Words for thought
Thomas Edison famously said, "I have not failed, I have found 10,000 ways that won't work." Finding out that you're wrong is the only way to find out what's right.
Actively seek other viewpoints. Read and listen to people you flagrantly disagree with. Ninety percent of what they say may be wrong, in your view. But what if 10 percent is right? As Aristotle said, "The mark of an educated man is the ability to entertain a thought without necessarily accepting it." Surround yourself with people who challenge you, and create a culture that actively encourages dissent. Some banks suffered from groupthink, where staff were too afraid to challenge management's lending decisions, contributing to the financial crisis. In a meeting, appoint someone to be devil's advocate against your pet idea. And don't just hear another viewpoint -- listen to it, as well.
As psychologist Stephen Covey said, "Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply." A dissenting viewpoint is something to learn from not to argue against.
data allows you to learn, but learning is only relative to a starting point. If you started with complete certainty that your pet theory must be true, then your view won't change -- regardless of what data you see.
Only if you are truly open to the possibility of being wrong can you ever learn. As Leo Tolstoy wrote, "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already. But the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already
"pause before sharing anything." The Hippocratic oath says, "First, do no harm." What we share is potentially contagious, so be very careful about what we spread. Our goal should not be to get likes or retweets. Otherwise, we only share the consensus; we don't challenge anyone's thinking. Otherwise, we only share what sounds good, regardless of whether it's evidence.
Ask the following: If it's a story, is it true? If it's true, is it backed up by large-scale evidence? If it is, who is it by, what are their credentials? Is it published, how rigorous is the journal? And ask yourself the million-dollar question: If the same study was written by the same authors with the same credentials but found the opposite results, would you still be willing to believe it and to share it?
Thomas Edison famously said, "I have not failed, I have found 10,000 ways that won't work." Finding out that you're wrong is the only way to find out what's right.
Actively seek other viewpoints. Read and listen to people you flagrantly disagree with. Ninety percent of what they say may be wrong, in your view. But what if 10 percent is right? As Aristotle said, "The mark of an educated man is the ability to entertain a thought without necessarily accepting it." Surround yourself with people who challenge you, and create a culture that actively encourages dissent. Some banks suffered from groupthink, where staff were too afraid to challenge management's lending decisions, contributing to the financial crisis. In a meeting, appoint someone to be devil's advocate against your pet idea. And don't just hear another viewpoint -- listen to it, as well.
As psychologist Stephen Covey said, "Listen with the intent to understand, not the intent to reply." A dissenting viewpoint is something to learn from not to argue against.
data allows you to learn, but learning is only relative to a starting point. If you started with complete certainty that your pet theory must be true, then your view won't change -- regardless of what data you see.
Only if you are truly open to the possibility of being wrong can you ever learn. As Leo Tolstoy wrote, "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already. But the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already
"pause before sharing anything." The Hippocratic oath says, "First, do no harm." What we share is potentially contagious, so be very careful about what we spread. Our goal should not be to get likes or retweets. Otherwise, we only share the consensus; we don't challenge anyone's thinking. Otherwise, we only share what sounds good, regardless of whether it's evidence.
Ask the following: If it's a story, is it true? If it's true, is it backed up by large-scale evidence? If it is, who is it by, what are their credentials? Is it published, how rigorous is the journal? And ask yourself the million-dollar question: If the same study was written by the same authors with the same credentials but found the opposite results, would you still be willing to believe it and to share it?
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