A couple of weeks ago, the CEO of the organization I was working with gave me a great book as a gift. It’s called “Switch; How to Change Things when Change is Hard” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. I am really enjoying it. A fundamental idea in the book is that all too often we try and make a change in our lives or in our organization by telling ourselves all of the logical reasons the change is necessary, and then are surprised that we might make a small change, but soon enough are right back into the old behaviour. For example, smokers will often tell you that they have tried to quit a number of times, and that they understand that smoking is dangerous to their health, but still they go back to smoking after a couple of days. Or ateam might adopt a new process for a short period of time because they understand that it will benefit the organization, but soon enough find ways of returning to the old process because it’s ‘easier’.
The answer, according to the Heath brothers can be explained using a model developed by Jonathon Haidt of the University of Virginia. “Haidt says that our emotional side is an Elephant and our rational side is its Rider. Perched atop the Elelphant the Rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the Rider’s control is precarious because the Rider is so small realtive to the Elephant. Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose.”
I’m fascinated by this image, and can think of a number of experiences in my life when try though I might, often hanging on for dear life, I tried to rein in my Elephant! Now what is important here is that the Rider and the Elephant are absolutely necessary for a healthy life. The Rider, while able to see the long term, and to think beyond the moment, is also the part of me that over analyzes, and can spend long times spinning my wheels, waiting for ‘just the right moment’. While the Elephant, while hungry for instant gratification, and for ego stroking, is also the place within me that compassion, love and courage reside. It is in the end the Elephant in me that gets things done.
The way then for us to make change stick, whether it is trying to change our own behaviour, or lead a team into a new environment is to appeal to the Elephant. We need to focus not just on the logic of health by quiting smoking, but focus on how my breathing will feel in a couple of short weeks. Or not only that the organization will benefit from the new process, but that, once we’re through the learning curve, it will make our work that much easier, and more comfortable in the long run. The Rider in all of us will be able to move the Elephant in all of us the much more successfully. 
And this week may each of us find a way of appealing to our Elephants!