The Courage to Rethink
We were taught to learn. But rarely, if ever, are were we taught to unlearn.
To let go of outdated beliefs. To rethink what we once knew as true.
That’s the core message of Adam Grant’s Think Again—a book not about intelligence, but about the discipline of intellectual humility.
The Key Ideas:
1. The Value of Being Wrong
Being wrong isn’t a failure—it’s a step toward being right. The most successful people don’t cling to their ideas. They revise them. They treat their opinions like software: always updating, always patching.
2. The Four Mindsets
Most people default to one of four roles when thinking:
Preacher: defending their beliefs
Prosecutor: proving others wrong
Politician: seeking approval
Scientist: testing hypotheses, staying curious
The goal is to think like a scientist—with curiosity, evidence, and humility.
3. Identity as a Barrier
We attach our ideas to our identity. And when someone questions our ideas, we take it personally. But if we define ourselves not by what we believe, but by how we think—we become antifragile.
4. The Power of Rethinking in Teams
Psychological safety—where people feel safe to disagree—is essential to rethinking. Great leaders don’t seek agreement; they seek truth.
5. Confident Humility
This is the sweet spot: confidence in your ability to learn, with the humility to know you don’t know it all.
What This Means for Commercial Real Estate (and Multifamily in Particular):
Most CRE professionals were trained to trust the spreadsheet, the comp set, and the playbook. But markets change. Demographics shift. Interest rates swing. What worked in 2019 may not work in 2025.
Here’s how to apply Grant’s ideas:
Stop preaching, start testing:
There are many beliefs that are preached but are they true? What does the data say about rent growth in tertiary markets? What happens if you rethink the value of in-unit amenities and hat you put in the homes?
Build teams that challenge you:
Create space for asset managers, leasing agents, and maintenance techs to question assumptions. Invite debate. Reward dissent. Truth doesn’t come from hierarchy; it comes from honest dialogue.
Update your underwriting model like you update your phone:
Markets are dynamic. If you’re still underwriting with the same expenses because that is what we’ve always done,” you’re operating on mental Windows 95.
Practice confident humility in front of investors:
Say, “Here’s our current perspective, but we’ll adapt if the facts change.” That’s not weakness—that’s leadership.
In real estate, we talk a lot about value-add.
What if the greatest value-add isn’t in the building... but in the thinking?
Keep questioning.
Keep upgrading.
Keep zagging.
—Moshe