Worklife With Adam Grant

Do you pay attention to your attention? John Green is the beloved author of The Fault In Our Stars, and when he started tracking his attention, he realized he was obsessed with evaluating human progress. He decided to start rating everything—from the capacity for human wonder to Canadian geese—on a five-point scale. In this deeply thoughtful conversation with Adam, John shares what he learned from his series of Yelp-style reviews, the gift of a great book, and the unexpected life lessons found in the last lap of Mario Kart. Read the full text transcript at go.ted.com/T4G8 This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

Criticism rarely comes wrapped in a shiny gift box, tied with a bow. As a trailblazing leader, one of Mellody Hobson’s gifts is finding the diamond in the rough. She and Adam unpack how to look for the grain of truth in any critique, when to discount feedback, and what it takes to be honest without being brutal. Find the full text transcript at go.ted.com/T4G7 This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

It’s been 25 years since the concept of emotional intelligence exploded onto the scene. Cultural critic Merve Emre makes a bold case that in the wrong hands, it can be used to exploit people. We unpack the surprising roots of emotional intelligence, how it’s been co-opted as a form of corporate control, and why you might want to rethink some of your core assumptions about emotions at work. You can find the full transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/T4GTscript6 This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

“I can’t do this.” “I didn’t deserve this promotion.” “When will they find me out?” If you’ve had thoughts like these, you aren’t alone. Nearly 70% of people have experienced imposter syndrome—even some of the most successful ones! The difference is in how they can use imposter thoughts as fuel, rather than a fire to burn them out. Adam shares three steps you can take to harness your own self-doubt as a fuel for success, and why we stand to gain more from embracing our insecurities rather than hiding from them. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Workers are now expecting more from their employers beyond a paycheck and benefits. Employees want an employer who lines up with their values outside of work and stands up in the name of justice. And when they don’t, employees are becoming more active about asking their companies to cancel partnerships or are walking out in protest--as we’ve seen with workers at Facebook, Google and others. A company is not a democracy, but it doesn't work when it's a dictatorship. Employees are embracing activism, calling on their employers to take a stand on social and political issues. How should leaders navigate these demands while addressing the concerns of other stakeholders? And how can we all use our voices effectively to drive change? Find the full text transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/WLTranscript49. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

We’ve all been to bias training, but it rarely works—and sometimes backfires. Science suggests that to drive real change, it’s not enough to run one-off workshops. We need to change individual and organizational habits. Find out how people can overcome their own prejudices and workplaces can break barriers to help marginalized groups advance into leadership roles. Find the full text transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/WLTranscript48. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

When employees are paid more, they give more. Going above market pay might sound like a fantasy, but in a growing number of companies it’s becoming a profitable reality. Peek inside workplaces that have reinvented their pay structures to give employees their worth and more—and explore the science of how it can pay off for everyone in the long run. Note: This episode was published in May 2021, and features an employee at Gravity Payments, whose founder and longtime CEO has stepped down in light of serious allegations of sexual misconduct.  The behavior reported by the New York Times is completely unacceptable and not condoned by TED or any parties that contributed to the episode. Our focus in this episode is not on Dan Price, but on what can be learned from an experiment at the company on raising pay. Find the full text transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/WLTranscript47. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Comedian, actor, and Armchair Expert host Dax Shepard steps into the hot seat for a conversation with Adam on Clubhouse. They discuss what he's learned over the course of 300+ interviews, how he thinks about humor at work, and how he’s rethought his views on masculinity. They also field questions from past WorkLife guests like Malcolm Gladwell and Kat Cole. You can find the full transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/WLTranscript46. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Adam wrote a viral article for The New York Times on a feeling many of us are struggling with right now. It's somewhere between burnout and depression: languishing. This neglected middle child of mental health can dull your motivation and focus—and it may be the dominant emotion of 2021. This article originally appeared in The New York Times on April 19, 2021, with the headline, 'There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing'. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. The producer for NYT was Kate Winslett, and the producer for TED was Sheena Ozaki.

Author and activist Glennon Doyle used to say “I am a Christian. I am straight. I am an addict.” Now she simply says “I am.” In this episode, Doyle sits down with Adam to discuss letting go of past identities — and rethinking the idea of identity as a whole. They explore insights from Doyle’s bestselling book, Untamed, on dealing with unpleasant emotions, redefining weaknesses and redefining ourselves. Warning: their conversation might lead you to start redefining yourself. For more from Glennon, check out her new podcast We Can Do Hard Things. You can find the full transcript at go.ted.com/WLTranscript45. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Over the last year, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, many companies have paid lip service to racial inclusion. But what does it actually take to change individuals — and the structures and cultures of organizations? In the first of two episodes on bias, psychologist John Amaechi shares powerful insights on inclusion — and several experts weigh in on the latest science of privilege, allyship, and opportunity at work. A key takeaway: your culture is defined by the worst behavior you tolerate. For the transcript for this episode, head to go.ted.com/WLTranscript44. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Whether it's over a project, politics, or pizza toppings, conflict with colleagues is inevitable. The goal is not to eliminate it; it’s to handle it better. There’s a whole science of managing individual and team conflicts, and it suggests that we don’t have to agree to disagree. We need to start by understanding what our clashes are actually about—because often, we’re not arguing about what we THINK we’re arguing about at all. For the transcript of this episode, head to  go.ted.com/WLTranscript43. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Everyone’s career will hit some turbulence at some point. The past year has left us all reacting to dramatic change. Instead of pushing harder against the headwinds, we’re sometimes better off tilting our rudder and charting a new course. In this episode, hear from people who have taken unusual steps to battle uncertainty, rethought their approach to finding and landing a job, and reached out for help in unexpected places—as well as an expert on recessions who forecasts the future by looking to the past. For the transcript for this episode, visit go.ted.com/WLTranscript41. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

In life and work, we have a hard time changing course. When we wind up in a miserable job, a failing project, or a floundering romantic relationship, we rationalize, make excuses, and stick with our bad decisions—even when the writing's on the wall. Why? Usually we assume the driving force is sunk costs: we don't want to admit we've wasted that time or money. But in fact, the root of our stubbornness is a psychological trap called “escalation of commitment.” Once we understand that, we can start taking steps to protect ourselves from… well, ourselves. WorkLife is made possible with the support of LinkedIn, Logitech, Morgan Stanley, SAP, and Verizon.

Daniel Kahneman is a Nobel Prize winner who transformed our understanding of the biases that cloud our thinking. In this conversation, he and Adam explore when to trust our intuition and when to second-guess it. Danny explains how he finds joy in being wrong, spells out steps to smarter interviewing, and reveals how he—the master decoder of decision-making—makes decisions. Find the transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/T4GDK This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

When Adam Grant and Malcolm Gladwell sit down to challenge each other, everything is fair game. Sit ringside for this collegial cage match in which two preeminent writers rethink each other's ideas in an insatiable quest to get closer to the truth. Is intelligence undersold or oversold? Does individual blaming and shaming obscure the pursuit of real change on racism? Could rethinking everything lead not only to a better business but a better life? In pursuit of answers, Grant and Gladwell agree on this much: you shouldn't believe everything you think. Find the transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/T4GTscript4 This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

Have you ever felt your work colleagues sometimes act like animals? In this conversation, Jane and Adam take that idea literally, exploring what Jane's expertise on chimp behavior can teach us about how humans relate and organize. With grace and wisdom, Jane shares primal insights on how we acquire and keep power, the difference between being a leader and being a boss, and the role of patience in making discoveries and making a career. Find the transcript for this episode at go.ted.com/T4GTscript3 This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

We usually wear our thickest armor at work, and Brené Brown has blazed the trail of teaching us why—and how to shed it. In this conversation, Adam and Brené unpack the power of showing vulnerability at work—and explore how much is too much. Learn when and where to set boundaries, find out how to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, and hear Brené rethink a key assumption that she took for granted in her own work. This was an episode of Taken for Granted, but now the podcast is called ReThinking with Adam Grant, and it’s back with weekly episodes. You can listen to them right here in the WorkLife feed, or by following ReThinking with Adam Grant wherever you are right now. 

JJ Abrams joins as the interviewer for an exclusive first look at Adam's forthcoming book: “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” Together, they illuminate strategies for maintaining humility, curiosity, and mental flexibility in a world that rewards confidence, conviction, and foolish consistency. Plus, JJ shares some of his favorite rethinking moments from writing “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” producing “Lost,” and directing an episode of “The Office.”

Remote work was a trend that some companies and gig workers were trying out, even as others resisted. Then the pandemic made it an overnight reality for many of us. This feels like uncharted territory, but there’s already plenty of knowledge on how to do it well. Learn from someone who has done more remote work than almost anyone on the planet—and find out what science says about how to keep your teams cohesive, fight screenout, and build resilience by mentally traveling in time.