Today I want to briefly touch on a book that I recently read. I think it ties in nicely with my recent blog posts of changing focus, and I hope it gives you some food for thought as well. The book is called “Think Again” by Adam Grant. To me, the overall theme of the book is that “unlearning” or challenging what we know is becoming more important in our age of rapid change. Information and situations can change quickly, and we need to consider whether what we already know will be useful. The book considers thinking again on three levels – as an individual, when working with others, and for the larger community. I really enjoyed this book and I am really fascinated by the concepts of “unlearning” and challenging myself on what I think I know. I also appreciate that we should consider how we can get others and our communities to think again about issues and ideas. Isn’t it wonderful to think that we don’t all have to be “set in our ways”? That we can change our minds?
Think Again
And, from a personal level, I have been rethinking a lot of things – home, work, job, family, hobbies, projects, focus, religion – you name it, I have either changed something or thought again about what I knew. Especially when it comes to thinking more about children touched by foster care and adoption, I have challenged many thoughts I have had about the process. And, as I continue to learn more, I hope to share what my current thinking is, with the understanding that it will likely change over time.
How about you? What do you think about unlearning and challenging what you know? Do you think it is possible to get others to challenge what they think they know? How about whole communities?