The solution is not to decelerate our thinking-it’s to accelerate our rethinking (29). Our convictions can lock us in prisons of our own making.If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom (28).Being good at thinking can make you worse at rethinking (25). The brighter you are, the harder it can be to see your own limitations. It turns out that smart people are more likely to fall into this trap. My favorite bias is the “I’m not biased” bias, in which people believe they’re more objective than others.The risk is that we become so wrapped up in preaching that we’re right, prosecuting others who are wrong, and politicking for support that we don’t bother to rethink our own views (18). We shift into politician mode when we’re seeking to win over an audience: we campaign and lobby for the approval of our constituents. We enter prosecutor mode when we recognize flaws in other people’s reasoning: we marshal arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. We go into preacher mode when our sacred beliefs are in jeopardy: we deliver sermons to protect and promote our ideals. In each of these modes, we take on a particular identity and use a distinct set of tools. As we think and talk, we often slip into the mindsets of three different professions: preachers, prosecutors, and politicians.Rethinking is a skill set, but it’s also a mindset (16).A hallmark of wisdom is knowing when it’s time to abandon some of your most treasured tools-and some of the most cherished parts of your identity (12).Leaders cannot do it alone and need a honest feedback, data to drive decisions, and the ability to admit we are wrong.īelow are 20 quotes that were particularly insightful in this helpful book: As a leader, it is important that we seek feedback and challenge our assumptions. Rethinking is a skill that must be developed, it does not come naturally to many of us.

Adam Grant argues that too often we do not rightly question are opinions and biases and instead he argues that, as the title says, we need to think again.

Think Again by Adam M. Grant