This book is about the value of rethinking (mental flexibility). This is a path to learning more and living with fewer regrets. This can be hard because it means abandom parts of oneself. The process is based always in the scientific method, formulating a theory and trying to find counterexamples.
The process of learning is not to affirm our beliefs, it is to evolve them. And being (too) smart can be counterproducent because narrows our mind to what we dont know. I liked the example from the iphone, when Steve jobs was adamant of the product because would kill the ipod money making, or stubbornness from Blackberry to evolve. So in this case, you need a balance between confidence and competence.
These are the mental models that need to rethink
- Cult leader: I am always right!
- Politician: We are right, they are wrong!
- Preacher: I am right
- Prosecutor: You are wrong.
I like the references to the “impostor syndrome”. It always keeps you on your toes and push you to grow because you never know it all.
Who you are should be about your values and not your believes. That way we can be flexible. For example, when making a forecast, make a list of conditions that should hold true and other list of conditions that should change it. This makes you honest and detached from an opinion/believe.
This can produces discussions. But need to see it in the positive way, intellectual chemistry is enjoying disagreements. We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm it (focus is in your thought process and not in you as a persona, that is a totally different matter). These conversation are focused in the “how” instead of “why”. Giving too many facts about are reasoning make the other part defensive (coming too strong). As well, we need to be open to change ours, find common ground. This is from the debate between IBM computer and Harish. As well you dont change people’s opinions, they do themselves, and based on “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” So if the other person says there is nothing that would change its mind, then…. So it is around asking questions, be invested, like a dance and not a war (it is called motivational interviewing: examples like vaccines ) To be honest, I struggle to ask questions to people, like I am not curious (or it is a way to hide… but when people ask me, I talk….)
There is a part about applying to a jobs and using an example where the person didnt hide its shortcomings, just ack-ed in the paper and then went with the reason why it should be hired. I need to apply that to myself.
Some topics are difficult. Just acknowledge the complexity, show the range of perspectives: gun control, inmigration
Regarding learning, the best way is to teach it. And the active learning (more than the lecture type). Repeating is good = “jack of rough drafts, master of crafts”. So education should be more than gathering information, but develop the habits to revise our drafts and keep learning. I think this matches the IT culture of continues intergration/delivery, error soon and often, etc This creates the culture of growth and rethinking instead of sticking to “tradition/best practices” (examples from the NASA accidents) This takes too humility (improve better than proving oneself)
Another good one: Sunk cost (difficult to turn around when you are deep in something, and you can’t stop carry on with it) / Grit. Gritty mountaineers are more likely to die on expeditions. “There is a fine line between heroic persistence and foolish stubbornness. Sometimes the best kind of grit is gritting your teeth and turning around” I think the whole book goes around to when to do exactly that.
In general, explore (action) and then dig. And save time for a couple of times a year to do check-ups and rethink what you are doing.
The book finishes with the “take action” speech from Roosevelt in 1932. Accepts uncertainty, ack errors, learns from others and rethink plans
The book gives a different view from other sources, where they tell you to get grit, no plan B, etc etc. This proves there is no solution for all. So I take it as another tool.
