Think Again
MENTAL FLEXIBILITY
Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems.
COGNITIVE LAZINESS
We favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt, and we let our beliefs get brittle long before our bones. We are afraid of rethinking answers and the idea of rethinking.
INDIVIDUAL RETHINKING:HOW TO OPEN OUR MIND TO RETHINK
THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST
Run experiments to test hypotheses and find knowledge
AVOID THINKING LIKE
- PREACHER We deliver sermons to protect and premote our ideals.
- PROSECUTOR We recognize flaws in other peoples reasoning to prove them wrong and win our case.
- POLITICIAN We campaign and lobby for the approval of our comstituents.
BEWARE OF THE MOUNT STUPID
The danger lies not only in a lack of competence, but also in an overestimation of competence.
GET INTO TASK CONFLICTS
Conflicts of ideas and opinions. Prevent it from turning into an emotional conflict. Well-performing groups do not hesitate to present opposing perspectives.
ATTAIN A CONFIDENT HUMILITY
CONFIDENCE
Armchair quarterback syndrome
COMPETENCE
Impostor syndrome
HAVE A CHALLENGING NETWORK
A group of people we trust to point out our blind spots and help us overcome our weaknesses.
INTERPERSONAL RETHINKING
HOW TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO RETHINK THEIR CONCEPTS
DEBATE LIKE A DANCE
A good debate is not a battle, it’s more like a dance without choreography.
LEARN TO DEBATE
Find a common denominator, focus on few arguments, avoid getting into an attack-defense spiral, ask lots of questions.
EXERCISE COUNTERFACTUAL THINKING
Imagine how the circumstances of our lives could have unfolded differently.
PRACTICE MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWS
Ask open-ended questions, listen reflectively, affirm the other person’s desire and ability to change.
COLLECTIVE RETHINKING
HOW TO CREATE COMMUNITIES OF LIFELONG LEARNERS
AVOID BINARY BIAS
When it comes to complex issues, knowing the other side’s opinions isn’t enough. The opposing arguments do not change our view. Generates polarization.
TEACH HOW TO CHECK THE FACTS
Teach children to question information instead of simply consuming it. Reject rank as a proxy for reliability
TEACH HOW TO THINK LIKE A SCIENTIST
Identifying problems, developing hypotheses and devising their own experiments to test them.
BUILT A CULTURE OF LEARNING
Learning culture, organizations innovate more and make fewer mistakes. Psychological safety with accountability. Performance Culture, short-term result, but people stop innovating, making mistakes and sharing ideas.