The Myers-Briggs Types Indicator suggests that I am an ENTP—extroverted, intuitive, thinking, perceptive. A key takeaway indicates that I think about new information coming my way and that I’m willing to change my mind if the new information is strong.
What about you? How willing are you to change your mind on something based on new data?
In manufacturing, that situation arises often. Those unwilling to change can face adverse events.
Catching up reporting on some of my past reading, I am visiting Adam Grant’s Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.
What about you. Can you revisit past decisions and assumptions? How afraid would you be to rethink long-held beliefs? Can you let go of knowledge that no longer serves you well?
I remember a time as a marketing manager of a computer peripheral in the 80s. I had a model of how to distribute and sell that product. The reality had shifted. By the time I figured it out, even though it was only a few months, it was too late. I left the company for something ultimately better. The two people I left behind had negative 10 sales over the following few months (they accepted a return of 10 units from a distributor).
Sometimes we must think again quickly.
Charles Darwin suggested ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. This sounds like the Dunning-Kruger effect—in many situations those who can’t don’t know they can’t. When we lack competence we are most likely to be brimming with overconfidence.
The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.
Tim Urban has noted that arrogance is ignorance plus conviction. We see that played out in myriad ways frequently.
What we all lack is this crucial nutrient for the mind—humility.
Nobel Laureate Danny Kahneman said that he refuses to let his beliefs become part of his identity. “I change my mind at a speed that drives my collaborators crazy.”
This is an outline of the 31 skills Grant identified in his research.
Individual
Develop the Habit of Thinking Again
Think like a scientist
Define your identity in terms of values, not opinions
Seek out information that goes agains your views
Calibrate your Confidence
Beware of getting stranded at the summit of Mt. Stupid
Harness the benefits of doubt
Embrace the joy of being wrong
Invite others to question your thinking
Learn something new from each person you meet
Build a challenge network, not a support network
Don’t shy away from constructive conflict
Interpersonal
Ask better Questions
Practice the art of persuasive listening
Question how rather than why
Ask “What evidence would change your mind?”
Ask how people originally formed an opinion
Approach Disagreements as Dances, not Battles
Acknowledge common ground
Remember less is often more
Reinforce freedom of choice
Have a conversation about the conversation
Collective Rethinking
Have more Nuanced Conversations
Complexify contentious topics
Don’t shy away from caveats and contingencies
Expand your emotional range
Teach Kids to Think Again
Have a weekly myth-busting discussion at dinner
Invite kids to do multiple drafts and seek input from others
Stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up
Create Learning Organizations
Abandon best practices
Establish psychological safety
Keep a rethinking scoreboard
Stay Open To Rethinking Your Future
Throw out the ten-year plan
Rethink your actions, not just your surroundings
Schedule a life checkup
Make time to think again
