Finally, someone has been brave enough to address the fact that my problems are not the same as your problems and require a unique solution! Dr Katy Milkman, in her 2021 book How To Change (find it here), recognises that to overcome the particular challenges we each face, we need to develop strategies tailored to our circumstances – there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
This is an incredibly well researched book that is supported with ample evidence yet is full or relatable stories that illustrate the key principles, making it an easy personable read. Rather than being some self-help book, Milkman has provided a set of tools that can be used to address change at both the personal and corporate level.
Each chapter focusses on an obstacle that stands in the way of success, helping th reader to recognise them and providing some suggestions on how to deal with them, noting that small changes accumulate into big results. Of particular interest to me was the recognition that my impulsivity can cause me to procrastinate on useful tasks and to identify what is causing me to not follow through on my good intentions. Thankfully there are suggested strategies I can choose form to work through these. While I recognize that laziness can be a major hinderance to effective change, I was surprised by the findings that too much rigidity can be just as bad, which helped explain a few failures from the past.
This book is highly recommended for anyone that is wanting to make and sustain change. Leaders would benefit not just personally, but also in understanding how they can help others through change as well.