Leadership Lunch and Learn: Think Again – Book Review by Hannah Gerken

by Lisa Davis - February 27, 2026

Think Again.
In a recent Leadership Lunch and Learn webinar, Hannah Gerken, extension program specialist II at Texas A&M University, invited participants to “think again” about how they see themselves, their work, and the people they serve, using Adam Grant’s book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know as her guide.

Watch the recording here.

She explained Grant’s core idea that in a fast-changing world, it is not enough to be an expert once; real success comes from being willing to question our assumptions, update our views, and stay curious even when we feel certain. Rather than slipping into “preacher,” “prosecutor,” or “politician” roles—defending what we already believe, picking apart others’ arguments, or saying what people want to hear—Grant encourages us to think like scientists, treating our opinions as hypotheses to test and refine over time.

This webinar walked through these themes in an accessible way, blending research, practical examples, and reflection questions that resonated with both community leaders and professionals from a wide range of sectors.

Leadership Implications 
Gerken emphasized that rethinking is a core leadership skill for anyone who works with people, makes decisions under uncertainty, or influences their community. She highlighted the value of “confident humility,” or having enough confidence to act and lead, while remaining humble enough to admit you might be wrong and invite better ideas to the table. Leaders who model this blend tend to build more trust, create space for honest feedback, and avoid the costly trap of doubling down on decisions that are no longer working.

Drawing on Think Again, Hannah also underscored the importance of productive disagreement and “challenge networks,” or trusted people who will question your assumptions, stress-test your plans, and help you see blind spots before they become problems. Whether you are guiding a community project, leading a board, or managing a team, these skills support more thoughtful decisions, stronger relationships, and innovations that truly fit local needs.

Applicability 
One of the strengths of Gerken’s session is how broadly the ideas apply. Participants were encouraged to use rethinking skills in everyday life:

• revisiting long-standing traditions in their organizations
• listening more deeply to people who see the world differently
• treating mistakes or course corrections as signs of learning rather than failure.

The webinar offers a fresh lens for tackling complex issues like workforce development, rural vitality, health, and education—areas where answers are rarely simple and conditions change quickly. The concepts are just as relevant at home, at work, and in civic life: having better conversations across differences, supporting youth and colleagues as they experiment and grow, and staying open-minded in the face of new information.

The LLL Book Review series features leadership experts from across the South. Each presenter reviews a leadership development book. The series gives you the opportunity to hear the cliff notes version of many popular leadership development books. Other recordings of the series are available on the archive page on the website, where anyone interested in practical, research-informed leadership development can watch it on demand.