Why Rethinking Is Powerful
Somehow this year I’ve read a lot on motivation, mental models, and thinking in systems. A book I’ve recently finished is “Think Again” by Adam Grant.
Essentially it is about change and why rethinking has become an important ability in our ever faster changing world.
In this article, I’m excited to share what I’ve learned from the book and pass it on to you!
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| Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash |
Individual Rethinking
The accelerating pace of change means that we need to question our beliefs more readily than ever before. - Adam Grant
A preacher, a prosecutor, a politician, and a scientist
When we believe in something, we step into one of four roles:
- Preacher: When our sacred beliefs are in danger, we step into this mode.
- Prosecutor: If we are in being a prosecutor, we see our beliefs as the one and only and try to go to court with other beliefs.
- Politician: This is similar to preacher mode, however, it is more about influencing others to start sharing our beliefs.
- Scientist: If you’re a scientist, “rethinking” is part of the profession → One way to encourage “rethinking” is to think like a scientist.
Why is this important?
It underlines the importance of thinking like a scientist and meeting the world with curiosity rather than a fixed, sacred mindset.
The armchair quarterback and the impostor: finding the sweet spot of confidence
The ideal level of confidence is probably somewhere between an armchair quarterback (someone sitting on the couch and watching a football game knowing better what to do than anyone on the field) and an impostor who is doing great, but not believing in herself.
When we are overconfident (armchair quarterback), we fall for two biases:
- Confirmation Bias: We see what we expect to see.
- Desirability Bias: We see what we want to see.
Research suggests that just mentioning a single reason why we might be wrong is enough to curb overconfidence.
The joy of being wrong: the thrill of not believing everything you think
If knowledge is power, then knowing what we don’t know is wisdom. - Adam Grant
This is what is the spark for learning and learning requires the humility to recognize that you have something to learn.
Adam Grant writes about the “inner dictator” in this context. It prevails by setting in motion a cycle of hubris. First, our false opinions are shielded in filter bubbles where we feel proud when we only see information that supports our beliefs. Then our beliefs are sealed in echo chambers where we only hear from people who reinforce and validate them.
However, people who aren’t changing their minds often are also wrong, or in the words of Jeff Bezos:
If you don’t change your mind often, you will be wrong often. - Jeff Bezos
The key to being right more often is to actively listen, change one’s mind, and admit being wrong.
Interestingly, admitting we’ve done something wrong or made a mistake doesn’t make us look less competent. It represents honesty and a willingness to learn.
The good fight club: the psychology of constructive conflict
The absence of conflict is not harmony, but apathy.
Relationship conflict is generally bad for performance, but some task conflict can be beneficial: it is associated with higher creativity and smarter decisions.
Avoiding conflict is particularly bad for managers: some bosses don’t want problems. When they gain power, they ignore people who disagree with them and only like people who agree with them. They become like politicians, surrounded by people who are nice to them and say what they want to hear.
Studies show, however, that bosses who are like this become overconfident when their company is not doing well. They stick to their plans even when it would be better to change them.
Progress starts when people have different opinions.
Conflicts need to be reframed: they are not a sign of disrespect. On the contrary, it is a sign of respect. It means that you value the views of your counterparts enough to challenge them.
Interpersonal Rethinking
Dances with foes: how to win debates and influence people
When negotiating, it is better to ask open questions than to slip into an offensive/defensive spiral.
If someone becomes hostile in a discussion or a conflict, you should not see the argument as a war - then the only options would be attack or retreat. Instead, you should see arguments as a dance. If the fronts are very hardened, it helps to zoom out and have a conversation about the conversation.
Bad blood on the diamond: diminishing prejudice by destabilizing stereotypes
Asking questions can motivate people to rethink their conclusions.
The key is “asking counterfactual questions”.
What’s that?
A counterfactual question asks about a possible alternative, e.g.: What would the world be like today if electricity had never been discovered?
What’s special about these kinds of questions is that they invite people to explore the origins of their own beliefs and to rethink their attitudes towards other groups.
Vaccine whisperers and mild-mannered interrogators: how the right kind of listening motivates people to change
In a discussion, too much evidence/quotes, etc. can become counterproductive. A good method is “motivational interviewing”:
- Ask open questions
- Reflective listening
- Confirming the person’s desire and ability to change.
The crux of the matter is that when people ignore advice, it’s not always because they don’t agree with it. Sometimes they are resisting the feeling of being pressured and feeling that someone else is controlling their decision.
Collective Rethinking
Charged conversations: depolarizing our divided discussions
Several experiments have shown that experts who express doubt are more convincing. When someone who knows their stuff admits their uncertainty, it surprises people and they pay more attention to the content of the argument.
Another method that is often cited is to put yourself in the shoes of others. However, this does little to help us understand their point of view. This is because we are terrible mind readers. What works is not adopting perspectives, but seeking perspectives: talking to people to gain insights into the nuances of their views.
Rewriting the textbook: teaching students to question knowledge
This chapter packs three important points:
- One of the most important skills children should learn is unlearning.
- Think like a fact-checker:
- Question information instead of simply consuming it.
- Reject rank and popularity as an indicator of reliability.
- Understand that the sender of information is often not its source.
- The best way to learn is to teach.
That’s not the way we’ve always done it: building cultures of learning at work
In learning cultures, it is the norm that people know what they don’t know. People question their existing practices and they remain curious to try out new routines. It has been proven that companies in learning cultures introduce more innovations and make fewer mistakes.
Learning cultures have a prerequisite: employees must feel “psychologically safe”. Only then will they be prepared to take risks and make mistakes from which they can learn collectively.
Studies show that although psychologically safe teams report more mistakes, they make fewer mistakes. In psychologically insecure teams, mistakes tend to be covered up (to avoid getting into trouble).
How do you create an environment of psychological safety?
Psychological safety is not a question of relaxing norms, comfort, kindness, or unconditional praise. It is about creating a climate of respect, trust, and openness in which people can voice concerns and suggestions without fear of reprisal.
One question we should ask more often (to ourselves and others) is: “How do you know?”
Conclusion
Escaping tunnel vision: reconsidering our best-laid career and life plans.
When it comes to rethinking, grit can also have a dark side. Experiments show that brave people are more likely to overplay their hand at roulette and are more willing to persevere at tasks where they fail and success is impossible. What would Angela Ducksworth, author of Grit, say to that?
When we commit to a plan and it doesn’t go as we had hoped, our first instinct is usually not to overthink it.
Instead, we tend to commit even more and put even more resources into the plan. This pattern is called “escalation of commitment”. It has been proven, for example, that entrepreneurs stick to failed strategies when they should change course.
Adam Grant encourages readers of Think Again to ask themselves some important questions twice a year:
- When did you set the goals you are currently pursuing and how have you changed since then?
- Have you reached a learning plateau in your role or workplace and is it time to consider a change?
Rather than looking for the job where we are happiest, perhaps we should choose the job where we expect to learn and contribute the most. After all, passion is something that is developed, not something that is discovered. This is a conclusion many authors share, like Cal Newport (So Good They Can’t Ignore You), Bill Burnett and Dave Evans (Designing Your Life) also Angela Ducksworth (Grit).
My core learnings from Think Again
- Interestingly, admitting we have done something wrong or made a mistake does not make us look less competent. It represents honesty and a willingness to learn from others.
- The absence of conflict is not harmony, but apathy.
- Conflicts need to be reframed: a conflict is not a sign of disrespect. On the contrary, it is a sign of respect.
- It is better to discuss the “how” than the “why”.
- When negotiating, it is better to ask open questions than to slip into an offensive/defensive spiral.
- If the fronts in a discussion are very hardened, it helps to zoom out and have a conversation about the conversation.
- Binary bias: People try to minimize complexity by seeing things as either black or white.
- If you express doubts (as an expert), this makes you more credible.
- Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is not a good option (humans are poor mind readers). Instead, you should actively talk to the other person to understand the nuances of their views.
- The best way to learn is to teach.
- Learning cultures have a prerequisite: employees need to feel “psychologically safe”.
- We should be looking for “better practices” rather than “best practices” - that way we ensure that we keep learning.
- The demand for proof is an enemy of progress.
What do you think about the rethinking? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
If you are interested in “Think Again” by Adam Grant, I can highly recommend reading the whole book - it is definitely worth the time! Please support your local library and buy from them.