Booktopia Comments
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Product Description
New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath asks what happens when we take our thinking upstream and try to prevent problems before they happen.
New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath asks what happens when we take our thinking upstream and try to prevent problems before they happen.
We all have a tendency to work around problems. We are resourceful. We improvise. We’re so accustomed to managing emergencies as they strike that we often don’t stop to think about how we could prevent crises before they happen. Why 'solve' crimes when we could stop them being committed? Why treat chronic diseases when they could be prevented from developing? Why provide shelter for the homeless rather than working to keep people housed in the first place? Why do our efforts skew so heavily towards reaction rather than prevention?
The notion of preventing problems is an evergreen need in our professional and daily lives. Which makes Upstream a book for skeptical optimists - across all sectors - who know it's not going to be easy, but who believe that we have the capacity to solve some of our thorniest issues, if only we start to think about the system rather than the symptoms. Drawing on insights from Dan Heath's extensive research, as well as hundreds of new interviews with unconventional problem solvers, he delivers practical solutions for preventing problems rather than simply reacting to them.
About the Author
Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University's CASE center, which supports entrepreneurs fighting for social good. He lives in Durham, North Carolina. Dan and his brother Chip have written four New York Times bestselling books- Made to Stick, Switch, Decisive, and The Power of Moments. Their books have sold over two million copies worldwide and have been translated into thirty-three languages.
Industry Reviews
Upstream contains research and storytelling that informs, engages and, above all, entertains. If you want to stop firefighting problems and prevent them from happening in the first place, then you should read what Dan Heath has to say. * Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better *
Dan Heath has written the ultimate primer on the power of prevention, a work that deserves a prominent place on every leader's bookshelf. Packed with vivid stories and practical examples, Upstream is the rare book that can both revitalize your business and make our world a better place. * Daniel H. Pink, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and To Sell Is Human *
Considers our chronic failure to address our problems before they hit us. * Financial Times *
In a style reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell and the Freakonomics team, Heath explores fascinating case studies from the business world and beyond... Upstream just might change the way you think about problem-solving. * Apple Books *
An elegant manifesto... With the frenetic pace of modern life, Heath observes, it's easy to become accustomed to putting out fires instead of looking for the spark that's igniting them... This is a pragmatic guide for those seeking big changes on either an individual or organizational level. * Publishers Weekly *
