April 26th 2007
Change or Die. Alan Deutschman. 2007. ISBN 9780060886899. Maybe this is book that could change your life. The author went out to research change programs that beat the odds and the predictions of experts. One trigger was hearing experts say that the NAmerican health care crisis could be removed if the small group of individuals who consume the vast majority of the health care budget would just chose healthier lifestyles. Ie they are sick because of how they chose to live their lives. Five behavioral issues consume 80% of the health care budget! (Smoking, drinking, overeating, stress and lack of exercise.) Deutschman investigated programs that helped people change lifestyles and stay changed. He also looked at a program that successfully broke patterns of criminal behavior as well as how Toyota took a problematic car plant over from GM and using the same people and equipment, completely turned it around. The common element in all these programs was replacing fear with hope and showing people improvements in their situation now. Lessons here for all leaders. Deutschman is a journalist thus the writing is clear, succinct and easy to follow. A treat,
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