Think Again by Adam Grant

In a constantly changing environment, it pays to be able to change your mind. You should know how to re-think - so as to integrate new information and also error check previous knowledge.

To do this, think like a scientist. Test your theories - rely on evidence, not intuition.

Beware of Incompetence Blindness - not knowing that you are bad in one area. Cure is humility.

3 Strategies of Negotiators

  • Find common ground. Let the other party "win" at times
  • Present few, strong arguments rather than a lot of arguments. If you give many arguments, the other party will discredit the weak ones - leading them to discredit the entire argument(Strawman fallacy)
  • Think like a scientist - be curious about the other parties arguments. Ask questions to understand their arguments

A good argument against a prejudice is to show that they believe it only by dumb luck. Eg. "Would you be a white supremacist if you were born into a black family?"

People rethink less when an issue is presented as black and white. But many activism movements tend to employ a binary framing. You are either an environmentalist or your a climate change denier. You are woke or you are a racist. Picking a side is an emotional task - not a good way to change your mind.

In an organization, the culture impacts rethinking capability. To enable re-thinking, you need a learning culture. For that you need to provide Psychological Safety at work

If your identity comes from beliefs you have, or opinions you hold, its extremely difficult to change those. Your mind will defend them very strongly.

Meta