By Stephen Silver
Adam Grant had a lot of different jobs in the past, from all-American diver to magician and host of TED Talks. He also has a lot of different jobs currently, including organizational psychologist, Wharton School professor, podcast host and author of five books.
Grant discussed all that and more in an April 2 speech at Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood, which was part of the synagogue’s Speaker Series.
“I study how to make work not suck,” he said in describing his work.
The Saul P. Steinberg professor of management and professor of psychology at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven years, Grant delivered a speech that mixed stories from throughout his professional life, as well as advice for business success and life in general. All of it sprinkled with plenty of pop culture references that touched on everything from “The Simpsons” to “Star Wars.”
After that, he participated in a “fireside chat,” where he was interviewed on stage by Henry Levy, the president for life sciences and health care at Clarivate. Levy asked his own questions and took some from the audience.
“All of us have hidden potential,” Grant said in the lecture portion, while advising those listening to not take advice from strangers but rather from those whose opinions they care about.
Grant told a story about how he was invited by the Air Force to deliver a pair of lectures. After the first one, he received overwhelmingly negative scores — which led him to challenge himself to do a better job on the second one. He implored his listeners to “give yourself a second score” on how well they received the feedback in the first evaluation.
He advised those in attendance to “build a challenge network,” meaning a network of colleagues who are willing to provide constructive criticism. He also encouraged those who lead organizations to “create psychological safety,” which he has described in a past article as “being able to take risks without fear of reprisal.”
He also told the crowd to not “wait for confidence.” In using a metaphor that extended back to his diving career, he declared “the best way to build your confidence is to take the leap.”
In the fireside chat portion, Grant waded, lightly, into the current political situation.
A registered independent, Grant proposed the creation of “a new political party based on competence and character,” while also weighing in on Elon Musk’s current efforts with DOGE, which he said is the topic of an op-ed he will soon publish in a major newspaper.
Grant, who said he spoke with Musk at a conference last year, said that he wishes Musk would “show as much respect for human beings as he does for machines.” However, Grant has his own experience with applying business strategies to make government functions more efficient.
Grant served on the Defense Innovation Board during the Obama administration, when he pushed for the Pentagon to professionalize the military’s software engineering efforts.
As for the government’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Grant said, “I’m worried we’re going to throw out the baby with the bathwater.” He also noted various observations from his years of researching the topic, such as when job listings seek “ninjas” and “rock stars,” women tend not to apply for such roles.
Grant hosts two different popular podcasts, “WorkLife” and “Rethinking.” He says his three dream guests for the podcast are Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Taylor Swift.
MLRT’s Speaker Series regularly brings prominent speakers to the synagogue. Before Grant, the series featured CNN’s Dana Bash, who appeared shortly after the presidential election in November. Other recent speakers have included Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and radio and TV host Michael Smerconish.
Stephen Silver is a Broomall-based freelance writer.
