FoodGrads Book Club Chapter 3 SWITCH

SWITCH Book Club a virtual reading experience with Food Grads followers and graduate students from Northeastern University in a synchronized reading of SWITCH – How to Change Things when Change is Hard, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath.

Chapter Three

Related: Introducing the FoodGrads Book Club

This chapter looks at destination postcards, vivid pictures from the near-term future that shows what could be possible.

I have seen this descried as a ‘road map’ or a game plan.  However, should we consider the role of a company’s Mission Statement?  These are defined as a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization, or individual. As such, I can see them as a form of these destination postcards.  But this raises an interesting concern how old should mission statements be?   What if they are antiquated and far from reflecting SMART goals?

SMART goals are defined as being specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and timely.

These often conflict with marketing strategies.  Remember Chipots Food with Integrity campaign (note, this was in use just at the start of their 2015 outbreaks.)

What campaigns with vague or unrealistic food messages do you recall?

How does Food with Integrity translate to a destination postcard or a SMART goal? According to the authors, effective visions express values that allow employees to identify with the organization. Destination postcards do double duty; they show the rider where you are headed, and they show the elephant why the journey is worthwhile.

What are your thoughts? 

Author: Dr. Darin Detwiler, LP.D., M.A.Ed., is the Assistant Dean at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies. He is a professor of food regulatory policy, specializing in food safety, global economics of food and agriculture, Blockchain, and food authenticity.  Detwiler recently received the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Distinguished Service Award (Sponsored by Food Safety Magazine.)

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Twitter: @DarinDetwiler