3 minute read
Well Read
WELL READ By: Anita D’Souza
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, professor at the Wharton School and author of five books, including a New York Times bestseller, prompts us to value mental flexibility and learn how to rethink in his recent book - Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, published in 2021.
While aimed at the general population, Think Again has insights for lawyers and legal practice. Through a compilation of stories and research studies, Grant advocates for a paradigm shift towards what he calls ‘rethinking’. The concept of rethinking is presented in three parts - Part 1 focuses on rethinking/relearning at the individual level; Part 2 focuses on interpersonal rethinking; and Part 3 focuses on collective rethinking.
The wide-ranging subject of the book makes it feel as if it meanders at times. But, there is a convenient “Actions for Impact” summary of the major takeaways in each chapter at the end of the book. I found it a necessary roadmap and, thought it was a much clearer presentation of the lessons in the book. If you’re pressed for time, start with ‘Actions for Impact’ and decide what you want to read in greater detail. Some of the strongest lessons for the attorney reader can be found in parts one and two. Part three has lessons for organizations that could translate to law firms and in house legal departments.
Part 1 looks at why and how rethinking at the individual level is important and can be learned. Grant discusses a seminal study by Phil Tetlock on the preacher, prosecutor and politician mindsets that we tend to fall into. We tend to act like preachers when we perceive our fundamental beliefs to be at risk; prosecutors when we identify flaws in others arguments/reasoning; and politicians when we want to persuade or win over a group. Grant argues that we should be assuming the mindset of a scientist - doubt what you know, test, and update what you know based on what you learn.
According to Grant, we can learn and practice this ‘rethinking cycle’, through the process of intellectual humility, doubt, curiosity and discovery. Among the many approaches that Grant discusses, two stood out to me - creating personal ‘challenge networks’ of individuals who are willing to thoughtfully question our thinking and engaging in constructive conflict by framing disagreement on tasks rather than relationships.
Part 2. The second part of the book focuses on interpersonal rethinking and has some useful approaches for lawyers, including on relationships with clients. Chapter 5 looks at strategies employed by expert negotiators. Grant points out that expert negotiators focus a large part of their strategies on finding common ground, demonstrating real curiosity in their discussions, and, instead of creating a volume of arguments, tending to present fewer arguments to keep from diluting the strongest arguments. Chapter 7 discusses the technique of motivational interviewing that has been used successfully by conflict mediators to help resolve disputes.
Part 3 of the book focuses on the community level, and looking for opportunities to create communities of lifelong learners, what the book refers to as ‘collective rethinking’. The discussion on building a culture of learning in the office is most applicable to legal departments and firms. While the examples relate to engineering and NASA, the techniques could also be relevant to a legal organizational environment, both firm and corporate departments. According to Grant, high performing teams depended on a work environment that valued growth and combined psychological safety with accountability. In research studies, while psychological safe teams reported more errors, they actually committed fewer errors. The ability to admit errors, allowed these teams to learn from their errors faster.
Though this book isn’t marketed specifically towards attorneys, Think Again is about our intellectual relationship with ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities, roles that are central to the legal profession. Attorneys are constantly having to rethink, and this book has some useful insights and reminders that are especially easy to find in the ‘Actions for Impact’ conclusion. Think Again sums up the value of a rethinking mindset in a quote by George Bernard Shaw, “[p]rogress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
