Think like a scientist
In his latest book, Think Again, Adam Grant says:
“we think and talk with the mindsets of three different professions: preachers, prosecutors and politicians. “In each of these modes we take on a particular identity and use a distinct set of tools. We go into preacher mode when our sacred beliefs are in jeopardy - we deliver sermons to protect and promote our ideals. We enter prosecutor mode when we recognise flaws in other people’s reasoning - we marshal arguments to prove them wrong and win our case. We shift into politician mode when we are seeking to win over an audience - we campaign and lobby for the approval of our constituents. The risk is that we become so wrapped up in preaching that we are right; prosecuting others who are wrong; and politicking for support, that we don’t bother to rethink our own views.”
I enjoyed this book because of its science foundation. In science, the goal is to find the truth (without biases) through experimentation and data collection. Hypotheses are supported, or discounted, by research and factual information. Wouldn’t it be great if we all think like this when it comes to our views and opinions? Yet, it would certainly be boring to strip away the human emotions that drive us and make the world interesting.
In psychology, we often see issues through the prism of bias and there are two main biases that drive a way of thinking. One is confirmation bias — seeing what we expect to see. The other is desirability bias — seeing what we want to see. We arrive at conclusions before we have given sufficient thought to ideas with an enquiring mind. We haven’t allowed others to question us, challenge us, ask us “why”.
Leaders face a range of issues, challenges and complication daily. Most likely, they will deliver a decision on one of the three P’s. What if we encourage leaders and teams to think more like a scientist? Would we re-evaluate our current views? Approach ideas with curiosity? Ask more questions? Run more tests? Dig a little deeper before coming to a conclusion? Could problems be solved more collaboratively? When becoming leaders for the first time, people assume it is their job to make decisions. But in reality, they lead much better when they ask more questions.
You can call it being “open minded” or having a “growth mindset”, it is all about thinking beyond our comfort zones. My own motto is to aim to improve myself rather than prove myself.
~ Sarah
What’s been happening?
Workshops
Our last Leading Engineering Teams workshop for 2022 is fast approaching and there are some tickets still available. Leadership consists of best established practices that can be learned by all. If you want to become a more effective engineering leader, grab yourself (or a friend) a ticket!
Community of Practice Program
We are super excited to kick off this new program on February 28th 2023! A place where leaders meet weekly to share their problems and help each other learn and grow by focusing on real everyday problems. Sessions will be guided by us. Only a few spots are available so be quick! For more info or to secure a spot, head over to our site https://blackmill.co/do/community-of-practice
Sunrise — Nov 10–11
We’re are heading to Sydney tomorrow for Sunrise by Blackbird. If you get a chance, come and say hello!
What are we reading?
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How do we heal polarisation? — an extension of the editorial this month. Disagreement in opinions can be a healthy debate. Instead of fearing the differences, we should be curious.
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How to create serendipity on remote teams — this is relevant for most companies nowadays. Company leaders must provide explicit permission for team members to talk about non-work topics and have fun together. It won’t happen otherwise.
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The weakness question — unpacking interview questions.
A cuppa with Kai Brach
1. What do you do? And what do you like about your work?
I used to do freelance web design work, but in 2012 launched Offscreen, a print magazine about the human side of technology. After almost a decade, I put the magazine on hold half-way through peak COVID. These days, I focus mostly on my newsletter, Dense Discovery, where I share a curated collection of design, tech, sustainability and culture-related things from around the web.
The transition from working for clients to writing/curating for an audience has not been without its challenges, but I love that my work ‘forces’ me to remain curious, to read fairly widely, and to engage with people who are thoughtful, smart and considerate.
2. What aspect of your work do you find most challenging?
As any person doing self-directed work would know, it can be difficult to produce ‘attention-worthy’ work consistently, especially when flying solo. I’ve been writing a weekly newsletter for seven years now and so inevitably I produced some things I’m not so proud of. I think it was Alain de Botton who wrote ‘Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.’ I guess that’s the flipside of it: I look at stuff I’ve written a few years ago and know that I can do better now. 😅
3. What are you passionate about?
Better understanding the difference between individual and collective responsibility and action. So much of the detrimental impacts of human activity on this planet and on each other comes down to systemic failure, rather than individual behaviour. This is very obvious in the fight against climate change, but it extends to almost every critical issue we’re facing—from social and racial injustice to car-centric urban design. We should stop arguing about the best way to recycle milk containers and start being more vocal and assertive when it comes to holding people in power to account.
4. What are recent accomplishments you are happy with?
Over the last few years, I made a conscious decision to prioritise time over money. It means adjusting one’s expectation of ‘enough’ — enough money, enough career, enough house, enough stuff. A critical (and fun!) book that helped me along the way was The Art of Frugal Hedonism. Over the last few years, I’ve cut down on mindless spending so that I can work less and be more available for friends, for community-building causes, for thinking and doing. It’s a perpetual ‘work in progress’ but I’m already noticing the difference of just being more available.
5. What is one mistake that you will never make again?
Believing that I will never make the same mistake twice.
6. How do you manage stress?
In part by adjusting my life to be less career-centric. Of course, there are many other stress factors in life, but I noticed that if time is more abundant, it removes a lot of other stresses. It necessitates a certain amount of privilege, for sure, but I’m surprised by how much simply rethinking conventional life goals can help in removing stress.
7. What is the best advice you can give?
So many soundbites pass for advice these days. I think our lives are too complex and different to really benefit from broad, general advice. That’s why tips from a stranger, whether it’s on Twitter or in a self-help book, should always be taken with a giant grain of salt. The best advice comes from the people who are in your life and you feel close to. That’s my advice. 😉
8. What one thing would you change about our society?
Oof. Maybe this: for everyone to have the capacity/time (privilege?) to better grasp the complex systems we have created that lead us to feel disconnected from one another and from the web of life more broadly.
What are we cooking?
Tofu oatmeal pancakes
Ingredients
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1 cup oatmeal (or rolled oats blitzed into meal)
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1/2 cup tofu, cut into small cubes
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2 eggs whites, plus 1 egg
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1 cup soy milk (or your milk of choice)
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2 tsp vanilla extract
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1 tbsp brown sugar
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1 tsp baking powder
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1/2 tsp cinnamon
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Nutmeg, to taste
Serving suggestion:
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1 banana
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1 cup berries
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Brown sugar
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Lemon wedges
Instructions
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In a blender, combine all the ingredients and blend everything until a thick smooth batter forms. Adjust soy milk to your preference of batter consistency.
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Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Put a tiny bit of Nuttelex (or margarine, or butter) in the pan, then ladle the batter for a pancake.
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Cook the pancake for about two minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface.
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Flip it over and cook for two more minutes, until both sides are nice golden. Repeat with the rest of the batter. You can cook a few at the time, if your pan is big enough.
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Serve with berries, banana, brown sugar, and lemon wedges (or your favourite toppings) and enjoy!
And we’re out
Thank you for showing an interest in our newsletter and we hope that you enjoyed the read. Feel free to contact us if you have any feedback, a burning question, or just a recipe that you would like to share.
Until next time, keep learning!
Everyone at Blackmill