|
Hello Readers, Welcome back, and let’s get into this week’s Trio-of Thoughts. Today’s topic is: FEEDBACK MAKES YOU SMARTER. THOUGHT 1 AN APHORISM ABOUT THIS WEEK’S LESSON “We learn more from people who challenge our thought process than those who affirm our conclusions. Strong leaders engage their critics and make themselves stronger. Weak leaders silence their critics and make themselves weaker.”— Adam Grant
The above idea even highlights what is happening in the Western world right now. It is a very good example of what weak leaders do. What weak minds do. When you have power, strength comes with how you treat those you “lead”. Leadership means people follow what you say. You have the power to influence others who are observing you. Maybe you are the president of a country, the person who sets the major rules in your home, or an influencer sharing ideas via your social media account. How do good leaders lead? The quote above is by Adam Grant from his book Think Again. He is an organisational psychologist at the Wharton School, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He studies how people find motivation, generosity, and creative insight at work; he’s also the bestselling author of two books: Give and Take, Originals, and Think Again. THOUGHT 2 FEEDBACK MAKES YOU SMARTER Smarter Goals Critical thinking activates the intellectual part of our minds. To me, intellectual thinking is smart thinking, as it helps us recognise useful knowledge. That knowledge pushes us to make smarter decisions. With critical thinking, you will become smarter in the areas you choose to improve—that’s the goal. And I believe that ambition should stretch across every part of your life that matters to you. One way to get smarter is to pay attention to the specifics of the feedback you receive. The Power of Challenge Our big ideas grow stronger when they’re challenged, not when they’re left alone. We rarely challenge an idea that started in our own head; seasoned critical thinkers are more effective at it, but that reflex only grows with time and practice. Voluntary Challenge So, if you want to improve your ideas, you must be strong enough to put yourself, voluntarily, among people who will organically challenge these ideas. This should be relatively easy because, since we all have different histories that have fueled unique worldviews, it doesn’t take long to find people with different perspectives. However, the rise of individualism and intense social self-censorship due to political correctness—even among family and close friends—means we rarely get into those cognitively important, meaty debates. Challenge simply means the other person will ask us questions, disagree, or assert their own views. This organic interaction pulls out the conversational nuances we need to trigger healthy reflection. Historical Perspective Historically, our inter‑reliance on community meant we had plenty of social reasons to spend time with those holding opposing views. We needed these social connections, and so we were more likely to tolerate a discussion that involved oppositional ideas. Nowadays, with cancel culture, growing prosperity, and an overly idea-sensitive society, we cut off anyone who doesn’t think like us. That’s a catastrophe for the development of good thinking habits or intellectual growth. Academic Training During critical‑thinking training, which I refer to as the period we spend writing a PhD thesis or scientific articles, our ideas and arguments are critiqued over and over. Very little of the feedback is positive…most of it is ripping it to shreds. The process is not about making sure our feelings are protected. The process is emotionally intense, arguably suited to push us to get the best thinking happening. Emotional Intensity and Reflection
It is emotionally exhausting, but we come back with stronger and more logical reasoning. It’s like some magic happens after that discomfort. It results in a lot of forced and intense reflection about the validity of the critique. I watched the pattern over the years amongst the students and academics I worked with. As their ideas were challenged, they came back stronger. Not all, because, of course, some of them quit. It’s very easy to quit. In fact, so many do and will continue to do. The frustration with the supervisory teams and the onslaught of negative and unrelenting feedback is almost too hard to continue to bear. Except while the critique is hard to swallow, it’s the intensity of the emotions being triggered—and in processing them—that the cognitive magic happens. While everyone in academia must accept peer feedback, they equally dislike the process. Yet those who persist—despite the emotional torture—improve their ideas so much that, in the end, their arguments can effectively persuade even the original critic. It’s an incredible thing to watch a mind mature. The power of ethical, logical, reasonable persuasion cannot be underestimated. Lifelong Learning There is another period where critical thinking training happens, and that is throughout OUR lifetime. Whether you do it in the few condensed years in academia or over the lifespan of your time on earth, both pathways are long, gruelling, tough, and eventually enlightening. It is very easy to be one of the quitters and resist and reject all feedback. This slows down your critical thinking training.
So, to understand better, we need to be triggered to think. And that doesn’t happen unless we are reminded in some way. So, what in our day-to-day practices helps us improve our ideas? It is usually the people around us who will be our most effective feedback deliverers. Practical Use of Feedback Firstly, we won’t take feedback on board unless we see a practical use for it. Of course, differing levels of intelligence decide whether we even notice the need to adjust. It’s the people who stay aware of how much they still don’t know. These people get pretty good at paying attention to information they can convert into applicable knowledge. Applying and Responding to Feedback Feedback needs to be there to make us examine our behaviour wherever we are—at home, at work, or in social settings. We might feel a zap of embarrassment or anger, resentment, whatever it may be, but it’s on us to use that moment: pause, reflect on what was said, and ask whether there’s any truth in it. Then we choose—do we apply the change and come back stronger, or stand firm and push back because our reasoning holds up better than the critic’s? Guarding Against Bias
Be careful: it’s very easy to assume we’re always right. Our biases push us to resist change. Maybe you are right, but more likely, you can always improve. Every scenario teaches us something. THOUGHT 3: ACTIVITY Deliberate Reflection After feedback or after a moment of discomfort triggered by an exchange with another person, we need to ask ourselves: What just happened? Why do I feel this emotion? Do I need to change something? Did I do something wrong? Would improving this part of me be worth it? What exactly was the critique, why was it made, and what drove the other person to say it? Break down the critique. Think about all the factors reasonably. Watch for biases that will help you effectively lie to yourself. Happy thinking! Book Recommendation Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, 2021
|
