BA Bits Book Review: Think Again by Adam Grant
I was recently recommended the book Think Again by Adam Grant. Never one to shy away from a good book recommendation, especially one I feel may help me in my everyday roles, I seized the opportunity to pick it up and give it a read.
Adam separates the book down into different topics which all challenge our ability to think again, he effortlessly weaves in case studies which underpin the lessons and to help to bring to life the concepts he discusses. The key takeaway is to challenge the way we think about things, how do we know what we are doing is right if we never question it? What strikes you from the first moment is Adam is humble and quick to point out where he hasn't thought again or has recognized a key learning moment.
As a BA it poses an interesting question - when should we think again? Do we wait for the business to challenge us with a new problem, or do we look at existing systems and think again for ourselves? It also made me consider those times when a solution I have helped to implement how would I do it differently or what would I do again?
Another key highlight for me is Adam talks about asking the basic questions, something as a BA is very important. We have to understand to not be afraid to challenge, and in some cases, those very questions as Adam points out in one example can be life changing. Sometimes bringing others into our areas helps to refresh our viewpoint and challenge what we think we may already know. We also shouldn't be afraid to ask for feedback, Adam uses an example of having lecturers read out comments from their students on their courses, which are recorded. As demonstrated, this isn't an easy thing, and no one likes to know true thoughts but yet again Adam shows us that we should challenge how and why we do certain things.
My key takeaway is that early on Adam demonstrates that we form beliefs and thoughts when we are younger and cling to those to the rest of our life, which can lead us down many closed roads. We have to try and remain open minded, open to change and most importantly curious every day in what we do, it makes us who we are.
In case this small review has inspired you and you want to pick up a copy of the book I have included some links below to the different editions available.
Thanks for reading, if you do read the book, please feel free to share your thoughts below and keep a look out for some coming book reviews in the future!
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