A Conversation with Dan Heath: Problem Blindness

Thought Leadership Series

This second installment in School Administrator’s Thought Leadership Series captures the thinking of book author Dan Heath in a conversation with Joe Sanfelippo, superintendent in Fall Creek, Wis., a school community with 850 students located 90 minutes east of St. Paul, Minn.

Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship and the co-author (with brother Chip Heath) of four bestsellers on the psychology of leadership practices and strategies. He appeared at the 2015 AASA national conference as a General Session speaker and is a past contributor to School Administrator magazine.

In Sanfelippo’s interview, which focuses on Heath’s most recent book, Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, the author talked about “problem blindness,” gaining more accurate perceptions of reality and setting a goal that motivates others for action.

Heath opens Upstream with a venerable parable that’s attributed to various originating sources to frame his work. The parable depicts two friends at the edge of a river when suddenly they see a child in the river. Both jump in to rescue the child. Then they see another child floating in the stream and save that child. Then another child and another and another are floating down the stream. At one point one of the friends exits the water and starts running alongside the river up the stream. His partner, still in the water, saving the children floating his way says, "Where are you going? I need help saving all of these children." The friend responds, "I'm going upstream to stop the person throwing all of these kids in the water!" (Heath relates this parable in a one-minute video.)

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.