Switch 04: Point to the Destination (Chip & Dan Heath)

It’s always important to know where you’re starting from and what you aim to achieve. Next, think about how you’re going to close the gap between your starting point and your destination. Decide where you’re headed and why you think getting there is worth the effort. Why does this goal light a fire within you?

There’s another book called Be Do Have, by Melody Martin, in which the author suggests that you ust embody the type of person you want to become. Just BE. Don’t set a goal as someone who wants to run in the next local marathon. Be a runner who will be running n the next local marathon. See yourself as that which you desire.

What is you BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal)? Pointing to your destination requires that you set a clear and specific goal and a clear timeline of when you want to reach it. The authors point to some of the most powerful BHAGs that changed the American business landscape forever: Henry Ford’s BHAG to democratize the automobile or Sam Waltons’ BHAG of turning Wal-Mart into a billion dollar company by the year 2000.

They also warn, though, that creating change happens in smaller increments, in shorter timeframes. You’re still moving towards your BHAG, but you’re building habits now that will ultimately result in you reaching your BHAG. They say, “We want a goal that can be tackled in mmonths or years, not decades. We want what we might call a destination postcard – a vivd picture from the near-term future that shows what could be possible. We have to address a basic question, ‘Where are we headed in the end? What is the destination?’”

The process to change begins with imagining new possibilities and asking, “What if?” what if it doesn’t have to be this hard? What if theres an easier and more effective way? What if life can be happier and more exciting? How do you sell this vision to yourself and your team?

Paralysis by analysis is the enemy of effective change. To defeat this demon you have to start small. The authors suggest you need a gut-smackinng goal, one that appeals to both the rider and the elephant.

Remember, the rider is your logic and the elephant are your emotions. You need to be equally excited and inspired by your new destination otherwise you won’t move.

The trouble with the now popular framework of seting SMART goals is that SMART goals don’t generate emotion. And without emotion, your change effort is less likely to stick. You need to understand where you’re going, and why it’s important to get there. Remember Start With Why by Simon Sinek? That’s one TED Talk that really broke the internet, with millions upon millions of views on YouTube. That’s the kind of emotion your goals need to generate - the kind of emotion that will interrupt your lazy patterns and inspire you to change.

Translate your destination postcard into specific behaviors. Focus on what you can control. How will life be different once you reach the new destination? Why is this change important? How do you turn these behaviors into sustainable habits? Do you need a checklist of things to do?

The authors suggest that you need a black and white goal, an all or nothing goal, a goal that kills all ambiguity, a zero-sum goal that tells you whether you’re successful or not in no uncertain terms, a goal that doesn’t let you rationalize or justify failure. You either achieve it or you don’t.

Now, it’s obviously impossible to predict every move, and that’s why the authors say, “When you’re at the beginning, don’t obsess about the middle because the middle is going to look different when you get there. Just look fo a strong beginning and a strong ending and get moving. What is essential is to marry your long-term goal with short term critical moves. You have to back up your destination postcard with a good behavioral script.”