{"id":15854,"date":"2023-02-17T20:24:27","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T01:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=15854"},"modified":"2023-02-17T20:24:27","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T01:24:27","slug":"book-review-think-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=15854","title":{"rendered":"BOOK REVIEW | Think Again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant.webp 800w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant-465x465.webp 465w, https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant-500x500.webp 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Think Again<\/em> by Adam Grant is a great reminder that things shouldn&#8217;t just be as they always have been.  So much research has been done on the value of reflection, iterating, and simply rethinking.  Deep down, we really don&#8217;t want things to be as they always have been&#8230;we want them to be better and that means we must approach the same old things with a new way of thinking.  This book was a great read&#8230;lots to think about.  I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below&#8230; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>When people reflect on what it takes to be mentally fit, the first idea that comes to mind is usually intelligence. The smarter you are, the more complex the problems you can solve\u2014and the faster you can solve them. Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a turbulent world, there\u2019s another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. Location: 97&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Part of the problem is cognitive laziness. Some psychologists point out that we\u2019re mental misers: we often prefer the ease of hanging on to old views over the difficulty of grappling with new ones. Yet there are also deeper forces behind our resistance to rethinking. Questioning ourselves makes the world more unpredictable. It requires us to admit that the facts may have changed, that what was once right may now be wrong. Reconsidering something we believe deeply can threaten our identities, making it feel as if we\u2019re losing a part of ourselves.&nbsp; Location: 118&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt, and we let our beliefs get brittle long before our bones. We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to opinions that we formed in 1995. We listen to views that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. Location: 124&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>My aim in this book is to explore how rethinking happens. I sought out the most compelling evidence and some of the world\u2019s most skilled rethinkers. The first section focuses on opening our own minds.&nbsp; Location: 222&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>The second section examines how we can encourage other people to think again. Location: 227&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>The third section is about how we can create communities of lifelong learners.&nbsp; Location: 230&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>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. Location: 245&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it\u2019s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools\u2014and some of the most cherished parts of your identity.&nbsp; Location: 249&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. \u2014George Bernard Shaw&nbsp; Location: 258&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>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\u2019s reasoning: we marshal arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. We shift into politician mode when we\u2019re 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\u2019re right, prosecuting others who are wrong, and politicking for support that we don\u2019t bother to rethink our own views. Location: 309&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Mental horsepower doesn\u2019t guarantee mental dexterity. No matter how much brainpower you have, if you lack the motivation to change your mind, you\u2019ll miss many occasions to think again. Research reveals that the higher you score on an IQ test, the more likely you are to fall for stereotypes, because you\u2019re faster at recognizing patterns. And recent experiments suggest that the smarter you are, the more you might struggle to update your beliefs.&nbsp; Location: 385&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong\u2014not for reasons why we must be right\u2014and revising our views based on what we learn.&nbsp; Location: 405&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Our convictions can lock us in prisons of our own making. The solution is not to decelerate our thinking\u2014it\u2019s to accelerate our rethinking. That\u2019s what resurrected Apple from the brink of bankruptcy to become the world\u2019s most valuable company.&nbsp; Location: 458&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Research shows that when people are resistant to change, it helps to reinforce what will stay the same. Visions for change are more compelling when they include visions of continuity. Although our strategy might evolve, our identity will endure.&nbsp; Location: 474&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>The curse of knowledge is that it closes our minds to what we don\u2019t know. Good judgment depends on having the skill\u2014and the will\u2014to open our minds.&nbsp; Location: 485&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Great thinkers don\u2019t harbor doubts because they\u2019re impostors. They maintain doubts because they know we\u2019re all partially blind and they\u2019re committed to improving their sight. They don\u2019t boast about how much they know; they marvel at how little they understand. They\u2019re aware that each answer raises new questions, and the quest for knowledge is never finished. A mark of lifelong learners is recognizing that they can learn something from everyone they meet.&nbsp; Location: 764&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Attachment. That\u2019s what keeps us from recognizing when our opinions are off the mark and rethinking them. To unlock the joy of being wrong, we need to detach. I\u2019ve learned that two kinds of detachment are especially useful: detaching your present from your past and detaching your opinions from your identity.&nbsp; Location: 879&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Who you are should be a question of what you value, not what you believe.&nbsp; Location: 898&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Being wrong won\u2019t always be joyful. The path to embracing mistakes is full of painful moments, and we handle those moments better when we remember they\u2019re essential for progress. But if we can\u2019t learn to find occasional glee in discovering we were wrong, it will be awfully hard to get anything right.&nbsp; Location: 1,010&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>The clearest sign of intellectual chemistry isn\u2019t agreeing with someone. It\u2019s enjoying your disagreements with them. Harmony is the pleasing arrangement of different tones, voices, or instruments, not the combination of identical sounds. Creative tension makes beautiful music. Location: 1,136&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Experiments show that simply framing a dispute as a debate rather than as a disagreement signals that you\u2019re receptive to considering dissenting opinions and changing your mind, which in turn motivates the other person to share more information with you. A disagreement feels personal and potentially hostile; we expect a debate to be about ideas, not emotions. Starting a disagreement by asking, \u201cCan we debate?\u201d sends a message that you want to think like a scientist, not a preacher or a prosecutor\u2014and encourages the other person to think that way, too.&nbsp; Location: 1,296&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Listening well is more than a matter of talking less. It\u2019s a set of skills in asking and responding. It starts with showing more interest in other people\u2019s interests rather than trying to judge their status or prove our own. We can all get better at asking \u201ctruly curious questions that don\u2019t have the hidden agenda of fixing, saving, advising, convincing or correcting,\u201d journalist Kate Murphy writes, and helping to \u201cfacilitate the clear expression of another person\u2019s thoughts.\u201d[*]&nbsp; Location: 2,204&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>When we succeed in changing someone\u2019s mind, we shouldn\u2019t only ask whether we\u2019re proud of what we\u2019ve achieved. We should also ask whether we\u2019re proud of how we\u2019ve achieved it.&nbsp; Location: 2,265&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>education is more than the information we accumulate in our heads. It\u2019s the habits we develop as we keep revising our drafts and the skills we build to keep learning.&nbsp; Location: 2,817&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/li><li>Rethinking is more likely to happen in a learning culture, where growth is the core value and rethinking cycles are routine. In learning cultures, the norm is for people to know what they don\u2019t know, doubt their existing practices, and stay curious about new routines to try out. Evidence shows that in learning cultures, organizations innovate more and make fewer mistakes. After studying and advising change initiatives at NASA and the Gates Foundation, I\u2019ve learned that learning cultures thrive under a particular combination of psychological safety and accountability. Location: 2,867<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Think Again by Adam Grant is a great reminder that things shouldn&#8217;t just be as they always have been. So much research has been done on the value of reflection, iterating, and simply rethinking. Deep down, we really don&#8217;t want things to be as they always have been&#8230;we want them to be better and that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,25,23,28,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-education","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/think-again-adam-grant.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}