Thinking Again and Again
I would like to write about Adam Grant’s book: “Think Again”, which was a true pleasure to read and from which I took a lot of useful information. This book “review” is going to be a little different compared to the last one. Mainly out of two reasons:
The book has less of a story flow and the chapters can be read by themselves. It’s an “examination of the critical art of rethinking” from different viewpoints. These viewpoints are related but don’t need to be read in the exact order presented in order to be understood
I decided to write book reviews about 4/5ths through the book, hence I don’t have the necessary notes
Birds-eye level summary:
“Think Again” talks about the need to question the truths we believe are true and the need to “think again” about them. (is this the same topic as “Why Fish Don’t Exist”, or am I projecting into “Think again” here? We’ll never find out :). Fundamentally “thinking again“ translates into the concept of “learning about topics you already learned about”. Even though learning about new topics is important, Adam Grant reminds us that whatever we already think to have understood, might not be true anymore. Therefore a process of constant “rethinking” (“relearning”) is necessary but often neglected. The scope of learning should therefore not be limited to areas that you know nothing about, but also include areas that you think you already know about. Personally, this concept resonates well with me. I have always enjoyed the learning experience. Shedding light into a previously dark area of knowledge feels very satisfying. Finding out that I am wrong about certain areas and through learning “cut a new path through the forest”. It’s part of the reason this blog even exists.
But now, let me share with you my two key take aways from the book. These might not seem as much, but these are crucial. I found, that it works best, to concentrate on one or two take aways from a book. Two take aways are “easy” enough to implement into a (my) life. But two take aways from each book read quickly accumulate. If you e.g. read 1 book a month that would mean 24 key take aways per year! That makes you better in 24 ways than 1 year ago. Stay humble, we’re not wizards here.
Take Away 1: Find the common ground - Find where you agree
In every debate or discussion, search for common ground between you and the other party. This helps to show your understanding of the situation and the other person. To quote the “Think Again”:
“Convincing other people to think again isn’t just about making a good argument - it’s about establishing the right motives in doing so. When we concede that someone else has made a good point, we signal that we’re not preachers, prosecutors, or politicians trying to advance an agenda. We’re scientists trying to get to the truth”.
An example from my work: I have faced a request from the head of another department with a proposed action forward on a specific case. But after checking the data, I was opposed to the proposed action path forward. This put me in a situation, where I had to believable, logically, and most importantly empathetically reason for why I thought so. I knew from experience that simply throwing data (logic) at this person was not going to work. I need to communicate a “no”, and still give them the impression that I value the request and that I’m someone that can be reasoned with. To find the common ground within an organization, I try to “move up the ladder”. To take as many steps backward as necessary for our goals to align. The goals of my own department and the other department align at some point on the corporate ladder. Even if it is the CEO’s level (in this case it wasn’t necessary to go that far up). So I found that level of aligned goals, explained that I fully agree with the goal, but do not agree with the proposed action path forward because of reasons I then went into (the data and logic part).
Take Away 2: How to properly ask for feedback - “What can I do better next time?”
When asking for honest feedback, it’s best not to ask people “Can you give me feedback on how I handled situation xyz?”, as they will be hesitant to do so. And it’s understandable: (most) people want to be polite and not discredit your efforts or work of the past. Instead, ask “What can I do better next time?”. You give the person you’re asking a way to be polite, not comment on your work yet still have an opening to give feedback. Saying “Ah, you did such a great job yet here are the ways you can improve”. It is a small wording change, but I already see the benefits. Especially in a corporate culture that is very Americanized (valuing “nice” “constructive” feedback).
There are a lot more pearls of wisdom in this book than I have written down above. My writing touches the surface. Please read this book to find more. If you have different take aways, please share them with me and I hope we can have a fruitful talk about it. And with this, I’ll leave it be: capturing another (small) snapshot of chaos.