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The Newsletter | Edition 036
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In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This weekly newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...CHANGE MY MIND
It's hard to change your mind. In a team setting, it can drastically alter the course of set planning. But as we contend with technological, social, political and economic change happening faster than ever, it can be crucial to change directions. So how can leaders identify the conditions needed to change their minds? Or if the initial direction was simply ineffective in the first place, how do you re-energize teams in the face of a mistake? And how can they encourage others to humbly do the same?
- Minding your preconceived notions, from Helen Li
- The link between acid and ego, from Katie Sadow
- Drink the humble tea, from Ben Cheney
And this time, our illustrations from Ash Casper.
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MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL From Helen Li
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TL;DRIn addition to an increased sense of emotional and mental wellbeing, a growing body of work has shown that practicing meditation and mindfulness can reduce one's cognitive biases. Creating space for non-judgemental thought, introspection, and detachment from negative thoughts removes barriers that would previously hinder our ability to make fairer, less biased decisions.
WHY IT MATTERSWe try to make the best decisions we can in any given situation with the cards we’re dealt by leveraging our past experience as a frame of reference. But there are dozens of cognitive biases out there that affect our judgment. Mindfulness encourages us to take a moment for self-reflection and interrogate them. And understanding the fundamental driving factors that contribute to our worldview and decision-making process teaches us how to peel back any hidden layers. Furthermore, developing a mindfulness practice shifts our mindset before we jump to our tried and true default modes of operating—leading to less rash decision-making, allowing more space for lateral thinking, and subsequently, more connections for innovative problem-solving.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Take a moment for self-reflection and dig into the deeper “why.”
THOUGHTSThe simple practice of asking yourself ‘why’ demonstrates the power of interrogation as a meaningful tool to dig into the inner truth of why we say and do the things we do. Perhaps this might be why we feel exasperated when a child asks us ‘why’ for the 70th time—it shines a light on the unsaid beliefs that guide us in our day-to-day, unconsciously.
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DROPPING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAYFrom Katie Sadow
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TL;DRIn his charmingly self-conscious and journalistic foray into the world of plant medicine, Michael Pollan explores, among other things, the neurological underpinnings of transformative psychedelic experiences: an “ego death” in the most literal sense, a silencing of the brain’s default mode network, which “governs the ego” and a concurrent heightening of feelings of “oneness” and connection with the world around us. Put plainly: “The more connected we feel to what’s around us, and the less we obsess about ourselves, the happier we are likely to be.”
WHY IT MATTERSI am not proposing that we start dropping acid before big meetings or moments of transition. I am suggesting that the connection between ego suppression—whether achieved through meditation, a tab of LSD, or otherwise—and comfort with uncertainty and change is a meaningful one. If fully disabling the ego via neurological intervention has the capacity to help smokers kick their habit and help cancer patients make peace with death, what might a more everyday approach to ego suppression make possible?
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Say it with me, out loud: “It’s not about me.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHTIn the midst of a big shift, try widening your aperture. Who else is going through this transition with you? Could this be an opportunity to more deeply connect with them? What happens if you shift even a touch of your energy from yourself onto the people and the world around you?
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THE HUMBLE MINDFrom Ben Cheney
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TL;DR
Epistemic humility, the willingness and ability to change one’s mind based on knowledge, might just be one of the most critical and admirable traits for leaders and general humans alike. After all, we’ve all been witness to just how toxic and damaging epistemic hubris can be, whether at Thanksgiving dinner with a relative who refuses to entertain a challenging opinion, or a world leader who ignores the guidance of expert advisors.
WHY IT MATTERSGreat leaders are often revered for qualities like decisiveness, stoicism, and vision. Solid traits indeed. But when these traits are expressed in their absolute sense, with hubris and rigidity, they can become toxic. It’s important to maintain a flexible mindset—everything is evolving and nothing is sacred. Science is a great reference point. While the four forces of physics—gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force—are each perceived as law, new evidence suggests there may be a fifth force, evolving our understanding of something as “concrete” as the laws of nature. Just as this revelation may open doors to new discoveries and scientific frontiers, embracing epistemic humility can open our eyes to new perspectives and frontiers of personal and professional growth.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Get comfortable with being wrong, and admit it freely.
OH, AND ONE MORE THING...Ultimately, epistemic humility is about finding the truth, with little regard for pride or ego. Actively seeking to challenge and disprove one’s own assumptions and beliefs inspires objectivity that might allow us to more easily evolve our perspectives without the worry of ego management.
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