A review of Adam Grant’s Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.
March 31, 2021
By Rachel Smith
Oscar is in his second year of veterinary school, and truth be told, he’s not enjoying it very much. He has wanted to be a vet for as long as he can remember, but the further he gets, the less he enjoys his studies.
He took a few business classes in college, thinking that would help him if one day he ran his own veterinary practice, and he absolutely loved them. They sparked something in him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. By that point, though, he had taken nearly all of the prerequisites for vet school. He applied, got in, and continued on with his longtime plan. But he keeps thinking about those business courses.
So, what does Oscar do? He takes some time to reflect. He rethinks his life plan and realizes that he’s not a vet after all. He’s going to pivot and apply to an MBA program. Why waste more time and money on something that isn’t bringing him any joy?
Does this story sound familiar to you? It shouldn’t. If Oscar is like most humans, he’s not so great at rethinking. He’s halfway through veterinary school and, while unhappy, will tell himself that it’s hard and he’s tired but it will be so much better when he graduates and starts his career.
He’s already spent so many hours and so much money on this goal, and since he was little he’s wanted to be a vet. No, he’s not about to pivot. Quite the opposite. He’s going to escalate his level of commitment, dig in his heels, and keep moving toward a career of unhappiness.
Adam Grant’s latest book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, takes a close look into why we humans are so bad at rethinking our beliefs about the world and about ourselves, and how we might be able to change that.
Grant urges us all to think like scientists: to seek the truth by continually asking questions and testing hypotheses, expecting some of our previously-held beliefs to change as we learn new things from these experiments. However, he acknowledges that people are more likely to act as preachers, giving sermons that protect our beliefs; prosecutors, pointing out flaws in others’ reasoning; and politicians, seeking to win people over.
One reason it’s so difficult to change our beliefs is that they often feel like a part of our identity. Nobody eats a plant-based diet—they ARE vegan. Nobody roots for their favorite team—they ARE a die-hard Yankees fan. Our opinions become part of who we are.
Grant doesn’t think this is a good thing, and suggests that we detach our opinions from our identity and our present from our past. This way of thinking, however, takes what he calls confident humility—believing in yourself but not necessarily your tools or methods. It’s having the courage to explore new ideas and enough modesty that you’ll reexamine what you previously thought or believed.
When we understand how deeply our opinions can be tied to our identity, it’s no wonder most of us don’t react well when presented with a different point of view. It can feel like who we are is being rejected or attacked. It also doesn’t help that most of us present these views like preachers, prosecutors, and politicians—not like scientists.
To figure out a better method for discussing a contentious topic, Grant looked at a multitude of studies on everything from expert negotiators to rabid sports fans. The reader comes away with several easily implementable suggestions for how to have a more productive (or at least a more civil) argument.
Don’t ask “why” somebody thinks the way they do. This only causes people to feel more passionately and cling more tightly to their position while dismissing any counterargument. It’s better to instead ask “how.” How do you think GMOs are harmful? How did you come to your stance on vaccination? How do you see higher taxes on the wealthy benefitting the economy? Asking how prompts a less defensive reaction, and encourages people to examine their own beliefs more closely.
Research has shown that expert labor-and-contract negotiators differ from their mediocre counterparts in several ways. Expert negotiators:
When you find yourself debating a topic, try modeling these expert negotiators. It might not result in a peace accord, but it could facilitate peace at the dinner table.
What do we do when we disagree about something? We try to convince the other person why we are right. This does not work. Instead, we need to be introducing the possibility that the other person could be wrong. We can’t be telling them what to think, but rather prompt them to rethink on their own. Why? Because the person most likely to change your mind is ultimately you.
Motivational interviewing was born when a psychologist, Bill Miller, and an addiction-treatment nurse, Stephen Rollnick, were trying to help their patients battle addiction. They understood that they couldn’t motivate someone else to change, but rather had to help them find their own motivation. They did this through asking open-ended questions (love these guys already), engaging in reflective listening, and affirming their patients’ desire and ability to change. When done with curiosity and respect, motivational listening can be an impactful way of getting people to reexamine actions and beliefs.
When we think about some of the big, polarizing disagreements we face—vaccinations, climate change, abortion, gun control—we find that most of the time they are presented as an either/or decision. But rarely are they truly either/or decisions. You either want everyone armed with AK-47s or you want all guns outlawed, right? Of course not, so why are issues presented as and argued as one extreme or the other?
There’s a name for this—it’s called binary bias. Why is there a special name for it? Because humans do it all the time. It doesn’t really matter what the topic is, either. There is a human tendency to divide things into two buckets, whether there are only two or not (and there usually are not). Grant encourages his readers to resist simplifying arguments into either/or. By acknowledging a range of perspectives on issues, we will surely be able to find more common ground.
Logically we know there are not only two views on gun control or climate change, so why do we continue to fall into this trap? The amount of information we have to process today is enormous. It makes sense that our brains would try to simplify things with this cognitive shortcut, but Grant encourages us to fight our inclination to simplify things into two buckets. A more nuanced assessment of these issues will make them less polarizing.
So, how does embracing rethinking and understanding what makes us dig in our heels help us in sales? Sales is all about changing someone’s mind. They start out as a prospect and you want them to become a customer. Your job is to get them to “yes.” That’s why many of the ideas and suggestions in Grant’s book should sound familiar if you’ve read other Maestro blogs or taken part in our workshops.
Grant’s explanation of the various mindsets people have when they discuss opinions shines some light on why sales can be thought of as dirty. The stereotypical used car salesman is usually preaching, politicking, or prosecuting. The best sales professionals think and talk like scientists—actively listening, asking questions, asking how and not why, and always being willing to learn more.
Think Again is a quick read packed with many actionable suggestions and techniques. Whether you’re selling, contemplating your life plans, or just trying to survive Thanksgiving with your family, it’s worth reading. Of course, that’s just my opinion. You may disagree. But now we can at least have a more constructive discussion about our differing opinions.
Want to dig in to the most scientifically-evidenced ways to practice the art of changing minds? We can help. Contact Mastery@maestrogroup.co.
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