What would happen if, instead of reacting to problems, we solved them at the source?

That's a question that Dan Heath, author of the book, Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, wants us to ask. He believes it's the linchpin of real change.

Dan explains, "So often in life, we get trapped in these cycles of reaction...and all of that action starves us of the energy that we need to get upstream and deal with these problems at the root level."

He shares enlightening stories of people who've made it a goal to prevent problems, rather than merely react to them. At the same time, he helps us understand how to think and act like they do.

To start, he says, we need to confront what he calls our "problem blindness." It's our tendency to accept the unacceptable, just because we've gotten used to it.

Instead, he encourages us to "Get real suspicious and curious about recurring problems. If there's something that you've just come to take for granted...customers are always going to call about itineraries...or we're always going to have a high dropout rate...Get suspicious about that!"

Dan Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University's CASE Center, which supports entrepreneurs fighting for social good. He's also co-author with his brother, Chip Heath, of the bestselling books, Made to Stick, Switch, Decisive, and The Power of Moments.

Curious Minds Team

Learn more about Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer and Editor, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Episode Links

Irving Zola

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Marcus Elliott

The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Freshman On-Track Toolkit

When do workarounds help or hurt patient outcomes? by Anita L. Tucker

How Iceland Got Teens to Say No to Drugs by Emma Young

Paul B. Batalden

The University of Chicago Crime Lab

Becoming a Man - Youth Guidance

Sally Herndon

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