Let go of knowledge and opinions that no longer serve you well by tying your identity to flexibility rather than consistency. This allows for continuous learning and adaptation.
Define your identity by a set of core values (e.g., generosity, excellence, integrity, freedom) rather than specific beliefs. This allows you to remain flexible on the best ways to live those values.
Approach your views as theories or hypotheses, and run experiments in your life to test their truth. This leads to greater mental flexibility and willingness to change your mind for the right reasons.
To facilitate rethinking, prioritize achieving the best possible outcome over personal ego. This means focusing on finding the best idea regardless of its source.
Cultivate an emotional response where discovering you were wrong is a delight. This signifies learning and becoming “less wrong” than before.
To think like a scientist and avoid preacher/prosecutor mode, explicitly identify the conditions under which you would change your mind on a belief or opinion.
View every idea as a hypothesis, detaching your opinions and ideas from your personal identity. This fosters an unbiased pursuit of truth and maximizes learning.
Consciously allow yourself to engage in rethinking cycles. These cycles start with intellectual humility and curiosity, leading to continuous learning and adaptation.
Leaders should openly criticize themselves and share their development areas with their team. This fosters psychological safety and mutuality by demonstrating vulnerability and inviting help.
In organizations, reward and evaluate people based on the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of their decision-making process, not solely on the eventual outcome. This fosters a learning culture.
Before making hard decisions, evaluate if they are reversible and how consequential they are. Act quickly on reversible or low-stakes decisions, but spend more time rethinking irreversible and high-stakes ones.
Instead of asking “why” someone believes something (which can reinforce their conviction), ask “how” they would implement or explain their idea. This cultivates intellectual humility and reveals gaps in their understanding.
When someone challenges your evidence or claims false knowledge, ask them what specific evidence would change their mind. This refocuses the conversation on data and agreed-upon methods.
Prioritize and cultivate slow, deep thinking over fast, shallow thinking, especially for important decisions. This is where most effective rethinking occurs.
If you voice an opinion, be willing to change it in the face of better logic or stronger data. This demonstrates scientific thinking rather than preacher or prosecutor mode.
To build trust, especially as a leader, initiate vulnerability and show trust in others by openly sharing your own weaknesses and asking for their help or feedback.
When engaging in disagreement, view it as a collaborative ‘dance’ where both parties move and adapt. This is a different goal from trying to change somebody else’s mind.
When entering a disagreement, start by identifying areas of agreement to establish synchrony and a non-defensive, collaborative tone. This sets a collaborative stage before addressing differences.
Before looking at candidates, clearly define independent criteria for skills and values, and gather wisdom from knowledgeable people. Then, rigorously assess candidates on specific dimensions by having different interviewers focus on one dimension each.
Start senior leadership meetings with silent reading of a memo (15-30 minutes) to ensure everyone has carefully processed the information. This fosters focused attention and common understanding before discussion.
Be wary of people who are overly confident in their opinions. Confidence does not equate to competence and can be a sign of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
When someone seeks your advice, ask them to clarify their goals (e.g., seeking advice, validation, or a challenge to their thought process). This helps tailor your response effectively and avoid being a “logic bully.”
Counter binary bias by recognizing that most issues exist on a spectrum, seeing nuance and shades of gray rather than just two opposing categories.
Instead of denying negative emotions like regret, listen to them to learn from past mistakes. This helps you figure out how to act differently in the future.
When teaching values, share personal stories of how you failed to live up to your own values. This demonstrates that it’s okay to be wrong and rethink choices.
Engage in occasional myth-busting discussions with children, where everyone brings a surprising fact or myth. This fosters the joy of being wrong and learning new things.
To teach critical thinking, have students rewrite sections of history textbooks by consulting primary sources. This helps them realize missing information and question narratives like fact-checkers.
Satisfy the twin desires for belonging and status by joining unique groups that offer a clear identity and differentiate themselves. This provides optimal distinctiveness.
In negotiations or disagreements, ask more questions driven by genuine curiosity. This helps to better understand the other person’s perspective.