WorkLife with Adam Grant

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.

As we age, we often feel like the clock starts ticking on our careers. But there are ways to sustain—and even gain—excellence over time. Meet a musician whose career ended too soon, and an entrepreneur and a social media star who defied the stereotypes on professional decline. They illuminate steps that fuel great second and third acts. WorkLife listeners—we're running a survey and we'd love to hear what you think of the show. Please give us some feedback at surveynerds.com/worklife. It only takes a few minutes, and it really helps us improve the podcast. Thanks!

Exclusive: In his first public interview since WeWork’s collapse, former Chief Growth Officer David Fano opens up about the company’s leadership and culture. We go deep on the rewards and risks of charismatic leadership and bold visions, the differences between strong cultures and cults, and how a meteoric rise can come crashing down.

"We’ve all answered our share of cringeworthy interview questions—and watched managers pick the wrong person while rejecting the right one. Is it time to delegate hiring decisions to algorithms? Find out what the experts recommend, and meet a pair of leaders who have reimagined the interview process by ignoring credentials and refusing to look at resumes. Heads up—we've got a bonus coming next week, so you'll get a chance to listen to that on Thursday instead of our regular WorkLife episode on Tuesday. Also, we're running a survey and we'd love to hear what you think of the show. Please give us some feedback at surveynerds.com/worklife. It only takes a few minutes, and it really helps us improve the podcast. Thanks!

Many workplaces have become increasingly lonely, even before the coronavirus pandemic made more of us literally remote. It’s not just an unpleasant feeling—loneliness can hurt our health and our job performance. Find out why it's time for happy hours to finally die—and how it might take less than a minute to start building real connections.

"Just be yourself." That's popular work advice these days, with more and more companies encouraging people to “be authentic” and bring their whole selves to work. But when we get real at the wrong time or in the wrong way, it can backfire. What does effective authenticity look like, and how can we learn to strike the right balance?

Work relationships are complicated. Who holds the power and why? What are effective ways to solve conflict? And how do you know when it’s time to walk away? Adam gets personal with therapist Esther Perel to explore the dynamics of trust, power, and people pleasing.

Most of us negotiate in one of two ways: either you roll right over the other party, or you just roll over. But great negotiators refuse to believe that we have to choose between results and relationships. Sharpen your negotiation skills for both business and life with evidence and insights from a trio of negotiators who transformed their styles—and one who pulled off one of the most consequential agreements in human history.

Burnout seems to be everywhere. But it’s not inevitable. Come inside some high-pressure workplaces that have figured out how to fight exhaustion by redesigning jobs—and changing cultures.

You procrastinate because you're lazy, right? Wrong. The truth is more complex—and far more interesting. Learn how to stop putting off important tasks ... with a little help from master procrastinator Margaret Atwood.

We’re constantly seeking advice about our work lives. Which job offer to take. When to quit. Whether to blow the whistle on a bad boss. But so much of the advice we get—and give—turns out to be bad. For some sage advice, Adam sought out master advice-giver Cheryl Strayed, the author of Wild.

Open office plans. Learning styles. 10,000 hours of practice. Freakonomics host Stephen Dubner joins Adam for a live conversation to reveal why some popular workplace fads might be bogus—and what to do instead. This episode is made possible with the support of Accenture, Bonobos, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Excellence comes from doing what you do best—but you need to make sure you’re doing it at the right times. This episode is made possible with the support of JPMorgan Chase & Co., Accenture, Bonobos, and Hilton.

Learn how to face rejection—and even come out stronger because of it. This episode is made possible with the support of Hilton, Accenture, Bonobos, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Memory is a skill you can learn -- and a powerful strategy every workplace can harness. This episode is made possible with the support of Accenture, Bonobos, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

How do you deal with jerks at work? And is it possible to eliminate them altogether? This episode is made possible with the support of Bonobos, Accenture, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

“Do what you love” is often terrible advice. Instead of taking the job that will make you happiest, look for the one where you’ll learn the most. This episode is made possible with the support of JPMorgan Chase & Co., Accenture, Bonobos, and Hilton.

Ditch your business cards. There are more effective, less awkward strategies for building your connections. This episode is made possible with the support of Bonobos, Accenture, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

What we can learn about friendly competition from Olympic skiers, elite marathoners, and...food truck vendors. This episode is made possible with the support of Accenture, Bonobos, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Harness the power of frustrated people to shake up the status quo — just like Pixar did. This episode is made possible with the support of Bonobos, Accenture, Hilton, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Work doesn't have to be old-school; science says so. Take a trip inside the minds of expert networkers and Olympic champions, an Oscar-winning director and an office-politics whisperer — who've all mastered ways to make work more creative and more fun.