- “The biggest challenge you have in thinking about systems is becoming aware of your assumptions, because the assumptions almost always drive how you view the system.” (Steven Hamburg)
- Habits conceal waste.
- People will tell you what’s good for them, if you care enough to ask.
- …motivation exists already. The mission is to tap it.
- You can’t spark a movement if no one wants to move.
- [M]ake sure that what you celebrate is aligned with where you’re headed.
- Testing [the solution] is a replacement for guessing, not a replacement for judgment.
- When your employees are consulted, they will contribute. When they are empowered, they will act. When they are trusted, they will lead.
- …when people are forced to change, their capacity for change is vast. But let’s not forget there’s another option: People can choose to change.
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