Weekly Quote: Adam Grant on Being Actively Open-Minded

This week, I’m sharing another quote from Think Again by Adam Grant. It’s a book that has stuck with me since I read it last year, and I regularly go back through and reread sections and review the highlights I have captured in Readwise.

I like how Grant uses roles that we are all familiar with to help us best approach effective learning and communication methods. Early in the book, he writes about Phil Tetlock , a fellow Wharton Professor, who discovered that people frequently fall into the role of either politician, preacher, or prosecutor when discussing or thinking about something. Adam takes this concept and expands on it by writing that the ideal role is that of a scientist in search of the truth.

I think looking at this through a lens of humility is helpful. I may have ideas or thoughts about a given topic, and I want to test them and see how they stand up. This helps everyone, including me, get closer to the facts. This can also feel very vulnerable, so it is essential to realize that it’s okay to be wrong. Also, if you see someone approaching a question or idea as a scientist, support them in the process.

Being actively open-minded takes exercise, like so much of what is good for us, and I’m continuing to work on it. How often are you searching for reasons why you are wrong?