Message of the Week 21 - 25 February 2022
Week 8
What have you rethought lately?
This comment and question really got me thinking:-“We laugh at people who still use Windows 98, but we cling to opinions we formed in 1998. Who you are should be a question of what you value, not what you believe. The best way to stay true to your values is to stay open to rethinking your views. What have you rethought lately?” ~ Adam Grant
Our current “instant-response” world is becoming more and more divided because, it is so easy to either preach or prosecute by shooting another person’s perspective down in flames without really engaging in curious conversations that explore opinions. Have you seen how flaming takes place across all social media platforms? People are largely intolerant of the opinion of others, particularly when it differs from theirs or requires them to think past their own set of life judgements.
As the world becomes more connected online and we “know” more people from more places than ever before, we need to engage more, practice active listening and hear what people have to say before we jump in.
Isn’t that sort of the point of having access to all of these people? In fact, it may appear to be the case when viewed theoretically, but the algorithms that work online are focused on delivering content that you enjoy, connecting you with people who are similar or the same as you, serving you ads that you will respond to, and granting you access to groups that match your profile. If you think about it, it's unlikely that we'll increase our knowledge universe because all we'll be given is more of our own view.
If we continue to skirt around the practice of active listening and engaging with people, groups and content that makes us uncomfortable or is different to our own perspective, we will stick with our old opinions and not change our minds.
New evidence shows us that as a mindset and a skillset, rethinking can be taught and Adam Grant in his book ‘Think Again’ explains how to develop the necessary qualities to do it.
I highly recommend reading the book or simply thinking about rethinking things, because learning to rethink may be the secret skill to giving you the edge in a world changing faster than ever before.