Changing Mind
Flip-flopper. Hypocrite. Weak. All three are often used to describe people who change their mind. Yet, I have come to realize that changing my mind is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it often signifies growth. Sure, we should have standards, values, morals, and a good sense of right or wrong, but sometimes those guide us into making poor decisions or choices. Most difficult decisions are often complex and require us to decide between multiple conflicting elements of our self. It’s why sometimes good people do bad things. We are all constantly wrestling with ourselves.
However, owning up to a mistake, a wrong perspective, or a decision gone wrong is one of the keys to great leadership. In reality, it’s one of the keys to simply being a good citizen. As the great author Adam Grant explained in his book, we need to be willing to “think again.”
Staying open to possibilities and a willingness to change your mind is what allows us to evolve. So here are some questions that could help you effectively change your mind:
What other possibilities exist?
What opinions exist that disagree with my view? How can I explore them with curiosity instead of judgment? How can I defend that point of view?
What have I been wrong about in the past that I was glad I was wrong about?
How might my opinion improve if I altered it one percent?
What might my opinion be on this topic ten years from now?
What would my role model think of this position?
What would cause me to change my view on this topic?
How might my ego or desire to be right be holding me back from finding the best possible solution here?
Knowing when to be convicted on something and when to be open to changing an opinion is one of the most important skills to have. As my friends and family can attest to, I am still a work in progress in this area, but my hunch is you are too. I could be wrong.