Upstream: How to solve problems before they happen

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.

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. Therapists rehabilitate drug addicts, corporate recruiters replace talented executives who leave, pediatricians prescribe inhalers to kids with breathing problems. But we'd all rather live in a world where addicts never try drugs, executives stay put, and kids don't get asthma. So 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.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. Therapists rehabilitate drug addicts, corporate recruiters replace talented executives who leave, pediatricians prescribe inhalers to kids with breathing problems. But we'd all rather live in a world where addicts never try drugs, executives stay put, and kids don't get asthma. So 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.
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.