Think Again - Power Of Knowing

Think Again proposes a new approach to improving one’s thinking. It’s an approach that relies on doubting what we know. Simultaneously, it nudges people into developing an interest in learning new things and seeing others’ perspectives.

We listen to ideas that make us feel good instead of those that make us think hard. Also tend to have strong convictions and are proud that we stick to them , however , issue is that we live in an ever-changing environment. So to excel, we have to focus on rethinking rather than just thinking. Here question arise , How?

Every time we think or talk, we tend to fall into the role of one of these characters: a preacher, prosecutor, or politician. 

Preachers are only interested in pushing their own ideas. They impose their beliefs on others in an attempt to protect or popularize them. 

Prosecutors are eager to win every argument. They will relentlessly lash out at anyone whose opinions don’t align with their own. 

Politicians, in contrast, want to be people pleasers. They long for approval but don’t necessarily see the point in finding objective truth

When we fall in to any of three roles , our interest is in defending our opinion, making peace, or simply winning an argument. However , there is another role which can help us in challenging cognitive ability and that is "Scientist"

Being a scientist means conducting experiments, testing hypotheses, abandoning old beliefs, and embracing new truths. Being Flexible , ready to unlearn and relearn.

Traits to Become Scientist

1.Moderate Confidence Level

To Become scientist , we need to develop few traits like "moderate confidence level " since overconfidence does not allow to see our flaws , it resists in learning new things and modify views and finally end up with ignorance and arrogance whereas lack of confidence on the other hand lead to under utilization of skills and abilities

2. Blessing of Being Wrong

People hate being wrong. When someone indicates errors in our beliefs or ways of thinking, many of us will react in anger. We can easily see when someone else is wrong, but we don’t want to admit that we are not always right.

We fearlessly defend what we believe in. Psychology calls our unwillingness to change our views “totalitarian ego.” 

To overcome this fear of loosing identity , We should rather separate our identity from our beliefs. we develop a system of values instead. This will allow us to change our beliefs while staying true to our values. In this case, being wrong won’t cause an identity crisis. 

The world is always changing, and if we are not willing to change with it, we will fall behind. So the best way to adapt to an ever-changing environment is to embrace rethinking.

Source: Think Again (Adam Grant)

Nazia Tabassum

(HR & OD Professional)