Adam Grant, the internationally recognized psychologist, and author joins Scott Barry Kaufman to discuss his latest book, Think Again. In the interview, Grant and Kaufman discuss a variety of important ideas around keeping an open mind, especially in today's increasingly divided world. Grant recalls the work of his colleague Phil Tetlock, who writes about how many of us fall into a "preacher, prosecutor, or politician" frame of thinking, in that we think we what we believe is not only right (or what you believe is incorrect) but that we need to convince others of our stance. Grant posits that if we apply a scientific approach to our thinking, we can actually gain a lot, and live more fulfilling lives.

Enjoy a conversation between friends and scientists, while also hearing some fascinating ideas about what it really takes to "think again."

This podcast episode is a great introduction to the book and offers up some interesting insights into why the book was written and the overlapping work Grant and Kaufman have in their psychological work.

Continuing the discussion of Adam Grant's work we had to highlight the book Think Again itself. The team at ELI are all reading it, and finding that its accessibility and references not only affirm much of our work in entrepreneurial mindset education but also impact and benefit us as individuals. 

Read an excerpt from the book here, and consider what it really means to rethink and unlearn.

"In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn."

Entrepreneurship initiatives around the world focus on a lean startup methodology, and with good reason! The iterative approach lauded by the method is based on the logic of scientific thinking, but does it go far enough? 

This article provides a great overview of the work done by three Italian academics to improve upon the lean startup methodology by applying rigorous scientific practice to the startup process. The results? Higher revenue, more agile decision-making, and better products and services for the startup's clients. 

Keeping in line with Adam Grant's call to think again and again about our beliefs, when we apply a scientific approach to entrepreneurship, the results are astounding.

Related to the ideas of thinking critically and scientifically is the dilemma between expertise and flexibility. In our professional and personal lives, we are often taught that high performance is the end all be all. Experts, by and large, are seen as top performers in their field. We look up to them, strive to perfect our crafts in related fields, and cite their work as a foundation in understanding how best to act in a chosen area.

But what happens when situations change, and new events shift the paradigm? Are experts the best people to look towards? In this thought-provoking study, we see distinctions between goal orientation, and how when we overemphasize performance over learning we can hinder our flexibility, and therefore our adaptability.