Currently Reading: Think Again
I was so excited to dive into this book! I’m a big Adam Grant fan and an even bigger fan of books that make you evaluate how you think!
Currently Reading: Think Again by Adam Grant
Think Again is about all about the ability to rethink and unlearn. It’s an uncomfortable practice but one that feels particularly timely. The book is broken down into three sections: Individual Rethinking, Interpersonal Rethinking, and Collective Rethinking.
The book looks at three different mindsets we tend to fall into The Preacher, The Prosecutor, and The Politician, and then offers a fourth and more favorable option, The Scientist. We all spend time in each one of these mindsets but Grant makes a case for the flexibility, openness, and curiosity required to think with a scientist framework.
“If you’re a scientist by trade, rethinking is fundamental to your professions. You’re paid to be constantly aware of the limits to your understanding. You’re expected to doubt what you know, be curious about what you don’t know, and update your views based on new data. In the past century alone, the application of scientific principles has led to dramatic progress . . . being a scientist is not just a profession. It’s a frame of mind—a mode of thinking that differs from preaching, prosecuting, and politicking. We move into scientist mode when we are searching for the truth: we run experiments to test hypotheses and discover knowledge. ”
Reading this book got me to reflect on what I need to rethink both on the mirco and macro level. Places where I instinctive dig my heals in instead of taking a deep breath and asking myself why? Does this way of thinking still serve me? Do I even agree with this any more? I found this way of thinking to be particularly helpful when it comes to conflict. I’ve started saying “give me a moment to re-think that” which gives me a personally moment to connect to myself and slow down and look at what is actually going on. I’ll add the caveat that it’s helpful to try this out with someone who is a safe space for you first because I do think some trust is required.
The book is filled with great questions, fun infographics and lots of helpful tools. In the last chapter of the book, Grant lays out his top thirty practical takeaways from the book. And being the nerd that I am, I got pretty excited to have a list to revisit.
Let me know if you read this book and what you re-think!
xox, Celeste
