We find it hard to rethink our ideas and beliefs. Instead of accepting new information and calibrating our thoughts, we preach our pre-existing beliefs. This is the key concept of Adam Grant’s latest book Think Again. It is filled with intriguing anecdotes in which people change their core beliefs. This includes the story of a KKK member who once listened to a black musician, went and spoke with him and eventually left the white supremacist group. This post is my takeaways from this book.
Before we start, it’s important to keep Dunning-Kruger effect in mind while reading this. Dunning-Kruger effect is when people who have some competency in doing something overestimate their confidence in doing the very thing. Basically if you’re confident about something, it could be because you’re not very qualified to do it (as you don’t understand the intricacies associated with it). This forms the basis of why we must be ready to drop our core beliefs as they are often rooted in overconfidence.
Right then, here we go.
Modes of operation
We have several modes of operations when we deal with our own beliefs. We waver between Preacher, Prosecutor, Politician and Scientist modes. When we are in the scientist mode we look for evidence that we are wrong with an open mind. Remaining open minded and looking at the data should be our goal almost all the time. In the Preacher mode we are stuck on our views, take them too personally and preach them to others. In the Prosecutor mode we shoot down other people’s ideas that are different from ours and finally in the Politician mode we try and build consensus on our ideas by lobbying.
Right amount of confidence
![OUR INTERNAL SPECTRUM OF CONFIDENCE](https://infermuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screenshot-2021-02-25-at-8.10.24-AM-1160x426.png" alt:"" %}
We all live on a scale that ranges between imposter syndrome and overconfidence. Having a little bit of imposter syndrome is good as it keeps us on our toes. The right place to be in, is near the centre which Adam calls confident humility. This is just the right amount of confidence with the humility to change our views based on new evidence.
##### People and conflicts at work
We need to look at disagreeable people for our teams. Effective teams have people who are constantly looking to rethink their plans and thrive in the culture of disagreements and conflicts. There are in fact two types of conflicts at work. Relationship conflicts and task conflicts. Relationship conflicts are when people don’t like each other or have disagreements on a personal level. These conflicts are hard to manage and makes collaboration hard. Task conflicts are disagreements on specific decisions or tasks and are relatively easier to manage. Any team can adapt an open minded attitude and encourage disagreements to ensure task conflicts never become relationship conflicts.
An important aspect of creating a disagreeable team is to foster psychological safety. Psychological safety is about openness where everyone can voice their disagreement without the fear of reprisal or danger of losing reputation. It almost always starts with leaders having a humility driven attitude, one that comes with almost wanting to be proven wrong so as to get to a more informed decision.
##### Effective debating
Debating is about trying to persuade the other party to hear and internalise your views. In this regard it is more of a dance than a confrontation. The way to do this effectively is to incorporate three simple things.
1. Start by laying down the points of agreement. Starting with the common ground allows everyone to start on a positive note.
2. Focus on one or two main arguments. When we use many arguments our opponents can get fixated on the weakest one and counter those.
3. Ask questions to drive the discussion forward. Instead of continuing to pound on your points, ask questions and listen intently to understand their points.
The last part is the most important one. Listening actively and not just waiting for your turn to speak is a skill not many of us have. Active listening was also quoted as one of the most important skill in a [negotiation by Chris Voss in his book Never Split The Difference](https://infermuse.com/10-negotiations-tips-from-never-split-the-difference/).
##### Motivational reasoning
Motivational reasoning is when we talk to people and help summon their own reasons or motivation for doing something. This is different from manipulation and being a solid listener is at its core. It was also discussed in [Daniel Pink’s masterclass](https://infermuse.com/10-sales-tips-from-daniel-pinks-masterclass/). The idea is to ask questions and listen for a reason why someone might be inclined to do something while giving them the space and freedom to do what they want.
Instead of trying to make them see your view, ask what would open their mind. Focus on ‘how’ and not ‘why’. When we question someone’s views, they become defensive. Instead, try to understand why someone has certain view by asking them ‘how’ they arrived at their conclusions.
##### Don’t oversimplify complicated issues
We all suffer from binary bias in which we simplify complex issues so as to make it easy for ourselves to choose one side. The reality is that in complex issues like climate change or gun control or abortions, all sides have shades of grey and are accurate to certain degrees. The way around this is to present the complexity clearly and not shoot for oversimplification.
There is a template for writing about complex issues.
1. Offer nuance by explaining exactly what you mean.
2. Provide caveats on what your views cover and don’t cover. This means clarifying what information was looked at and ignored.
3. Have a disclaimer that your views can change with new data and information.
There are generally multiple sides in a complicated issue and the right way to visualise it is to think of them as light passing through a prism rather than two sides of a coin.
##### Tunnel vision and time to rethink
Grit is the intersection of passion and perseverance and is one the most important qualities of go-getters. However too much grit can also have its downsides, the biggest of which is tunnel vision. Tunnel vision is when we become too constricted in our current thinking. Our grit restricts us from taking a step back and evaluating if we are still on the right path. At times it makes sense to in fact grit your teeth and start afresh.
Making time for rethinking is one way you can re-evaluate your path at regular time frames. Build a support network that pushes you to rethinking your ideas and beliefs. A thing to remember is that we need critics more than we need cheerleaders.
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I run a startup called [Harmonize](http://www.harmonizehq.com/). We are hiring and if you’re looking for an exciting startup journey, please write to jobs@harmonizehq.com. Apart from this blog, [I tweet ](https://twitter.com/dillisingh)about startup life and practical wisdom in books.