Kerry Patterson Books
Kerry Patterson is an American author and co-founder of VitalSmarts, known for his work on communication and organizational behavior. He co-authored several bestselling books including 'Crucial Conversations' and 'Influencer', focusing on leadership, influence, and effective interpersonal skills.
Known for: Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success, Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
Books by Kerry Patterson
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Why do so many people sincerely want to change, yet keep repeating the same behaviors? In Change Anything, Kerry Patterson and his coauthors argue that lasting transformation rarely fails because of w...
Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior
Crucial Accountability provides a practical framework for addressing broken promises, poor performance, and bad behavior in both professional and personal settings. The authors present step-by-step me...
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Some conversations change everything. A tense discussion with a partner, a difficult performance review, a disagreement with a colleague, or a moment when trust has been damaged can shape relationship...
Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
This book explores the science and practice of influence, showing how individuals and organizations can create lasting change by combining motivation and ability strategies. Drawing on research from p...
Key Insights from Kerry Patterson
Identify the Behaviors That Matter Most
The biggest mistake people make in change efforts is trying to fix everything at once. We often describe our goals in broad, emotional terms: get healthy, be more productive, become a better parent, stop procrastinating. But these are outcomes, not behaviors. The authors argue that meaningful change...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Diagnose the Real Problem Before Acting
People often fail at change not because they are weak, but because they are solving the wrong problem. We are quick to explain setbacks with simplistic labels: lazy, unmotivated, inconsistent, bad with money, not a morning person. The book challenges this habit and insists on proper diagnosis before...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Use All Six Sources of Influence
Most change attempts fail because they rely on a single tool—usually personal willpower. Change Anything argues that lasting transformation requires a broader strategy built around six sources of influence. These sources are organized across three levels: personal, social, and structural, with each ...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Build Personal Motivation That Lasts
Willpower is unreliable when a bad habit feels rewarding in the moment. One of the book’s key insights is that people do what is pleasurable, meaningful, or emotionally compelling right now—not what they merely agree is good in theory. That is why lectures about long-term benefits often fail. If the...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Increase Personal Ability Through Simplicity
People often assume they fail because they do not want change badly enough. But sometimes the real problem is that the desired behavior is simply too hard. According to the authors, personal ability is just as important as motivation. Even highly committed people abandon goals when the required acti...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Use People as Forces for Change
Behavior is contagious. We like to imagine our habits are private choices, but the people around us shape what feels normal, acceptable, and possible. Change Anything highlights two social forces: social motivation and social ability. Social motivation comes from encouragement, approval, accountabil...
From Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
About Kerry Patterson
Kerry Patterson is an American author and co-founder of VitalSmarts, known for his work on communication and organizational behavior. He co-authored several bestselling books including 'Crucial Conversations' and 'Influencer', focusing on leadership, influence, and effective interpersonal skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kerry Patterson is an American author and co-founder of VitalSmarts, known for his work on communication and organizational behavior. He co-authored several bestselling books including 'Crucial Conversations' and 'Influencer', focusing on leadership, influence, and effective interpersonal skills.
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