Adam Grant Quotes & Sayings

Dissenting opinions are useful even when they're wrong. So instead of speaking to highly agreeable audiences, target suggestions to people with a history of originality. — Adam Grant

Minority viewpoints are important, not because they tend to prevail but because they stimulate divergent attention and thought, " finds Berkeley psychologist Charlan Nemeth, one of the world's leading experts on group decisions. "As a result, even when they are wrong they contribute to the detection of novel solutions and decisions that, on balance, are qualitatively better".
Dissenting opinions are useful even when they're wrong. — Adam Grant

Givers reject the notion that interdependence is weak. Givers are more likely to see interdependence as a source of strength, a way to harness the skills of multiple people for a greater good. — Adam Grant

If we create networks with the sole intention of getting something, we won't succeed. We can't pursue the benefits of networks; the benefits ensue from investments in meaningful activities and relationships. — Adam Grant

The personality trait most associated with an interest in the arts is called openness, the tendency to seek out novelty in intellectual, aesthetic, and emotional pursuits. — Adam Grant

he's incredibly responsive, which is one of the best characteristics you can have in an investor. He'll get back to you any hour - day or night - quickly, on anything that matters. — Adam Grant

According to Berkeley sociologist Arlie Hochschild, if you're feeling an intense emotion like anxiety or anger, there are two ways to manage it: surface acting or deep acting. Surface acting involves putting on a mask--modifying your speech, gestures, and expressions to present yourself as unfazed...In deep acting, known as method acting in the theater world, you actually become the character you wish to portray. Deep acting involves changing your inner feelings, not just your outer expressions of them...Deep acting turns out to be a more sustainable strategy for managing emotions than surface acting. Research shows that surface acting burns us out: Faking emotions that we don't really feel is both stressful and exhausting. If we want to express a set of emotions, we need to actually experience them. — Adam Grant

By looking on the bright side, we'll activate enthusiasm and turn on the go system. — Adam Grant

When you're dealing with an ambivalent relationship, you're constantly on guard, grappling with questions of trust. — Adam Grant

Meyer summarizes his code of honor as "(1) Show up, (2) Work hard. (3) Be kind. (4) Take the high road. — Adam Grant

When you put off a task, you buy yourself time to engage in divergent thinking rather than foreclosing on one particular idea ... — Adam Grant

Many people who hold giver values in life choose matching as their primary reciprocity style at work, seeking an even balance of give and take. — Adam Grant

The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade. — Adam Grant

Negative relationships are unpleasant but predictable. — Adam Grant

Enemies make better allies than frenemies. — Adam Grant

This is what I find most magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them. Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. — Adam Grant

If we want a better original idea, we must generate our own before we screen others' suggestions. — Adam Grant

Most people believe that great leaders are distinguished by their ability to give compelling answers. This profound book shatters that assumption, showing that the more vital skill is asking the right questions ... . Berger poses many fascinating questions, including this one: What if companies had mission questions rather than mission statements? This is a book everyone ought to read - without question. — Adam Grant

As Chris Granger, executive vice president at the NBA, explains, "Talented people are attracted to those who care about them. When you help someone get promoted out of your team, it's a short-term loss, but it's a clear long-term gain. It's easier to attract people, because word gets around that your philosophy is to help people. — Adam Grant

In the face of uncertainty, our first instinct is often to reject novelty, looking for reasons why unfamiliar concepts might fail.26 When managers vet novel ideas, they're in an evaluative mindset. To protect themselves against the risks of a bad bet, they compare the new notion on the table to templates of ideas that have succeeded in the past. When — Adam Grant

As one Wharton dean explains, "The students call it Game Face: they feel pressured to look successful all the time. There can't be any chinks in their armor, and opening up would make them vulnerable. — Adam Grant

Originality brings more bumps in the road, yet it leaves us with more happiness and a greater sense of meaning. — Adam Grant

Every time we interact with another person at work, we have a choice to make: do we try to claim as much value as we can, or contribute value without worrying about what we receive in return? — Adam Grant

The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed. — Adam Grant

People tend to have one of three 'styles' of interaction. There are takers, who are always trying to serve themselves; matchers, who are always trying to get equal benefit for themselves and others; and givers, who are always trying to help people. — Adam Grant

If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse." Instead, creators ought to build a car and see if customers will drive it. — Adam Grant

Good guys are most likely to finish last, but also most likely to finish first. — Adam Grant

Being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it's valuable in a marathon. — Adam Grant

Focus attention and energy on making a difference in the lives of others, and success might follow as a by-product. — Adam Grant

Procrastinate strategically ... Procrastination may be the enemy of productivity but it can be a valuable resource for creativity. — Adam Grant