Employee of the Month

JOSHUA WOLF SHENK, Author of Powers of Two, explains what collaborating is and isn't.


Listen Later

How and why do we believe in the lone wolf who created everything when in fact most of us work with at least one partner? Others wish they could find that perfect partner-in-crime. Josh Wolf Shenk explains why these dyads are so potent in his book, POWERS OF TWO: Seeking the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs.


Shenk looks at his own partnerships in our interview. Like Shenk is credited with writing this book, as any, Shenk explains in our interview that the book, like any book, was actually a collaboration, namely with his Editor Eamon Dolan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


He also examines well known collaborators John Lennon and Paul McCartney to Theo and Vincent Van Gogh to reveal how competition is healthy, but how "credit" can be confusing, and how many Beatles does it take to change a lightbulb?


A veteran writer, Shenk has contributed to Harper’s, Time, The Atlantic, Slate, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.


Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Employee of the Month and the rest of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe directly from the Employee of the Month show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/employeeplus to get access wherever you listen.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Employee of the MonthBy Slate Podcasts

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

131 ratings


More shows like Employee of the Month

View all
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast by Marc Maron

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

29,054 Listeners

Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Political Gabfest

8,476 Listeners

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

3,525 Listeners

Slate Money by Slate Podcasts

Slate Money

1,025 Listeners

Slate News by Slate Podcasts

Slate News

5,636 Listeners

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia by Slate Podcasts

Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia

2,063 Listeners

Slow Burn by Slate Podcasts

Slow Burn

23,907 Listeners

Decoder Ring by Slate Podcasts

Decoder Ring

2,120 Listeners

What Next | Daily News and Analysis by Slate Podcasts

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

2,403 Listeners

One Year by Slate Podcasts

One Year

1,195 Listeners

Culture Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Culture Gabfest

437 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

57,840 Listeners

MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie Lynn Sigler by Wishbone Production

MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie Lynn Sigler

3,609 Listeners

Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

10,615 Listeners