Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing — Including You
by Brad Stulberg
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The Net-Net
In Master of Change, author and coach Brad Stulberg argues that the key to success and fulfillment is accepting life’s inherent instability and adapting accordingly. Weaving together scientific research, Greek and Eastern philosophy, and the stories of both elite performers and ordinary people, Stulberg makes the case for embracing what he calls “a rugged and flexible mindset.” Amidst moments of crisis and disruption — recessions, pandemics, and the emergence of technologies like AI are all recent examples — our immediate reaction may be to resist change and hold on to the familiar. Stulberg, however, contends that such events are not only inevitable but offer us opportunities for growth.
Top 3 Insights
- Be open to the flow of life. Stulberg states the first step of mastering change is learning to accept it. “Change is rarely, if ever, easy,” he says, but “many of our problems, both individually and societally, result from resisting change.” Through the stories of professional rock climber Tommy Caldwell and a marketer-turned-writer named Christine, Stulberg explains how life’s setbacks — Caldwell losing his finger; Christine losing her prized job — can lead to unexpected discoveries and new paths. For Caldwell, this meant adapting his climbing style and going on to achieve a free climb of Yosemite’s El Capitan. For Christine, it was a chance to pursue and build a more fulfilling career as a full-time writer.
- Cultivate a fluid sense of self. Citing the work of psychologist Jane Loevinger, Stulberg says we should “recognize that our sense of self is not static but dynamic.” As a star high school football player, Stulberg faced the challenge of leaving the sport behind as he transitioned into college and later adulthood. Despite this change, he ultimately found a new avenue for his athletic identity in strength training, a practice he has sustained amidst a demanding career and his responsibilities as a father. Through this journey, Stulberg learned to understand when aspects of our ego are beneficial and when it’s time to let them go for our growth. In the context of your career, this could mean being open to evolving your professional identity. Like Stulberg transitioning from football to strength training, you might find that the skills and passions you develop outside of your current role can lead to new and exciting career opportunities.
- Respond, rather than react. Drawing from Stoic and Taoist philosophies, Stulberg advises distinguishing between what is within our control and what isn’t. He also proposes a four-step method for becoming less reactive, termed the 4Ps: pause, process, plan, and proceed. This approach involves taking a moment to halt, thoughtfully assessing the situation, creating a strategy, and then moving forward with action. By adhering to these steps, Stulberg suggests that individuals can cultivate self-efficacy: “a secure confidence borne out of the evidence-based belief that you are capable of showing up and taking deliberate actions during change and difficulties.” In a professional setting, this approach could be useful for managing stress as well as making strategic decisions.
Actionability
While Master of Change provides insightful perspectives on adapting to life’s constant flux, its advice is somewhat abstract. Some of Stulberg’s directives — “embrace non-dual thinking,” “view the world with independent and interdependent lenses” — come off as more theoretical than practical. That said, Stulberg does offer helpful examples of these concepts, and the “Ten Tools for Developing Rugged Flexibility” section at the end of the book is especially worthwhile.
- Simply get started. If there’s a task I’m not looking forward to doing, I’ll try to begin the task anyway, knowing this can provide me “an initial oomph [of] activation energy.”
- Lower my expectations. Since “happiness at any given moment is a function of your reality minus your expectations,” as Stulberg argues, I’ll try my best to temper my expectations, knowing reality itself isn’t under my control.
- Practice the 4Ps. When faced with anything less than pleasant, I’ll remember to first pause, then process, and finally plan and proceed with a reasoned response.
Good Stories
The narratives of individuals like Tommy Caldwell, Nils Van der Poel, and Ginger Feimster serve as inspiring examples of adaptability and resilience. However, while these stories effectively illustrate the book’s themes, they’re not the most riveting or memorable (with the exception of Caldwell’s Kyrgyzstan kidnapping story, which opens the book).
- Tommy Caldwell and his friends being taken captive by militant rebels in Kyrgyzstan (and ultimately escaping).
- Terry Crews’s journey from child artist to NFL linebacker to Hollywood actor.
- Ginger Feimster’s acceptance of her lesbian daughter while remaining a devout Christian and Southern lady.
Key Quotes
- “Once you accept something as an immutable reality in the present moment, you give yourself permission to stop wishing it away or trying to manipulate it on your terms. This allows you to direct all of your energy toward acceptance and moving forward.” (39)
- “Our culture pushes us to wear rose-tinted glasses and ‘think positive,” but we have a better chance at feeling and doing good if we set realistic expectations—including that things change all the time, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.” (70)
- “Research shows that the most common outcome of trauma is resilience and growth. This is not to negate the pain and suffering that follows trauma, nor to downplay the horrors of PTSD. It is simply a fact that most people recover and find meaning even after they have sunken down to the darkest depths.” (167)
If This Were an MBA Class, it Would Be Called:
Adaptive Strategies for Personal and Professional Growth
Best For:
- New managers and leaders
- Entrepreneurs and founders
- Anyone going through a tumultuous time in their life
Can’t get enough? Consider:
- Brad Stulberg on Derek Thompson’s Plain English podcast, discussing fatherhood and Master of Change
- Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, for a deeper dive into thriving in unpredictable environments
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, which explores the growth mindset, a concept closely related to adapting to change
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