University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Change Anything
Book

Change Anything

The New Science of Personal Success

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Business Plus, 2011
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

People who want to gain financial security, break a bad habit or change their lives in a major way are far more likely to succeed if they tailor “six sources of influence” to reshape their lives. In their book about the “science of personal success,” corporate trainers Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler explain exactly how to bring this power to bear in your life and why it works. getAbstract recommends this illuminating, helpful book to people who want to save money, conquer fear and become more healthy.

Summary

Can You Drape a Snake Around Your Neck?

One of psychology’s most debilitating phobias is a fear of snakes. Many people afflicted with this phobia go into instant paralysis and panic if they see a snake. For decades, the accepted treatment for snake phobia was years of Freudian analysis, often without success. Enter psychologist Albert Bandura in the mid-1960s. Instead of making his patients endlessly talk about their fears of snakes, Bandura taught them how to physically control snakes.

Patients using “deliberate practice,” his step-by-step approach, learned to eliminate their snake fears. By the end of this training, all of Bandura’s patients were comfortable enough with snakes to drape them around their shoulders. Even more amazing, the complete training took approximately two hours. Do you have a challenge – lose weight, advance in your job, overcome addiction, save money – you want to overcome? If so, these new skills can help you achieve your goal, and the techniques you will discover can enable you to stick with your change.

Change Anything Labs

Professional researchers at Change Anything Labs (the research component of VitalSmarts, the authors...

About the Authors

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler are four-time New York Times best-selling authors. They are leaders of VitalSmarts, a corporate training company that has taught more than 2 million people worldwide.

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