Thinking Again

This past October, I had the great privilege and thrill to see (and hear) Condoleezza Rice in a moderated discussion right here in Bentonville. I am card-carrying member of the CFC (Condi Fan Club). I think she’s brilliantly smart with just as brilliant personal character.

The photo here is the classic iPhone snap with poor zoom and cropping, but the reason I like it is the expression on Rice’s face - that of intently listening. Granted, she’s listening to the question she’s being asked to respond to, but still, I think this is representative of her approach to leadership and interaction with others.

I took a ton of notes that day but two biggies right off the bat were:

“You have to leave open the possibility that you might be wrong.”

and

“If you find yourself surrounded by people that say ‘amen’ to everything you say, find yourself some new people.”

I just finished Adam Grant’s latest book, Think Again. It’s terrific. Here, Grant provides the research in organizational psychology to support Rice’s approach. This will stop short of a book review but here are a few nuggets I found compelling:

• A critical ability is the ability to rethink and unlearn.

• Rethinking is not just a skillset but a mindset.

• It starts with intellectual humility.

• The antidote of getting stuck on Mount Stupid is a regular dose of humility.

• Discovering you’re wrong means you’re less wrong than before - and a cause for joy.

• Be passionately dispassionate.

Whether in international politics, organizational leadership, in more routine roles such as being a parent, both Rice and Grant offer a perspective on what I continue to find is vitally important. So I’m working hard at the present participle of Gran't’s title: thinking again.

I hope you’ll help me and I hope others will join me on the path in doing so.