It Starts with One

This very simple and pleasant book provides a common-sense explanation as to why so many change initiatives fail. Although the arguments proposed by the authors are nothing revolutionary, they are presented very convincingly, and supported by some very striking examples. It must be admitted that although most of these ideas seem like common sense, they are rarely applied!
The merit of this book lies above all in the simple and memorable way it structures the ideas in order to facilitate their implementation. Three sections of two chapters each are dedicated to the two principle barriers to change, i.e. ""failure to see"" (chapters 2 and 3), ""failure to move"" (chapters 4 and 5), and ""failure to finish"" (chapters 6 and 7). Each of these chapters analyzes the psychological mechanisms that push people into these traps, and offer advice and tools to avoid them. Among the many examples cited, some in great detail, we particularly recommend the story of the transformation of the Fedex call center, as well as the changes that Dell initiated in customer behavior, described in chapter 8.
A book recommended to all those who must manage change, or who say they want to change themselves.