More Time to Think: The power of independent thinking

by Nancy Kline

The follow-on to the bestselling Time to Think and Living with Time to Think.-'As we make sense of change in the 21st century, a deep understanding of the Thinking Environment should be part of every leadership development programme. It intrinsically values the contribution and humanity of each person, and drives team effectiveness. Its power is evident in higher quality relationships, as well as in shorter, smarter meetings. Bravo!' - Rosemary Grant, Statutory Director, Johnson & Johnson Medical UKThe quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first. The leaders, professionals, parents and teachers who understand this are at the top of their fields and inspire some of the finest independent thinking in their environments. In More Time to Think, Nancy Kline shares ten effective ways to help people think for themselves with rigour, imagination, courage and grace. From learning that the mind works best in the presence of a question (so never be afraid to risk being wrong) and that a key factor in the quality of a person's thinking is how they are treated by the people with them while they are thinking, to the importance of appreciation and of facing what you have been denying, Nancy Kline shows how to create a successful Thinking Environment, whether for two people or a larger group.-Praise for Time to Think'Do not be fooled by the simplicity of this process. It will unleash the power of your whole organisation.' - British Telecom'This process is not just a set of techniques. It's a way of being in the world.' - Shirley Edwards, Xerox CorporationPraise for Living with Time to Think'A beautiful book. Every page is a gift. Its compassionate wisdom illuminates your life and invites you to greater intimacy with your best and truest self. Nancy Kline writes to her god-daughters, and in so doing, offers timeless wisdom for us all.' - Mark Williams, bestselling co-author of Mindfulness

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Psychology, Audiobook, Personal Development, Management

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2009

Reviews

[Daniil Lanovyi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had time to think about this book and I really wanted to like it. Even more so as I do actually agree with some of the ideas expressed in it. Just the way it's written doesn't sit well with me. Preachy, oh so preachy. Overconfident and full of big words and little evidence.

The second part of the book made me cringe - "it's yet another coaching method". Now the style made sense, when you want to sell something - you do need to sound confident. So I've stopped reading at about 70% and regretted the time already spent on it.

[Paul Laughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the prequel over twenty years ago, I was fascinated to find what I’d learn from “More time to think” by Nancy Kline. This book was written over a decade ago now, so I’ve been procrastinating, wondering what else there was to learn about this approach. How wrong I was.

This is such a powerful book. One that could be potentially transformative, both for leaders and everyone else. In fact, I prefer this sequel to the original as Nancy is able to share so much that has been learnt in practice.

Nancy Kline has dedicated her life to the cause of helping others think better. As an author, speaker, coach, mentor, trainer & consultant, this clarity of purpose has served her well. I rarely meet another coach who has not been inspired by her writing or classes.

The book includes all the theory you need to understand this approach to better thinking. But the majority of this book is very practical. Giving advice for a wide range of situations and packed with case studies & people’s stories.

More time to think comes from a Thinking Environment
To benefit from more time to think, this book advocates the Thinking Environment as the model to get there. It is a set of 10 principles or components as Nancy calls them, that are needed for us to think well.

Those 10 components are:

Attention (don’t interrupt, really listen & be interested)
Equality (treat as an equal & equal time/turns to all)
Ease (unhurried freedom & learn to do by ‘just’ listening)
Appreciation (practice a ratio of 5:1 of praise:critique)
Encouragement (encourage the courage to think beyond limits)
Information (share facts, dismantle denial, face truths)
Feelings (allow for emotional release, crying makes you smarter)
Diversity (encourage cognitive diversity, have diverse groups)
Incisive Questions (remove untrue ‘limiting assumption’ blockers)
Place (create an environment that says “you matter” to people)
They sound so simple & yet can take a lifetime to master. Looking back I’m disappointed with the progress I’ve made on the above since reading “Time to Think“. But I’m also reenthused to go for it again. So many examples in this book demonstrate the power unleashed by the above thinking context.

Before I go further in this book review, I should mention Nancy’s writing style. It is beautiful and heartwarming. She writes with such obvious passion, good humour & warmth – it’s infectious. She also knows how to tell a good human story & craft a beautiful phrase in the poetry of her prose.

Putting the Thinking Environment into practice
As I mentioned earlier, this book benefits from lessons learnt in many years of practical application. When Nancy first wrote “Time to Think” it was on the back of 15 years thinking & working on applying her Thinking Environment principles. Extending individual coaching techniques to groups and numerous different contexts.

Since the huge success of her first book. She had another decade of practical experience to draw upon for this book. That has really helped her both identify the challenges and share what has worked to overcome them.

In part two of this book she focusses on how you can apply her model to better thinking in pairs. She starts by establishing the mindset you need to approach this (what she describes as the Positive Psychological Choice – something I have seen help in my mentoring work too). Then goes on to explain in detail how to conduct ‘Part 1‘ of such work together.

This revises much of what was in her first book, but with greater emphasis on lessons learnt from practice. It is exciting to see again the huge power of ‘just‘ listening’. Actively giving someone the power to choose what they want to think about & not direction/rescuing them during that journey. Such simple questions can help them discover they are more resourceful than they knew.

Part two of Pairs work hugely expands application
I shared in my previous, brief, book review of “Time to Think” how powerful an incisive question can be for part one (above). What really extends the usefulness of this book is how Nancy expands that by explaining a part two approach to thinking as a pair.

In this section, she explores, explains & demonstrates how to respond to a range of different goals your partner may have. After the free format of “What do you want to think about?” in part 1, many people will have greater clarity on a thinking goal. However, the diversity of what people want to think through made it often challenging to know how to respond.

In this (so useful) section, Nancy identifies & advises on approach for the following possible thinking (c.f. mentoring/coaching) goals:

Action
Feeling
Removing-The-Blocks
Understanding-Why_I…
Looking-At-Assumptions
Exploring-New-Topic
Activity
Information
For each of those she shares case studies & honest stories about what has not worked & how incisive questions/approaches for each were discovered.

She goes on to provide some practical & inspirational advice for coaching, mentoring & having better dialogue using these components. This book really should be required reading on coaching training courses. It would help focus coaches on the presence they need, rather than more models.

You can create More time to Think in Groups too
As I’ve often mentioned on this blog & social media, meetings are the bane of many a leader’s life. So it is timely that in part two of this ‘in practice‘ section of the book, Nancy shares how to apply this approach in groups.

This part is full of case studies & honest exploration of frustrations and barriers in organisations & teams. Much felt very familiar to me from corporate life.

She demonstrates how versions of the approach taken in pairs for different goals can also help groups. Very often this enables an organisation to benefit from truly hearing the silent but frustrated person on the team. A person who more often than not has the wisdom to share that is needed.

I recommend this section to facilitators, consultants and experts of all kinds. With regards to the latter, Nancy shares and amusing but helpful aide memoire for experts to pin up to remind them to listen more.

A recent practical experience of this was when I participated in William Buist’s great “Build a Better Business Bookclub“. Having been inspired by this book (as the one we each read last month). William led the book club as a Thinking Environment. We each had uninterrupted time to share what we thought and be prompted to share more. It was the most enjoyable and intellectually rich book club experience that I’ve had.

Finally, lift your heart to believe & work for human progress

True to the warmth & compassion of her voice (in prose), Nancy closes this book with a vision of work in progress around the world. From those pioneering work on climate control to sustainable businesses, we see how this better quality of thinking happens.

Nancy generously shares from many working in different settings. From South Africa to the USA. Europe to the UK. It must be such an encouragement to her to see her living legacy already. The goal she shared with her grandmother is coming true before her eyes. May we see a pandemic of this kind of thinking before too long.

How will you “throw your soul at their feet” & help others too?
I’ve shared before on this blog how unappreciated I believe that poetry is for leadership development. In a past book review, I shared how much I had gained through the writings of the poet David Whyte.

Given that & the poetic lilt of Nancy’s prose at many times in this book, it is fitting that she closes with a poem. One I share in full below. It is a poem from Davison Budhoo. It feels especially poignant for those of in the second or third phase of our lives. I hope it inspires you to think more freely & free others to do the same through applying More Time to Think.

“At some stage, said the Northern Star,

You must stop the pre-arranged reel,

However interesting it may be,

However titillating to the Gods.

Stop it and take potluck.

Face your audience head-on, without props,

Without supporting cast, without rehearsal,

Throw your soul at their feet, and make them,

Either to trample on it,

Or to embrace it into themselves.

In the waxing and waning of your tide

There is a knowledge awaiting discovery –

A knowledge never learnt,

Nor sought before,

Because it is too disturbing for

Humankind. If you can find that knowledge, use it wisely

To make your world compassionate.

Use it tonight, unapologetically,

Before your time runs out.”

Davison Budhoo

[Alberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good empirical guide on how to create a thinking environment

The principles on how to create a thinking environment are really great and can be applied to mentoring, groups, meetings, pairs. I really like that from the book.

The examples are quite good, for instance how to discover and implement incisive questions. Also, the parts on how to coach are really good.

There were many sections in the last two parts of the book which were a bit more philosophical or a little less grounded, it’s definitely good for context but they are not ask focused as the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, they make the message lose a bit of strength and, hence, that's why the 3-star rating.

All in all, I recommend the book and I definitely would use for advice on how to coach.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

"More Time to Think" by Nancy Kline offers well-crafted writing that is engaging and thought-provoking. While the book presents valuable insights on leadership, it may not be suitable for seasoned readers familiar with extensive leadership material. The content may lack depth or novelty for those well-versed in the subject. Overall, a decent read for those looking for a fresh perspective on leadership, but may not fully satisfy individuals seeking advanced insights in the field.

[Inga Grencberga · Rating 5 out of 5]

The answer is only as good as the question!
Think. Listen. Breathe.

+ read

[L. Marquet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Building on her previous work, Time to Think, which came out in 1984, Nancy Kline asks us a question: “I ponder what it will take to produce a planet of people thinking for themselves.”

And she postulates the answer: “Turning our organizations and governments and religions and schools and families into thinking environments.”

This is what I love about the book. First of all, it's all about thinking, independent thinking. The author doesn't go down the tried and tired path of ‘you need to think better’ but how do you help others think? We all play a role in not only in our own thinking, but how does our behavior impact the thinking ability of others?

In order to create this environment. She has 10 components.

The first one is attention.

Others might call this listening, but listening has become a somewhat polluted term interpreted in different ways. It's really about attention, to attend to, where the ‘tend’ comes from the same root as the word tendon. That is to say, to stretch forward toward.

Attention, she says, is an act of creation.

The 10 components are
Attention.
Equality
Ease
Appreciation
Encouragement
Feelings
Information
Diversity
Incisive questions and
Place.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to anyone who thinks we're suffering from a shortage of thinking. I personally do not believe that thousands of account managers at Wells Fargo were evil, that hundreds of engineers of Volkswagen were evil, or even that the players on the Houston Astros were evil. These things happen because there are a few misguided people, and a culture of unthinking obedience. Let's all work together and fix that.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Goodreads app crashed when I was about 12 paras deep into my review so I am rage-retyping it on the laptop...)

This is a really tough review because I feel wave of ambivalence about the book.

On the one hand - and the hand that rates it 4 starts - I am Entirely Here for Nancy Kline, I am Fully Down with the Thinking Environment. Time to Think was the bedrock of my coaching theory. It has made me a better coach, a better listener, a better manager, a better friend, and better person. I want everyone to read TTT and MTTT (especially if they manage people) so that they can appreciate that our brilliant minds are woefully underused (true story) and if we just made people feel like they and their thinking mattered, we could change the whole damn world for the better.

Where MTTT builds on TTT is in the deep exploration of the 10 components of the Thinking Environment, what they look like, how you create them - and the book is worth reading for this theory section alone. She goes on to illustrate how the Thinking Environment can be deployed in other scenarios from coaching to mediation, group meetings, mentoring and so on. It's a stretch in some cases but resonates and makes sense. A little training would be needed but it feels so plausible and so hopeful.

I am still growing as a coach and the chapters about incisive questions deserve more forensic thought than I have thus-far afforded them; they follow a logic that I can't quite grasp. Their mastery might elevate a practitioner onto a higher plane of coaching. Imagine!

My ambivalence comes from the areas where Kline over-extends a metaphor, or declares that TS Eliot was in fact talking about the Thinking Environment, or asks if we think we can 'bear the beauty' of the thinking. It's a book that has consumed gallons of its own kool-aid, and in some respects you'd expect nothing less, but is it a little... smug? And I hate to say that, loving her work as I do, and she is right to be so proud of her achievements. But there are instances where I felt it was overkill, it was so ‘authentic’ or wildly figurative that it turned me off. Perhaps I am too British!

Overall, though, it’s a really useful, grounding work and of enormous usefulness to anyone with a coaching interest – it’s well structured, snappy (for the most part) and ordered in very short chapters. With the wide line / paragraph spacing and large font, there’s probably more unprinted space in the book than printed. Which, now I think about it, could be another of Kline’s many, many metaphors…

[Andreas Happe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally I thought this book would be about how to think --- how surprised I was that it teaches how to make others think for themselves. Intertwined into this are page after page that make you think about yourself, your life and relations to others.. Those are more than worthy of being read for their own.

Base for thinking is an atmosphere of attentiveness, curiosity, empathy and mutual worthiness. Humility and equality. Allow people to think without fear. The idea is to gently remove untrue limiting assumptions and doing this not by forcing the other, but by allowing them to reach their own conclusion.

The book contrasts control/urgency/certainty with respect/ease/interest. I need to think if I accept that dichotomy. If so, the latter seems the only feasible way of doing things.

I do have problems with listening without reacting. Especially with people in pain or dear to me. I feel the urge to jump in, to help them, to ease their discomfort. That this might belittle the other, or even might be seen as a form of infantilization never occured to me :-/ So reading that book already was positive.

I will try some of those ideas with the master thesis students I am currently supervising. Also, maybe I can incorporate some of those ideas in one of my lectures (in addition to the speech training I am currently doing). On a happy end note: the author mentions being in a anxious/avoidant relationship; I’ve read a lot about the problems of those and seeing that she did make it work and only mentioning that on a side-note is a welcome difference to the otherwise defeatist notes that you see about those situations.

[Stefano Zanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book. The content puts a finger and names observations and intuitions about collaboration and communication that were with me for years, so I came on the other side with much more clarity.
One particular aspect I didn’t appreciate is the tone: sometimes too much on the “feel good” or catchy side, at times to the detriment of comprehension. Maybe one needs to read the original “Time to think”, not sure.
I also have a problem with scripted scenarios: the problem is always that if you don’t believe (and live) what you’re doing, it’s just organized emptiness, i.e. useless at best and detrimental at worst. But, to be fair to the author, she mentions the aspect of authenticity multiple times; she just doesn’t fully provide a path to shift perspective (and probably at some point there’s also a reason why she makes a living out of this framework: you need a coach to guide you through the mindset shift).
Overall I think it’s a good companion to The Fifth Discipline and other books on system thinking.

[Kym Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Kline's first in the series, Time to Think, earlier this year, and really enjoyed the conversations about Quality Thinking and Listening. Now I am loving the deeper dive in More Time to Think into ways to help people think for themselves with rigour, imagination, courage and grace.

I've also started trying on some small thinking and behaviour changes - one of which is that the mind works better when in the presence of a question ie less telling more questioning and listening for me. And it's already yielding much more thoughtful conversations with everyone contributing (instead of only the loud people!)

This is such a great foundational handbook for creating safe spaces in our interactions and while I'll be using it throughout my leadership and coaching practice, I think actually it's fundamental reading for life.

An absolute must-read for having better conversations - 5 stars!

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended! This book gave me lots of energy and I found a source of inspiration in the presented ideas.


Below a few points which were thought provoking for me:
- Leaders have to make others think —>In order to take the humanity forward —> hone Divergent thinking (key)
- How: Accepting others alows them to be more at ease and share more their opinions
-Ease creates, (internal) urgency destroys
- Choose the assumption about human nature that gets the best results
- Find and address limiting assumptions

The author differentiates between beliefs and assumptions, preferring the latter as she explains, assumption means one can still change it with the right information while belief can be seen less movable

[Josh Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follow’s Kline’s ‘Time to Think’ and does an excellent job of building on what was written before and adding depth to it. Kline’s focus on questions that stem from a Positive Philosophical Choice is demonstrated effectively throughout the book with examples from real world coaching/ thinking sessions. It is clear that taking time to listen to a Thinker (Kline’s term) and further pursuing what they have to say, rather than replying, enables the best thinking and solution-making. At the core of Kline’s conviction in ‘More Time to Think’ is the idea that to enable this solution-making, one must accept the other as an equal in their thinking and fully appreciate what they think and say as the best path to setting and achieving goals.

A highly recommendable book.

[Gauchoholandes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the title and subtitle are promising and ideas I wholeheartedly subscribe to. Probably the author’s first book is helpful to attain those goals, but this sequel unfortunately felt to me as if the meal was warmed up too many times by a well-meaning author too enamored with and wedded to her own concepts. Having had to put the book down halfway through, I will henceforth just pay attention to the 10 components to create a thinking environment, but refrain from using the unnatural sounding probing questions. Two stars somewhat generous in recognition of the noble intent.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Time to Think and expected more from this (he he). There are some explanations of incisive questions and examples of how TTT has been used by different people, but at the end of it, I thought this could have been just a long magazine article (or a few blog posts). It's a bit too preachy and navel-gazing for my taste, although I still wholeheartedly like the core ideas.

As a book it doesn't add much if you've already read Time to Think.

[Melinda Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have begun reading again. Techniques that are profoundly useful.

[Priit Rohumaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice topic,good thoughts! But extremely boring... Took real effort to push myself to read it..

[Nikola Brežnjak · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 4.2

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've found my coaching style - finally!

[Francesca Zannella · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author don’t say nothing wrong, but she say it in the wrong way! Preachy and “dull”. Absolutly not inspiring.

[Mirela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it 3 stars as I found a lot of value in this book. Unfortunately, the writing style was not my cup of tea and need a lot of discipline to manage to finish it.

[Jenny Horne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A DNF for me - the audiobook narrator was really off-putting!

[Bethany Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished listening to this!
Really insightful and thought provoking although i did find it difficult to keep listening.

[Roberto · Rating 1 out of 5]

All fluff. The 10 commandments section at the beginning but you can skip the rest of the book.

[Eliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book; I'd almost suggest it's even better than the excellent Time to Think. Essential reading for anyone that works or interacts with people.

[Phyllida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy Kline is brilliant as always. Reading her book made me feel looked after and that a better life in a thinking environment is possible.

[Eva Foye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’d like to come back to this book when I am further along in my career and education. For now it was a bit abstract!

[Andrew Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Kline's excellent Time To Think. It is clear, lucid and compelling. More importantly, the ideas contained in it really work. As a coach, facilitator and consultant, I have been using the approach outlined in these books in my one-to-one work, in work with senior teams, in training workshops, and in conferences of 100+ people. I have used it with administrative staff, leaders and managers, finance professionals and university professors. And so far it has produced exceptional results in all instances except one: a monosyllabic teenage boy...

Well worth reading; but it is in the application of the ideas and processes in reality that their potency becomes truly apparent. I should perhaps mention that I have done some training with Nancy Kline, and doubtless that has helped me to understand and apply the thinking better; but I had started working with it before doing that training and was already getting great results and great client feedback.

[Tim Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

“More time to think” is a great book, it just wasn’t for me.

Maybe my expectations were high as it was recommended to me by somebody in leadership I highly respect. But I have to be honest I found it a chore to read.

Yes, it has some great insight, but I also thought it was full of filler, I found myself skipping over sentences and then having to go back and read what I had missed. In most cases, not much. Because of the book being a runaway bestseller, I can only assume this is about me and not the book. My recommendation would be to read something like “dare to lead” by Brene Brown, where is has more “meat” and less “fluff”.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an insightful look at the 10 components of listening and how to use them. Using some real world examples, including full conversations, Nancy shows how by simply keeping quiet and just asking 1 or 2 key questions, we give the other person the power to work out what to do next.. This is very empowering

This would be an excellent book for any body who has to deal with people, managers, teachers, parents, etc. I did find the book hard to follow, but would still recommend it as one to put on the shelf for reference.

[Maurya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed Nancy Kline's other two books (5 stars each), but this one, while good, is not to the same calibre imo. This book is a good reminder of the other ones, but I would take either of her other two books first before this one. I can't say I got much new.

I am planning to re-read Time To Think though, as that is worth the time, more than once, in my opinion.