Dan Heath | Co-Author of Four New York Times Bestselling Books, Including Switch.

Dan Heath

Co-Author of Four New York Times Bestselling Books, Including Switch.

Featured Topics
Fee Range
Please contact us for pricing
Travels From
Raleigh, NC, United States

Dan Heath
Biography

Dan Heath is the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author (or author) of five beloved business books: Switch, Made to Stick, Decisive, The Power of Moments, and Upstream. His latest book, Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working, will debut on January 21, 2025.  

His books have been translated into 33 languages and have sold over 4 million copies worldwide. His writing honors include: One of the best nonfiction books of the year, according to Amazon. One of the best audiobooks of the year, according to Apple. And the OWL award for Best Business Book of the Year. 

Dan hosts a podcast called: “What It’s Like to Be...” In every episode, he interviews someone from a different profession: a couples therapist, a rancher, a Secret Service Agent, and more. It’s consistently a Top 10 podcast in Apple’s Careers category. 

He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Texas at Austin.  

He lives now in Durham, North Carolina. 

Dan Heath
Featured Videos

Current: Upstream Heroes

Time 04:38

More Videos From Dan Heath

Upstream Heroes
Time 04:38
Tripping over the Truth
Time 03:47

Dan Heath
Featured Keynote Programs

Reset
How to Change What’s Not Working

Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. Like trying to budge an enormous boulder. How do you move past “the way you’ve always done things”? Where do you find the time and energy for new efforts when you’re constantly fighting fires?

With the right strategy, we can move the boulder. The secret is to find “leverage points”: places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. And that search requires us to observe our work with fresh eyes.

We’ll explore why getting “buy-in” is the wrong way to think about change. Why considering the “goal of the goal” is a critical discipline. And why the feeling of progress can be your secret weapon in accelerating change.

In this talk, drawing from his book RESET, Heath unpacks a simple framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. What if we could unlock forward movement without the need for more resources? The same people, the same assets … but dramatically better results.

Yesterday, we were stuck. Today, we reset.

Upstream
The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

So often in our organizations and communities, we fall into a cycle of reaction. A problem happens, and we respond. We fight fires. We contend with emergencies. Researchers call this "tunneling": We don't see the big picture, and we don't think about the future, we just keep pushing forward from one crisis to the next. What if instead we could shift our energies upstream -- uncovering and addressing the source of those problems?

In this talk, Heath will reveal how some leaders have learned to spot problems in advance: There's a school district that can predict which students will drop out – a full 4 years before graduation. There's an internet service company that can predict which customers are likely to cancel their subscriptions -- as early as two weeks after they sign up! When we shift from downstream response to upstream planning, it can cause miracles: One company eliminated 20 million customer support calls by asking, "How can we make sure our customers never need to call us?" And one nation in Europe has almost eliminated teenage substance abuse by asking, "How can we create a teenage culture that offers such compelling sober activities that teens simply don't feel like drinking or doing drugs?"

Heath will share the three forces that push us downstream, as well as the powerful levers we can use to start preventing problems before they happen.

Creating Moments That Matter

Some experiences are vastly more memorable and meaningful than others: A moment of extraordinary service that a customer can’t stop talking about. A moment of insight that helps a group of employees embrace a new vision. A moment of compassion that makes a patient’s burden feel lighter. Everywhere you look, people are trying to craft memorable experiences—from customer experiences to patient experiences. Leaders are working hard to boost employee engagement, student engagement, and parishioner engagement. But these discussions have been dominated by a focus on fixing problems (what Dan Heath calls “filling pits”), rather than creating memorable experiences (“raising peaks”). Yet Heath’s research suggests that it’s far more valuable to build peaks.

How do you build peaks for the people you care about? In this talk, drawing from his book The Power of Moments, Heath will reveal the four elements that create defining moments. Armed with an understanding of these elements, we can be the authors of moments that spark delight, connection, and insight.

Leading a Switch

Why do some big changes happen easily while many small changes prove impossible? The answer hinges on some of the most fascinating findings in psychology. Our mind is divided into two different systems—an analytical mind and an emotional mind—that are often in conflict, particularly in situations of change. Building on this research, and based on the book, Switch, which spent 47 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, Dan will reveal a simple, three-part framework that will help you change things in tough times.

All of us have things we want to change—in our families, our businesses, and our communities. Our goal might be as simple as losing a few pounds or as complex as changing the culture of an organization. Where do you start? And what do you do when you face resistance? This session is a must for any change leader who is struggling to make progress. Dan’s talk will give leaders the specific tools—and the inspiration—they need to make change happen.

Dan Heath
Featured Books

Reset: How to Change What's Not Workingby Dan Heath

Reset: How to Change What's Not Working

by Dan Heath

From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Made to Stick, Switch, and The Power of Moments comes a revolutionary guide to fixing what’s not working—in systems and processes, organizations and companies, and even in our daily lives—by identifying leverage points and concentrating resources to achieve our goals.

Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. Like trying to budge an enormous boulder. We’re stifled by the gravity of the way we’ve always done things. And we spend so much time fighting fires—and fighting colleagues—that we lack the energy to shift direction.

But with the right strategy, we can move the boulder. In Reset, Heath explores a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. The secret is to find “leverage points”: places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. Then, we can thoughtfully rearrange our resources to push on those points.

Heath weaves together fascinating examples, ranging from a freakishly effective fast-food drive-thru to a simple trick from couples therapy to an inspirational campaign that saved a million cats.

In Reset, you’ll learn:
-Why the feeling of progress can be your secret weapon in accelerating change
-How leaders can uncover and stop wasteful activities
-Why your team’s motivation is often squandered—and how to avoid that mistake
-How you can jumpstart your change efforts by beginning with a “burst”

The book investigates mysteries: Why the middle is the roughest part of a change effort. Why inefficiency can sometimes accelerate progress. Why getting “buy-in” is the wrong way to think about change.

What if we could unlock forward movement—achieving progress on what matters most—without the need for more resources? The same people, the same assets…but dramatically better results. Yesterday, we were stuck. Today, we reset.

Upstreamby Dan Heath

Upstream

by Dan Heath
Switchby Dan Heath

Switch

by Dan Heath
Power of Momentsby Dan Heath

Power of Moments

by Dan Heath
Made to Stickby Dan Heath

Made to Stick

by Dan Heath
Decisiveby Dan Heath

Decisive

by Dan Heath

Dan Heath
Featured Reviews

How Do You Choose the BEST Speaker for Your Event?

We’ve had 30 years and 40,000 events to perfect the process—and we’ll do it for free.
Get more details and availability

Dan Heath

Share some basic details about you and your upcoming event, and one of our experts will be in touch with you quickly regarding pricing and availability.
Event Details
Your Details
Cancel
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.