ReThinking

Most of us assume data-driven people make data-driven decisions. Not quite. Adam Grant has built a career helping others think more clearly — but when it comes to his own career, the most important calls he’s made didn’t have clear data behind them. So how did he decide? In this first episode of WorkLife with Molly Graham, Adam joins Molly to talk about how he actually navigates uncertainty — the four questions he asks before committing to any big project, what he calls “deliberate then dive”, and how he measures success when the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

WorkLife is a podcast from TED where host and company builder Molly Graham and her expert guests talk through the messy feelings we all experience at work. Ambition and failure, joy and burnout, confidence and self-doubt — this show digs into it all to help you build a career without losing yourself. Listen now: https://link.mgln.ai/BVK6Sn
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer, the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and the author of Just Mercy. Bryan and his staff have rescued over 140 wrongfully condemned prisoners from death row. In this episode, Adam asks about the histories of injustice that drove Bryan to his work as a lawyer, the sources of hope when systems are broken, and three key flaws that allow 1 in 8 executions to be carried out against an innocent person. Bryan also shares wisdom on how to craft a persuasive argument and deliver a great speech.

Featured guest
Learn about the Equal Justice Initiative
Buy Bryan's book Just Mercy

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok

ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist who hosts the Raising Good Humans podcast. In this episode, Aliza and Adam dive into the evidence on effective parenting strategies, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of different styles and approaches from “gentle parenting” to “authoritative parenting.” They also reflect on ways that they have each faltered as parents, and suggest guidelines for parents to balance support and autonomy. And they identify which parenting skills are also hallmarks of good management and leadership.

Featured guest
Follow Aliza Pressman on Instagram, LinkedIn, and draliza.com/

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freedom is revered Western culture, but it turns out that we do our most creative thinking within constraints and boundaries. David Epstein is a journalist who specializes in the science of success, and he joins Adam to talk about his new book, Inside the Box, and what he learned by setting his own constraints while writing it. They break down how innovators use limitations to drive breakthroughs, take a closer look at why a lack of restrictions can actually limit potential, and riff on how our favorite sports could harness new rules to make the games more interesting.

Featured guest
Follow David Epstein on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and at davidepstein.com/
Buy Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
Subscribe to David's substack Range Widely

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack Granted
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When leadership researcher Jim Collins was choosing a career, he used an unusual method: he studied himself like a scientist. In this episode, Adam and Jim dive into the techniques for self-study and how self-comparison can be more effective than comparison to others. Jim shares takeaways from his investigation of people who have found their callings, and highlights how he’s learned to stop being disappointed by others. They also rethink the relationship between freedom and responsibility.

Featured guest
Follow Jim Collins at jimcollins.com/
Buy Jim's book, What to Make of a Life

Connect with the team
Follow Adam on Instagram, LinkedIn, and at adamgrant.net/
Subscribe to Adam’s substack
Watch ReThinking videos on YouTube at TEDAudioCollective
Follow TED on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.