A little longer than 10 years ago, I started compiling my Top 10 list. The first of such is titled A Great Man is One Sentence. (Click here for the link). The idea that I had back then was to gather as many good principles as possible and somehow miraculously or not, consolidate them into a framework or a theory of everything. Since then, I realize a few distinguished authors have proposed their theory of everything. Regrettably, mine is still a work in progress.
I will most probably review and update the list later on but today I would like to share the 10th rule, Rethinking.
7 years ago, I wrote something vaguely on this topic called Tripwires. (Click here for the post). From the book Decisive by Chip Heath and Dan Heath: “What we then need is a mechanism to snap us back at the most critical moment, ensuring that we don’t miss a chance to cut our losses or to maximize our opportunities”.
Back then, one example I gave was fixed hard rules that we might have in life. Example, to cut loss in the stock market when value drops by 7-8%. With no exception. This is important so that we don’t set out on an auto pilot mode heading towards the wrong direction with nothing to alert us along the way.
Adam Grant wrote an outstanding book on this topic called Think Again which I highly recommend you to read. He started off with a story about fighting fire with fire in the most literal sense and how such unorthodox method and a willingness to ‘think again’ could save lives. In recent days, we often hear the word ‘Disruption’. It is nothing more than the same idea. Challenge the norm. Etc.
I realize now that it is not enough to have fixed hard rules. Because it then begets another question, “how do I discover my fixed hard rules?”. And this kind of thinking more often than not has an element of hindsight in it. I fell sick, someone died, so I start doing x. (The grand idea here is this – could we have done x before I fall sick, before someone dies?) We wont know until we know, so how do we know what we don’t know? Read that again.
Adam Grant proposed a grand idea – what if we change 20% of the ways we do things on a yearly basis? If we could never get everything right (which is nearly impossible), it then means there MUST be something that we are currently doing that are NOT in our best interest. Can we change these things constantly before it is too late?
If we want a more predictive method instead of changing things when it is just too late to react, then start rethinking. Challenge every assumption we have, the more tightly held assumptions the more they should be put under scrutiny.
Previous Top 8 rules can be found here
Rule 9 Be Fucking Precise can be found here