WorkLife with Adam Grant

By TED

Business

What's WorkLife with Adam Grant about?

You spend a quarter of your life at work. You should enjoy it! Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life. From learning how to love your rivals to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again. Produced in partnership with Transmitter Media.

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Breaking free of stereotype...

01.24.2023

Claude Steele is one of the most influential social psychologists of all time. As a Stanford professor, he’s best known for his groundbreaking research on how the threat of being stereotyped undermines our performance. Adam talks with Claude about why ...

WorkLife with Adam Grant episodes:

01.24.2023 Breaking free of stereotype threat with Claude Steele Claude Steele is one of the most influential social psychologists of all time. As a Stanford professor, he’s best known for his groundbreaking research on how the threat of being stereotyped undermines our performance. Adam talks with Claude about why ...
01.17.2023 The surprising effects of video games with Ash Brandin As an educator, Ash Brandin’s mission is to make learning in school as fun as playing a game. In exploring the science and practice on the effects of video games, Ash (@TheGamerEducator on Instagram) has an unusually insightful–and unusually balanced–perspective. ...
01.10.2023 Finding–and becoming–great mentors and sponsors with Carla Harris Carla Harris is a fierce leader, a devoted mentor, and a dynamic speaker. A Wall Street veteran who has been named one of the most powerful Black executives in America, Carla’s worked across multiple industries in her 30+ year career, ...
01.03.2023 Knowing when to quit with world poker champion Annie Duke Annie Duke dropped out of a PhD program in cognitive psychology– and went on to win the World Series of Poker. At the [email protected] Series, Adam and Annie discuss the evidence on when to pull the plug, delve into decision-making ...
12.28.2022 Malcolm Gladwell Questions Everything For our final episode of the year, let’s revisit Adam and Malcolm’s conversation from the archive. When Adam Grant and Malcolm Gladwell sit down to challenge each other, everything is fair game. Sit ringside for this collegial cage match in ...
12.20.2022 Dolly Parton is burning up, not burning out As we get ready for 2023, we’re excited to bring you a conversation Adam had earlier this year with beloved musician Dolly Parton. Adam talks with Dolly about her creative process, how she balances getting things right with getting things ...
12.13.2022 The science of healthy relationships with John and Julie Gottman For decades, renowned psychologists John and Julie Gottman have studied–and guided–healthy relationships. They share insights from their research–and their marriage–on how to avoid a relationship apocalypse, handle conflict, and make love last. Their latest book, “The Love Prescription” is out ...
12.12.2022 The Science of Motivation \| A Slight Change of Plans This week, we’re sharing a preview of A Slight Change of Plans, from Pushkin Industries. Cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar blends compassionate storytelling with the science of human behavior to help us understand who we are and who we become ...
12.06.2022 Why data don’t have all the answers with data scientist Andrea Jones-Rooy Andrea Jones-Rooy is a data scientist who’s skeptical about data. She also happens to be a comedian. Andrea and Adam talk about the perks and perils of sharing data on social media, the similarities between the scientific method and comedy, ...
11.29.2022 How to have good arguments with world debate champion Bo Seo Growing up, Bo Seo avoided arguments at all costs–until he discovered competitive debate. He went on to win the world debate championship twice and coach the Australian national team as well as the Debating Union at Harvard. Adam and Bo ...
11.22.2022 The four-day work week: luxury or necessity? Why do we work five days a week? Could we be just as productive, healthier and happier by working less? And if so, how can leaders and workers successfully make the transition to a new way of working? Adam led ...
11.15.2022 The problem with setting goals, with NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho For someone who doesn’t believe in goal-setting, Emmanuel Acho is highly accomplished. He’s a former NFL linebacker, an Emmy-winning TV sports analyst, and the New York Times bestselling author of “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” – and hosts a ...
11.08.2022 The psychology of human delusions with filmmaker Adam McKay Adam McKay is one of the great satirists of our screens–he’s the writer, director, and producer behind Don’t Look Up, Succession, and The Big Short. Before that, he was best known for making us laugh at Anchorman and as the ...
11.01.2022 If teachers took over the government with Sharon McMahon If you were online during the historic 2020 election cycle, you may have seen Sharon McMahon’s viral videos. A former high school educator now known as “America’s Government Teacher,” Sharon fights polarization with nonpartisan facts. Sharon and Adam discuss how ...
10.25.2022 Reese Witherspoon on turning impostor syndrome into confidence When Reese Witherspoon was in rehearsals for her lead role in the 2005 film Walk the Line, she wanted to quit–every day. But she went on to win the Oscar for her performance as June Carter Cash. Since then, she’s ...
10.18.2022 Life, the universe, and everything with Nobel laureate physicist Saul Perlmutter Growing up, Saul Perlmutter just wanted to know how the world worked. In 2011, he was part of the Nobel Prize-winning team that discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe. Saul and Adam talk about how science and knowledge evolve, ...
10.11.2022 How Celeste Ng writes fiery prose It took Celeste Ng a long time to believe she could write for a living. Now she’s the New York Times bestselling author of the novels “Everything I Never Told You” and “Little Fires Everywhere”-- which was developed into a ...
10.04.2022 Busting the myths of the brain with neuroscientist Chantel Prat Have you ever thought you can’t do something because you’re “not wired that way”? Neuroscientist Chantel Prat might challenge you to rethink your beliefs. Chantel dispels some sticky myths about right-brainers and left-brainers, shares her research on how learning to ...
10.01.2022 Malcolm Gladwell Experiments with Adam's Class This week, we’re sharing a special episode from one of Adam's favorite podcasts, Revisionist History. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things misunderstood and overlooked. This season, Malcolm is obsessed with experiments – natural experiments, scientific experiments, thought experiments. ...
09.27.2022 Surgeon Atul Gawande wants everyone to have a coach Atul Gawande was advised by a colleague to say yes to every opportunity until he turned 40. Since then he’s been a renowned surgeon, a public health leader and government policymaker, and a bestselling author and “New Yorker” writer. He ...
09.20.2022 How free solo climber Alex Honnold faces fear In 2017, Alex Honnold did what even the world’s best rock climbers thought was impossible. He climbed to the top of El Capitan– a granite rock mountain more than 3,000 feet high– without a rope, harness, or net. His audacious ...
09.13.2022 Mark Cuban doesn’t believe in following your passions Mark Cuban has gone from selling garbage bags door-to-door to selling internet companies for billions, acquiring an NBA team, and becoming a beloved “Shark” on Shark Tank. Mark reveals to Adam how he turns problems into opportunities in entrepreneurship, basketball, ...
09.09.2022 Introducing ReThinking with Adam Grant Great news WorkLifers! You told us you wanted more episodes of Taken for Granted, and we listened. We’ve renamed the show Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, and we’ll be back with more episodes, all year round. In every episode Adam will ...
09.01.2022 Michael Schur on every moral question ever \| The TED Interview Michael Scott, Leslie Knope, Detective Jake Peralta–television producer and writer Michael Schur has created some of TV’s most beloved sitcom characters on shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place. Still, his shows and his philosophy are ...
06.28.2022 How to Change Your Workplace It’s hard to make change at work happen. But wherever you sit in the hierarchy, there are steps you can take to overcome resistance and motivate people to embrace new ideas. In this episode, Adam brings in an education change ...
06.21.2022 The 4 Deadly Sins of Work Culture How do you avoid joining a toxic culture– and build a healthy one once you’ve arrived? In this episode, Adam explores how to recognize the four deadly sins of work culture before you join an organization, and shares strategies that ...
06.14.2022 It’s Time To Stop Ignoring Disability Disability is far more common and far more diverse than we might realize. But often, people are reluctant to reveal their disabilities, and managers don’t know how to address them. In this episode, Adam investigates some extraordinary steps workplaces are ...
06.07.2022 The Do’s And Don'ts Of Returning To The Office It’s been two years since offices around the world were thrown into virtual environments to do their jobs, and now many leaders are itching to get everyone back in the office. But new evidence demonstrates that hybrid work can be ...
05.31.2022 Ava DuVernay is Triumphant Before Ava DuVernay became the first Black woman director to win Sundance and get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, she was a publicist with a little hobby, a big dream, and a lot of patience. Adam talks to ...
05.24.2022 Satya Nadella is building the future Satya Nadella is a modern renaissance man; he’s a cricket enthusiast, poetry lover, oh, and the chairman and CEO of Microsoft with a nearly perfect approval rating on Glassdoor. Satya has led a transformation at Microsoft, up-ending the culture, and ...
05.17.2022 Is Emotional Intelligence Really So Important? \| No Stupid Questions Today, something a little different. We're sharing an episode of No Stupid Questions, a podcast about human behavior hosted by Adam’s colleague and friend Angela Duckworth—a worldwide expert on grit—and Stephen Dubner, host of Freakonomics Radio. In this episode, Angela ...
05.10.2022 Jon Batiste on the art of pushing your limits Jon Batiste has had a record year—he was the most nominated artist at the Grammys, winning five of his ELEVEN nominations across multiple categories, including Album of the Year. When he’s not making musical history, he’s a touring artist, late-night ...
05.03.2022 Breaking Up with Perfectionism Perfectionism is on the rise–and not just in job interviews when people claim it’s their greatest weakness. But the desire to be flawless is not always productive—or healthy. As a recovering perfectionist, Adam dives into how he managed to abandon ...
04.26.2022 How To Pitch Your Best Ideas Great pitches can seem like genius or magic. But you don’t have to be a great salesperson to give a great pitch. Whether you’re floating an idea at a team meeting, looking for investors for your startup, or applying for ...
04.19.2022 Rethinking Flexibility at Work “Flexibility” is the number one request people are making from employers. But flexibility is much more than WHERE you work–it also means having the freedom to make choices about what you work on, who you work with, and when and ...
04.12.2022 The Not-So-Great Resignation Over the past year, the Great Resignation has been all over the news. Many people are celebrating quitting their jobs… but it’s a decision some will come to regret. So when’s the right time to leave? How do you quit ...
04.05.2022 Dolly Parton is burning up, not burning out Dolly Parton is a living legend. Her hit songs like “9 to 5”, “Jolene”, and “I Will Always Love You” have captured generation after generation, and her career is far from slowing down. Her latest project, “Run, Rose, Run” is ...
03.29.2022 Leadership lessons from Zelenskyy and Putin As Russia continues to attack Ukraine, the whole world is watching a momentous clash of leadership styles. No one is more qualified to analyze the situation than political scientist and former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. In this episode, ...
03.22.2022 A Glimpse Into The Future \| TED Radio Hour This hour, futurist Amy Webb guides us through innovations that give a glimpse into the future of transportation, wellness, tech, commerce, and travel ... and the impacts they'll have on our lives. This is an episode of the TED Radio ...
03.16.2022 Annie Murphy Paul \| The Next Big Idea WorkLife will be back on March 29 with new episodes including an incredible conversation with Dolly Parton, and an episode on the (not so) Great Resignation. For now, here's an episode of another show that Adam frequently appears on. It's ...
11.09.2021 Esther Duflo wants you to think like a plumber When Esther Duflo took her first economics class, she hated it. In 2019, she won a Nobel Prize in economics. Esther talks with Adam about her groundbreaking experiments to fight poverty, busts myths about what motivates people, and reveals how ...
11.02.2021 Indra Nooyi Says It’s Time for Leaders to Care PepsiCo's trailblazing former CEO drove record profits—but did so while investing in employee well-being, consumer health, and environmental sustainability. In their second conversation, she and Adam are on stage for a lively, entertaining dialogue about how to improve our work ...
10.26.2021 Indra Nooyi wants us to reimagine the return to work The longtime PepsiCo CEO is one of the world’s most powerful women and Time’s 100 most influential people. In the first of two rich conversations, she explains why she wrote more than 400 letters about her direct reports… to their ...
10.19.2021 Allyson Felix on defeating disappointment and savoring success At the age of 18, Allyson Felix took home the Olympic silver medal in the 200 meter dash. She was devastated. Where others saw “second-best in the world,” she only saw “not first.” That race lit a fire that would ...
10.13.2021 How to stop languishing and start finding flow \| TED Talks Daily We're back soon with new episodes of Taken for Granted, but for now, here's a TED Talk Adam gave recently. Have you found yourself staying up late, joylessly bingeing TV shows and doomscrolling through the news, or simply navigating your ...
07.27.2021 We should allow sad days, not just sick days People are finally paying attention to mental health at work, but some major myths are holding us back. Adam breaks down what we get wrong about mental health at work, what individuals and organizations can do to start getting it ...
07.20.2021 Is it Safe to Speak Up at Work? Are you afraid to share bad news, ask for help, or admit you were wrong? These are signs of being in a psychologically unsafe work environment. Adam breaks down the importance of psychological safety in preventing errors and promoting innovation ...
06.29.2021 Lin-Manuel Miranda Daydreams, and His Dad Gets Things Done In a world obsessed with efficiency, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights began with idle curiosity. Adam interviews Lin together with his father, Luis, about finding harmony between creativity and productivity—and rhythm between work and life. ...
06.22.2021 John Green Wants You to Pay Attention to Your Attention 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 ...
06.15.2021 Mellody Hobson on Taking Tough Feedback 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 ...

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