Think Again by Adam Grant Book Review
About the Book
Think Again is a fast-paced organizational psychology book by the bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals, and Wharton School of Business professor, Adam Grant. In the book, Grant advocates for the cognitive process known as "rethinking," explained as the procedure of unlearning and relearning by questioning our own beliefs, contradicting our own opinions, and positioning ourselves as humble students again.In a rapidly changing world, where adaptibility has emerged as the new definition of intelligence, leaders can no longer afford to clinch onto old ways of thinking. Instead, they must get comfortable with being wrong, challenge their thought processes, and welcome new ideas and alternative versions of the truth.
Backed by evidence and investigation, Grant supports his idea with both academic research and personal experiences. Furthermore, he adopts rethinking as one of his own life principles, thus giving himself credibility and at the same time building trust with the audience. Conveyed in an unpretentous and often humorous manner, Grant proves that in our fast-paced world, if we detach ourselves from "how it's always been done" and THINK AGAN, we will not only survive but also thrive.
What I loved about the book?
1) Adam Grant, the author.Despite being a Harvard graduate, a top-rated professor at the Wharton school of business and the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, Grant shows zero elitist demeanor. In fact, he acts quite oppositely. In the book, and on other platforms too, his tone carries confident yet likable humility. He laughes with his audience, makes fun of himself at times, and sprinkles personal stories throughout the book to relate better with readers. He supports his points with facts and data to establish trust, and then re-connects with the audience with comedic anecdotes. Exuding both command and likability isn't an easy task, but Grant masters it.
The book is presented like a well-oiled machine, each part crafted to serve a specific purpose and executed with precision. In the end, I, the reader, not only understand and believe in the idea of thinking again, but also feel connected with the author himself. Since finishing the book, I started following Grant on social media, and have been enjoying his daily tips on thought leadership every morning.
2) The message to "think again."
By profession, Grant is an educator. Personality-wise, he is a leader, and not the old-fashioned, hierarchical, title-heavy corporate mangement, but a real leader. He is forward-thinking, self-affacing, and open to new ideas. To be able to successfully "think again," one must let go of his own ego, and release all pre-emptive cognitive commitments. Easier said than done, especially for those of us who were educated in a certain way, highly regarded and compensated for the way we think, and are well respected by peers.
3) The self help factor.
Though Grant uses plenty of academic research and handfuls of jargons in the book, he certainly delivers them in a personal way. He also touches readers in a personal way too, and once in a while adds a self help factor. The book isn't all about organizational psychology, but also about how to improve our daily lives, relationships and the more important things in life. In other words, we don't need to have fancy titles to take full advantage of the book. We just need to be open-minded.
Personally, I feel enlightened, stimulated, and am already practicing the "think again" process. In the past two weeks, I have improved as a team member at work, a spouse, a community leader, and as a parent. The best part is not quite about myself but the way I have influenced others to question their own pre-conceived cognitive commitments.
How can the book be better?
As much as I love the idea of thinking again, it is not new. In fact, many people have touched base on it, but only Grant dedicated an entire book to the topic. He did credit some of the early innovators who advocated for the idea, but I feel that he could have provided more examples to show appreciation to the originators of thinking again.Also, I would like to see more success stories. Think again is an easily applicable concept, and may be more easily adoptable if we see more examples of it. Overall, though, the book is certainly worth the time and effort to read.
Why should you read the book?
Thinking again is by no means an easy task to accomplish. It takes a very motivated person to want to undergo this level of self-de-construction. In many cases, this type of motivation is initiated by life-changing events such as becoming a parent, a job loss, or a promotion to a position of great influence. If you are ready for the change, you will know. In fact, you will start searching for books like Think Again, and start connecting with thought leaders like Grant.Thought leadership is more like self leadership. If you are the self-starter type and looking to connect with other thought leaders, you will enjoy the book very much.
1) Get the book at BOOK THINK AGAIN by Adam Grant
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