I am an advocate for trainers thinking more like scientists. This requires that we do the research on learning, teaching, training, and coaching, formulate a hypothesis on how we can use the information obtained to ground and inform our training and then run a series of small experiments to test and modify our hypotheses.
In his book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know Adam Grant writes about the importance of developing a scientist frame of mind and mode of thinking. In this post, which is longer than most, I will share some quotes from the book and the lesson I took from them. I encourage you to take your time working through these quotes and pull your own lessons from each of them.
Quote: “If you’re a scientist by trade, rethinking is fundamental to your profession. You’re paid to be constantly aware of the limits of your understanding. You’re expected to doubt what you know, be curious about what you don’t know, and update your views based on new data.”
Lesson: Being a constant learner, attending trainer conferences like the annual ILEETA Conference, exposing yourself to new ideas, insights and research through platforms like The Excellence in Training Academy and The ILEETA Learning Lab (a member benefit) will help you develop an awareness of the limits of your understanding. Be curious about what you don’t know and update your views when you become aware of new data and information that could potentially improve your training.
Quote: “But being a scientist is not just a profession. It’s a frame of mind—a mode of thinking that differs from preaching, prosecuting, and politicking. We move into scientist mode when we’re searching for the truth: we run experiments to test hypotheses and discover knowledge. Scientific tools aren’t reserved for people with white coats and beakers, and using them doesn’t require toiling away for years with a microscope and a petri dish. Hypotheses have as much of a place in our lives as they do in the lab. Experiments can inform our daily decisions.”
Lesson: In your continual search for better ways to design and deliver training develop hypotheses, which are well thought out, and grounded in and informed by the research and then be willing to continually run small experiments to test your hypotheses. Assess and iterate as necessary, then repeat the process. Stay curious.
Quote: “When we’re in scientist mode, we refuse to let our ideas become ideologies. We don’t start with answers or solutions; we lead with questions and puzzles. We don’t preach from intuition; we teach from evidence. We don’t just have healthy skepticism about other people’s arguments; we dare to disagree with our own arguments.”
Lesson: Avoid the dogmatic arguments around the best system of control tactics, the best style of martial arts for police training, or the best theory of teaching or pedagogical model. Look for the consistent principles and concepts which have been shown to best help facilitate understanding, learning, retention, recall and transfer. These principles and concepts are shared by multiple theories of learning, teaching, and coaching. Then strive to determine how to weave those principles and concepts into your training in a manner that most effectively helps your people on the path to becoming dextrous, adaptable, resilient problem solvers and provides the foundation to allow them to function at the highest level in the field.
Quote: “Thinking like a scientist involves more than just reacting with an open mind. It means being actively open-minded. It requires searching for reasons why we might be wrong—not for reasons why we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn.”
Lesson: This is a crucial piece of this journey, and a difficult one. It is hard for many of us to be searching for reasons we might be wrong. It is far easier to search for reasons we might be right. This takes me to two other quotes from the book:
- “In psychology there are at least two biases that drive this pattern. One is confirmation bias: seeing what we expect to see. The other is desirability bias: seeing what we want to see. These biases don’t just prevent us from applying our intelligence. They can actually contort our intelligence into a weapon against the truth. We find reasons to preach our faith more deeply, prosecute our case more passionately, and ride the tidal wave of our political party. The tragedy is that we’re usually unaware of the resulting flaws in our thinking.”
- “My favorite bias is the “I’m not biased” bias, in which people believe they’re more objective than others. It turns out that smart people are more likely to fall into this trap. The brighter you are, the harder it can be to see your own limitations. Being good at thinking can make you worse at rethinking.”
Quote: “That (changing our minds) rarely happens in the other mental modes. In preacher mode, changing our minds is a mark of moral weakness; in scientist mode, it’s a sign of intellectual integrity. In prosecutor mode, allowing ourselves to be persuaded is admitting defeat; in scientist mode, it’s a step toward the truth. In politician mode, we flip-flop in response to carrots and sticks; in scientist mode, we shift in the face of sharper logic and stronger data.”
Lesson: It is not easy to publicly change our position on what we believe to be the most effective way to teach, train and coach. Too often we see it as a sign of weakness or an admission that what we have been doing is wrong. We are all doing the best we can with what we know. However, as Maya Angelou says, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” The scientist mode of thinking will help us to know better. The challenge then is for each of us to have the courage to do better.
Quote: “Scientific thinking favors humility over pride, doubt over certainty, curiosity over closure.”
Lesson: Embrace humility. Be comfortable with doubt. Training is an art, informed by the science. Stay curious.
Quote: “What he lacked is a crucial nutrient for the mind: humility. The antidote to getting stuck on Mount Stupid is taking a regular dose of it. “Arrogance is ignorance plus conviction,” blogger Tim Urban explains. “While humility is a permeable filter that absorbs life experience and converts it into knowledge and wisdom, arrogance is a rubber shield that life experience simply bounces off of.””
Lesson: I know that I have spent time on Mount Stupid in the 35 years I have been involved in delivering training. Fortunately, I have usually had people around me who were willing to have a courageous conversation with me and help move me from arrogance to humility. This is not an easy shift, but it is critical if we want to best serve the heroic men and women we have the privilege to train.
You don’t have to think of yourself as a scientist, but it is helpful as a trainer to think like a scientist.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Providing practical training to law enforcement professionals in the areas of instructor development, Performance Enhancement Imagery, leadership and mindset.
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