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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Think Again summary
The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
22 mins
Brief summary
Think Again by Adam Grant encourages us to rethink our assumptions and change our minds. Through compelling stories and research, Grant shows us the benefits of intellectual humility and the importance of being open to new ideas.
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Think Again
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Key idea 1 of 7
In a constantly changing world, it pays to change your mind.
In 2009, Blackberry smartphones were riding high. The company controlled almost 50 percent of the smartphone market, and everyone from Bill Gates, to President Obama, to Oprah, declared that they couldn’t live without their Blackberries. But just five years later, the company’s market share had nosedived to just 1 percent.
Why? Because Blackberry’s inventor, Mike Lazaridis, wouldn’t change his mind.
As Apple’s iPhone was released in 2007 and began to gain market share, Lazaridis continued to believe that most consumers would only want a device that could make calls and send and receive emails. He simply couldn’t imagine a world in which people wanted more than what a Blackberry could do.
The key message here is: In a constantly changing world, it pays to change your mind.
But before you rush to judge Mike Lazaridis, consider that you might have made exactly the same mistake.
Whether you’re a business leader or an entrepreneur, you probably pride yourself on sticking to your guns and staying true to what you believe in.
But the problem with sticking to your guns is that the world is now changing faster than ever before, and access to information is increasing faster, too. Just consider this: in 2011, the average person consumed five times the amount of information, each day, as the average person did in 1986.
This frenetic pace of change means that knowing how to think isn’t enough anymore. You also need to know how to rethink, so that you can integrate new information into your belief systems and strategies.
Ok, but how do you do that? A great place to start is to train yourself to think like a scientist.
Scientists are always curious about what they don’t know, and they’re constantly adapting their views to fit with incoming data. Scientists don’t begin with answers but with questions. They carefully test their theories and rely on evidence, not intuition.
If you’re a business leader, you can think more like a scientist by viewing your business strategy as a theory that you need to test. A study on Italian startups found that founders who thought about their businesses scientifically gained more revenue and more customers than founders who didn’t. The researchers concluded that the scientifically-minded leaders had more success because they were more likely to pivot and adjust their business models when things started going wrong.
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What is Think Again about?
Think Again (2021) examines the science behind changing your mind – and persuading others to change theirs. It explores the biases and assumptions that we bring to our decision-making, and outlines how individuals and organizations can build a mindset of lifelong curiosity.
Think Again Review
Think Again (2021) by Adam Grant is a thought-provoking book that challenges the way we think and encourages us to reevaluate our beliefs. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Full of compelling research and evidence, it provides insights into the importance of intellectual humility and the power of changing our minds.
- With engaging storytelling and real-life examples, it demonstrates how reconsidering our viewpoints can lead to personal and professional growth.
- The book's exploration of cognitive biases and the strategies to overcome them makes it a valuable tool for critical thinking and decision-making.
Best quote from Think Again
We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm our conclusions.
—Adam Grant
Who should read Think Again?
- Psychology buffs looking for fresh insights
- Sales professionals seeking a new angle
- People managers hoping to improve team performance
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Think Again FAQs
What is the main message of Think Again?
Think Again challenges us to reconsider our beliefs and opinions, cultivate a flexible mindset, and embrace the power of learning and unlearning.
How long does it take to read Think Again?
The estimated reading time for Think Again is several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Think Again a good book? Is it worth reading?
Think Again is worth reading because it prompts us to question our assumptions, encourages intellectual growth, and empowers us to make better decisions.
Who is the author of Think Again?
Think Again is authored by Adam Grant.
What to read after Think Again?
If you're wondering what to read next after Think Again, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Get Smart! by Brian Tracy
- Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
- Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson
- Surrounded by Setbacks by Thomas Erikson
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Originals by Adam Grant
- How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
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