We’ve got to be honest, we haven’t had the heart to crack open “Upstream” yet, mostly because it’s all about solving problems before they get out of hand and we happened to receive it just as we felt the current situation had already been left to get out of hand… Grateful to all who are working together honestly and earnestly to get things under control!

Meanwhile, the book on the right “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” remains among our favorites. It’s filled with wonderful, evidence based, real-life examples of folks who identified what was working and did more or that.

It gets to a basic concept Kate learned a long time ago when she was a Psychology Major at SUNY Stony Brook: If you want to get animals to behave certain ways, the thing that works is Positive Reinforcement.

“Catch ’em being good!” as Professor Daniel O’Leary probably still says.

We were struck by the use of this at the Guide Dog Foundation not too long ago, too. As long as they were behaving, the dogs could have praise lavished. If they weren’t they simply got ignored. It was the quietest kennel filled with the happiest dogs we’d ever visited!

Still, this book takes that concept and goes a little bit beyond, adding a major focus on something those who teach sales often hit upon: No matter how cool we think we are, humans are essentially emotional beings. Our rational mind is like a rider on elephant of feelings. Any attempt by that rider to drive, or another to lead him had best take that into consideration…

The Heath Brothers do, and they do it well. The book is well worth reading and re-reading, especially by any who want to make a healthier, more sustainable world!!