How to Change

puzzled and frustrated that so many programs his team had created (which Google paid dearly for) went largely ignored. Why weren't employees clamoring to take advantage of free skill-building classes? Why weren't they all signing up for the company's 401(k) match and personal trainers?

 

Prasad had considered a few possible explanations, all of them plausible enough. Maybe the programs were being poorly advertised. Or maybe employees were just too busy to take advantage of them. But he also wondered about timing. Did I know, he asked, when Google should encourage employees to take advantage of these resources? Was there some ideal moment on the calendar or in someone's career to encourage behavior change?

 

I paused. Prasad's question was clearly important, and yet, to my knowledge, academics had largely overlooked it. If we hoped to effectively promote behavior change, of course we would need to understand when to begin.

 

Although I didn't have an easy answer for Prasad, I did have a hunch. I told him that before I could offer a reply grounded in solid evidence, I would need to review the academic literature and gather some data of my own. I started itching to get back to my research team in Philadelphia.

 

The Power of a Blank Slate

 

Prasad was hardly the first leader I'd met who was perplexed by the stubborn persistence of unhealthy or unproductive behavior. I've spent countless hours talking with frustrated public health officials about how to reduce smoking, boost physical activity, improve diets, and increase vaccinations, and that's just for starters. I often hear the same exasperated plea: If you can't persuade people to alter their behavior by telling them that change is simple, cheap, and good for them, what magical ingredient will do the trick?

 

This book will offer many answers to that question (the most important being "It depends"), but one is particularly relevant to Prasad's

Pink, New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and To Sell Is Human
 
A masterful tour of how behavior change works.
David Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of Range
 
Everyone wants to know: What makes personal change happen and stick? Milkman uses the latest science to give us answers.
Carol Dweck, New York Times bestselling author of Mindset
 
"If you want to master tailored, science-based strategies for overcoming obstacles, read this engaging book." 
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google
 
An extraordinary roadmap for overcoming the greatest challenge of all becoming who we believe we should be.  
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, New York Times bestselling author of Team of Teams and Leaders
 
This book is a triple threat: evidence-based, engrossing, and full of effective strategies for making smarter choices.
Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

If your goal is to get better, or to make your teams or business better, READ THIS BOOK.  
Laszlo Bock, CEO of Humu, former Google SVP of People, and New York Times bestselling author of Work Rules!
 
A healthy lifestyle is not illusive; this book is a must read to understand the path to create lasting change.
Tony Ueber, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness

Brilliant. Personal. And best of all, actionable. A highlight reel of what scientists know about how to change behavior for good.
Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit
 
Milkman does a masterful job of translating science to action.
Gary Foster, Chief Scientific Officer at WW
 
A remarkably useful survey of the behavior change revolution. Milkman tells us what works, what doesn t, and why.
Stephen J. Dubner, New York Times bestselling co-author of Freakonomics and host of Freakonomics Radio
 
You owe it to yourself to read this book from cover to cover.
Steve Levitt, New York Times bestselling co-author of Freakonomics
 
Katy Milkman not only delivers the most cutting edge science on change, she also makes you feel like she is by your side cheering you on. A must read for anyone who wants to remake their life for the better.  
Annie Duke, bestselling author of Thinking in Bets and How to Decide
 
"This is your chance. When you're ready to change, when you are committed to change, this delightful book will help you turn your intentions into reality."
Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
 
Plenty of books offer advice on how to overcome common personal barriers but none as clearly, engagingly, and compellingly as this.
Robert Cialdini, New York Times bestselling author of Influence and Pre-Suasion
 
  Packed with clever insights, cool experiments, and deep science, this book is engaging, important, and oh-so valuable.
Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Blueprint and Apollo s Arrow
 
From this book, you will not only gain insight into your own behavior, but will be inspired to create your own fresh start.
Wendy Wood, author of Good Habits, Bad Habits
 
A much-needed, easy-to-follow instruction manual for understanding what stops you from achieving your personal goals and how you can do better.
Laurie Santos, host of The Happiness Lab podcast
 
This extraordinary guide left me with that magical feeling that change is possible.
Dolly Chugh, author of The Person You Mean to Be and Jacob B. Melnick Term Professor at NYU Stern School of Business
 
You will learn, grow, and be inspired by the personal accounts and engaging research highlighting the science of behavior change. This book is a must read!
Modupe Akinola, Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School and Host of the TED Business Podcast