Weekly Quote: Adam Grant on the Power of Rethinking

This week’s quote comes from Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant, bringing to mind one example of rethinking from my professional life.

Several years ago, I offered my position on a topic that differed from what others thought during a meeting about an initiative we were putting together for a client. It wasn’t controversial, but there was some amicable disagreement among the leaders at the table about how we would proceed. We kept moving forward, deciding that my department would take a different tact that still met our shared goals.

The thing is, I was wrong. After a day or two of considering the situation and those involved and looking at the data and the planning with the added perspective of what my colleagues had said when we met, I changed my mind.

The following week, when we met to discuss updates on the project, I shared that I had changed my mind and agreed to adjust my department to more closely align with how they were proceeding. I wholeheartedly embraced my ability to rethink, and it made a difference. The project was more successful, not necessarily because I changed my mind (it was a relatively minor thing in this case), but because I was willing to do so, and my colleagues had a similar mindset. I didn’t let pride or stubbornness get in the way of finding the best outcome for the client.

The takeaway is this: Don’t be afraid to change your mind. Doing anything else feels like a waste of time. Don’t cling to your ideas just because they’re yours. Find the best ideas with which to make the best decisions, regardless of who introduced you to them. This is all just too important to do anything else.