In his groundbreaking book “Reset,” Dan Heath challenges us to rethink how we approach change and improvement in our lives and organizations. Through compelling insights and practical wisdom, Heath shows us that feeling stuck isn’t about personal failure—it’s about systems that need redesigning. This collection of transformative quotes from “Reset” offers a roadmap for breaking free from stagnation by focusing on leverage points, rethinking resource allocation, and creating sustainable systems that produce meaningful results. Whether you’re facing personal or professional challenges, these principles can help you shift from pushing harder to working smarter.
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.”
- Identify an area where you’re stuck—career, habits, or workflow.
- Ask: Is this a problem of effort or system design?
- Find one inefficient habit or process and tweak it.
“Feeling stuck is dispiriting. The failure to improve and thrive can seep into your self-image. “I didn’t make progress” can easily slip into “I’m not capable of making progress.”
- Reframe setbacks: Instead of “I failed,” say “The system isn’t working—how can I adjust it?”
- Track small wins to reinforce that growth is possible.
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“We need to deliver all the packages we receive within a day.” Well, sure, that would be lovely, but we have NEVER DONE THAT, so what makes you think that is possible? It feels overwhelming.”
- Instead of dismissing a big goal, break it into small, achievable actions.
- Find examples of people or organizations who have done it successfully.
- Take the first step—momentum reduces doubt.
“Shoving harder is not a viable plan (unless your plan is to slip a disc).“
- Identify where you’re exerting effort with little progress.
- Shift focus to changing the system, not just working more.
“Leverage Points are interventions where a little bit of effort yields disproportionate returns. Of the universe of things you could do to improve a situation, the Leverage Points are the things you should do.”
- Look for small changes that create big impact.
- Ask: What’s the one thing that, if fixed, would improve everything else?
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“To make things happen, you should Find Leverage Points and Restack Resources to push on those points.”
- Instead of adding effort, redirect energy, time, or focus to high-impact areas.
- Cut distractions that don’t serve the goal.
“To spark change, we shouldn’t think AND, we should think INSTEAD OF. Less of this, more of that.”
- Don’t add complexity—replace low-value actions with high-value ones.
- Example: Instead of more meetings, create better communication systems.
“Observe up close the reality of your work.”
- Step away from reports and assumptions—see the process firsthand.
- Identify inefficiencies, outdated habits, or unnecessary steps.
“Identify alternate pathways to your ultimate destination.”
- Ask: What am I actually trying to achieve?
- Explore alternative, more effective paths to the same result.
“Analyze and replicate your own best work.”
- Identify past successes—what made them effective?
- Apply those winning strategies to similar challenges.
“Assess the #1 force that is holding you back.”
- Find the one thing slowing everything down.
- Focus on solving that constraint before addressing smaller issues.
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