Big Picture:
Adam Grant is increasingly gaining traction in the world of work-place psychology. For this specific book, Grant digs into how and why we hold onto deeply held beliefs/opinions, even when they are no longer serving us. Grant addresses several meaty topics, including the cognitive science of “unlearning”, the leadership benefits of humility, embracing imperfection and being wrong, why disagreeable colleagues can be a tremendous asset to our teams, and the power of motivational interviewing in our personal and professional lives.
How to use it:
The content is especially relevant for leaders and organizations that are on the precipice of change and evolution. Leaders can use chapters of this book as pre-work for brainstorming sessions. The content has the potential to prime your team members to “think again” about their opinion and/or position and how they show up for charged conversations. For example, Chapter 7 Vaccine Whisperers and Mild-Mannered Interrogators is an excellent pre-read for a team meeting that will require deep listening skills to move toward resolution.