Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

Be curious, not judgemental – Ted Lasso
A book that makes you question what you think you know — in the best possible way. Adam Grant shows how important it is to stay curious and rethink our assumptions. It made me more open-minded at work and at home.

Think Again. The power of knowing what you don’t know. By Adam Grant
The author, Adam Grant, is a professor of Organizational Psychology at Wharton, with a special interest in evidence-based management.When we think of smart people, we usually understand them to be able to deal with complex problems quickly. It is common to presume that if a person has to rethink and unlearn what they know, it is because they aren’t that smart, and didn’t think well enough in the first place.The thrust of this book is the demonstration that there are two cognitive skills that matter more than any others: the ability to rethink and unlearn.Consider this: You have just completed a multiple-choice test, and you have enough time left to review your work. When you come across an answer that you are not sure is correct, would you change it or leave it? (Pause for your instinctive answer.) Research indicates that ¾ of all people feel it will hurt their score to change. Research also shows that they would have been right to change their answer, but chose to stick to their first opinion, their existing answer. Only ¼ would have been wrong to change the answer they selected.This is called the ‘first instinct fallacy.’People seem quite willing to change many parts of their lives, such as their wardrobe or kitchen. However, we are unwilling to change deeply held knowledge or opinions.The reason for this is that changing deeply held knowledge or opinions threatens our identity, our understanding of who we are. I am a capitalist, I am a member of this faith, I only use alternative medicine, and so on. We are inclined to hold on to beliefs for the comfort of conviction, rather than the discomfort of doubt.Grant was part of Harvard’s first online social network. It connected freshmen before university started, and one in eight of the large intake, participated. When they started university, they abandoned the network and shut it down. The well-learnt view was that online tools connect people far away, not when you live in walking distance from each other.Five years later Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook on the same campus. This experience caused “rethinking to become central to my sense of self,” Grant explains.How does rethinking happen? People with ‘super smart’ or ‘regular’ intelligence have all the tools they need for rethinking. The challenge is remembering to use them. If one needs any incentive to take this valuable skill to heart today, here are some medical statistics.In 1950 it took 10 years for medical knowledge to double. By 1980 it was doubling every 7 years, and by 2010, every 3.5 years. Clearly medicine is not the only field growing at this rate.Philip Tetlock (author of ‘Super-Forecasting’, reviewed in this column) has a useful description of the mindsets we tend to slip into, to avoid rethinking ideas.The first is the “Preacher”. When our ‘sacred’ beliefs are in jeopardy, we ‘deliver sermons’ to protect and promote our ideals. Changing our minds would be a mark of moral weakness.The second is the “Prosecutor” which entails recognizing the flaws in the other person’s position, and marshalling arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. By ‘prosecuting’ others who are wrong, we ensure we are not persuaded, and so don’t have to admit defeat.The third is the “Politician” where the outcome we desire is winning over an audience, and we will change position in response to what is more popular.The correct and most valuable mindset is that of the “Scientist” because it is a sign of intellectual integrity. The scientist mindset shifts when shown sharper logic and stronger data. It doesn’t see learning as a way to affirm our beliefs, but rather, (and this is so important,) to evolve our beliefs. I cannot think of any professional activity that would not be enhanced by this stance. This is not capitulation: it is the evolution of your opinion and belief.It is easy to see the value of the scientific approach from research on startups. Unschooled in the scientific mindset, the control group averaged less than $300 in annual revenues. The group taught scientific thinking, averaged more than $12,000 in revenues.Grant raises the question as to whether mental horsepower guarantees mental dexterity. The unequivocal answer is no. In fact, it has been shown to be liability.A study of American presidents was undertaken to identify one trait that could consistently predict presidential greatness – controlling for years in office, wars, and scandals. What emerged was “their intellectual curiosity and openness.” All the presidents who contributed significantly to the country, were interested in hearing new views and revising their old ones. They may have been ‘politicians’ by profession, but they solved ‘problems’ like scientists.This is as true in business. In 2004, a group of Apple engineers, designers, and marketers tried to persuade Steve Jobs to adapt the best-selling product at the time, the iPod, into a phone. Jobs was strongly against dealing with mobile data and voice suppliers because they imposed constraints on the manufacturers of cellphones. After six months of discussion with Jobs, he agreed to the development of the iPod so it could have calling capacity. Four years after it launched, the iPhone accounted for half of Apple’s revenue.In a US – China study of the leadership characteristics of the most productive and innovative teams, it was found that they were not run either by confident leaders or humble leaders. Rather, they were run by leaders with high levels of confidence and with humility. This combination results in the leader having faith in their strengths, but being keenly aware of their weaknesses.Great discoveries don’t start with a high five and a shout of Eureka! Rather they start with “that’s funny…”Ray Dalio, founder of the extraordinarily successful hedge fund, Bridgewater, remarked: “If you don’t look back at yourself and think, ‘Wow, how stupid I was a year ago,’ then you haven’t learned much in the last year.”Reading Grant’s book will assist.Readability Light –+– SeriousInsights High -+— LowPractical High —+- Low*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on strategy and implementation, is the author of ‘Strategy that Works’ and a public speaker. Views expressed are his own.

Adam Grant’s best book yet for business leaders
There are two powerful reasons to read this book. One: You’ll learn a lot. Two: This book will be mentioned in articles and discussions. It will make the short list of books every manager should read. I bought Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant because I’ve learned a lot from his books, blogs, and articles. I expected the same level of lucid writing and penetrating insight that I got from Originals and Give and Take. For me, this was the best book yet. Think Again is the best book Grant has written for business leaders. That VUCA world we keep hearing about requires flexibility and unlearning. Most of the books I’ve seen on the kind of learning you need for today’s world focus on corporate cultures, on creating “learning institutions.” Think Again is different. Think Again is about the learning culture between your ears. Here’s how Grant states the purpose of the book. “This book is an invitation to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you well, and to anchor your sense of self in flexibility rather than consistency. If you can master the art of rethinking, I believe you’ll be better positioned for success at work and happiness in life. Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems. It’s a path to learning more from the people around you and living with fewer regrets. A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools—and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.”The first section of the book is about opening your mind. It’s about what “thinking again” really means. The second part of the book looks at ways to encourage others to think again or to think along with you. The third section is about creating communities of lifelong learners. A key to getting the most from this book is the different mindsets that Philip Tetlock discovered. Here’s Grant’s brief description from Think Again.“Two decades ago my colleague Phil Tetlock discovered something peculiar. As we think and talk, we often slip into the mindsets of three different professions: preachers, prosecutors, and politicians. In each of these modes, we take on a particular identity and use a distinct set of tools. We go into preacher mode when our sacred beliefs are in jeopardy: we deliver sermons to protect and promote our ideals. We enter prosecutor mode when we recognize flaws in other people’s reasoning: we marshal arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. We shift into politician mode when we’re seeking to win over an audience: we campaign and lobby for the approval of our constituents. The risk is that we become so wrapped up in preaching that we’re right, prosecuting others who are wrong, and politicking for support that we don’t bother to rethink our own views.”Grant uses Tetlock’s terms for the different mindsets. I found digging around on the web and in the scholarly literature for more on the mindsets helped me squeeze even more value from this book. This is not a book where you can skip around and get much value. The description of thinking in the first section sets up later lessons and insights. The second section builds on the first and applies the lessons to debate and persuasion. The third section builds on the first two. It extends the basic mindset idea to groups. Suggestion. As a warmup for Think Again, take a minute to read a Farnam Street blog post: “Jeff Bezos on Why People that Are Often Right Change Their Minds Often.”In A NutshellThink Again is an excellent book that will give you techniques you can use to think more effectively at work and everywhere else. You’ll get more from the book if you do a little bit of homework. Learn about Tetlock’s mindsets and the general idea of changing your mind as a way of thinking. 

Loved the book, another hit by Adam. Makes you humble and eager to learn more.

da leggere!

Excelente para reaprender, entre otras cosas