Hey everybody!
We’re one week into the February read: Think Again by Adam Grant and we hope you are all:
a) actually reading it, and
b) loving it as much as we are!
Though we’re not that far through it yet, we already know that this is going to be a fantastic read. Personally, we’ve opted for a mix of physical book and audio book - it’s just so much easier on the treadmill in the morning.
Below you’ll find some valuable insights from our thriving community of bad asses as well as some actionable tips we’ve pulled out from the book so far.
Also, don’t forget to register for our end of month book club call - we will be so embarrassed if no one shows up.
Enjoy!
BTW - if you haven’t yet started on Think Again - It’s not too late. The book is only ~260 pages and the audio version is only 6.5 hours long!
﹅ Community insights
Think like a scientist
“I like the idea that although I’m a scientist in my profession, I can use that mindset to also apply to everything else in life, and that others can too. Going to be questioning a lot of why I do/think things this month!” - Heather
Being wrong is good
“Less is more when trying to make your point. The more points you make to support your argument, the more people naturally oppose it. Their prosecutor comes out. And the easy one that can be applied to anything: Every failure / loss is an opportunity to learn. Being wrong is good because you get better.” - Dan
Hot tips so far from Think Again
Here are a few of the key actionable take aways from the first few chapters.
Adopt the scientist mindset
Think like a scientist rather than a preacher (defending beliefs), prosecutor (arguing to win), or a politician (seeking approval).
Regularly ask yourself, “What would change my mind about this?”
Question your confidence
Grant introduces the idea of being confident in your ability to learn rather than in the certainty of your knowledge. (Think Icelandic politicians).
Keep a "humility check" list: Write down assumptions you’ve made recently and seek evidence to either confirm or challenge them.
Argue like you’re wrong
Grant highlights the value of considering the opposite point of view to strengthen your thinking.
Write down the opposite perspective of your key opinions or decisions and argue that case convincingly.
How have you chosen to read Think Again?
● Additional resources
Here are some great resources that Grant has put out it to the world if you’re thirsty for more!
Granted: This is Grant’s newsletter (not as good as this one, but still worth checking out)
Rethinking Podcast Series - Grant interviews loads of rather famous people including this one with the President of Iceland, Halla Tomasdottir
Ted Talks: As is the case with many overachievers, Grant has given his own TedTalks! Check them out.
► Join the conversation
What Bad Ass Bookshelf members are saying.
We’re building an incredible community over on our Bad Ass Bookshelf Discord channel where over 60 of you have joined in the fun (it’s free BTW).
Here are some of the chats we’ve been having:
Lots of introductions from people of all sorts of backgrounds and professions (weirdly quite a few data people too).
People have been dropping their preferred formats for reading (where do you land on the e-book debate?)
We’ve also had some incredible recommendations for other great reads that our members have shared (slow down guys I can only read one at a time).
This week’s burning question.
How might you apply what you’ve learnt so far from Think Again at work or in your personal life?
Let us know by dropping a reply to this email - or better yet - heading over to share these thoughts with the rest of the Bad Assess on Discord!
♦︎ Next book club call
We're so excited to host our first Bad Ass Bookshelf bookclub call to discuss Think Again at the end of Feb! Call details below:
Date: Thursday 27th February
Time: 17:00 GMT (12:00 EST / 09:00 PST)
Register for the call here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/xWHBRfkcQOGyawRm2-5UPQ
Cannot wait to see you all there for our first call!!