The importance of a Learning Mindset in a world full of mis and disinformation!

I've long been a fan of the award-winning author Adam Grant, perhaps even more so since he teamed up with Brené Brown for their podcast, The Curiosity Shop.

There's been a recurring theme running through many of the things I've written about lately, and few ideas bring them together better than Adam Grant's Hierarchy of Thinking model - a framework he first introduced in his book, Think Again.

This simple model, which describes the different ways we approach and process information, perfectly captures much of what I believe is breaking down in society today. More importantly, though, it offers hope. It provides a roadmap for moving away from the groupthink that can be so damaging to trust and towards thinking more independently, allowing us to form opinions based on reflection rather than reaction.

So, what does the model look like?

In short, it's a five-tier pyramid that outlines different approaches to thinking. Grant categorises the mental habits we adopt, ranging from the most rigid and closed-minded at the bottom to the most adaptable and intellectually humble at the top.

At the very top of the hierarchy sits the Learner - someone who embraces curiosity, values intellectual humility, and is willing to continuously re-evaluate their ideas in the face of new evidence.

Working from the bottom of the pyramid upwards, the thinking styles are:

Cult-like leaders – People who treat their own beliefs as unquestionable truth and surround themselves with others who reinforce rather than challenge their thinking.

Politicians – Those who approach conversations with the primary aim of persuading others rather than discovering what's true.

Contrarians – People who are quick to identify flaws in everyone else's arguments while remaining stubbornly blind to the limitations of their own.

Critical thinkers – Individuals who actively engage with diverse sources of information, question credibility, weigh evidence, and are prepared to change their minds when the facts lead them elsewhere.

Learners – People who prioritise curiosity over certainty, seek out opposing viewpoints, and see changing their mind as a strength rather than a weakness.

I like Adam Grant because his writing style is accessible, thoughtful, and consistently encourages reflection rather than confrontation.

As he so often says in his own social media content, "We need to stop arguing like we're right and start listening like we're wrong." If we're genuinely committed to helping people see the world differently, then arguing rarely achieves that. Listening does.

Much like what I've written previously about Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow, Grant arrives at a similar conclusion. We need to stop engaging in shallow, automatic thinking and instead consciously choose to think more deeply and deliberately about the world around us.

As Grant himself puts it:

"The greatest tragedy of mankind comes from the inability of people to have thoughtful disagreement to find out what's true."