Episodes

  • When we think of geeks, we tend to think of the people who built the tech we use – from our smartphones to search engines to AI.  

    But if we just focus on the tech, we’re missing out on a lot. We’re overlooking how these same geeks reinvented corporate culture using a repeatable set of norms that ensure sustainable innovation.

    Andrew McAfee is a principal research scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management and cofounder and codirector of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy. He’s been studying innovative companies for decades, and he’s taken what he’s learned and written about it in his latest book, The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results.

    I’m convinced what Andrew’s learned about the geek way – and its four key norms – is a roadmap for where today’s – and tomorrow’s - companies are headed.

    Episode Links

    The Geek Way

    New Book Explains the ‘Geek Way’ to Manage a Company

    Forward Thinking on How Geeks are Changing the World

    Interview with Roger Martin

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  • There’s more to being a workaholic than working long hours. Consider what motivates you to work more. Where you’re spending your energy. Think about the impact those longer hours have on family and friends.

    These are some of the distinctions Malissa Clark makes in her book, Never Not Working: Why the Always-on Culture is Bad for Business and How to Fix it. She not only shares a helpful framework for thinking about workaholism but gives us ways to recognize it. Equally helpful, she explains steps we – and our organizations – can take to undo it.

    Malissa’s book is a great resource for assessing workaholic tendencies and for changing them – as individuals, teams, and organizations.

    Episode Links

    Are You a Workaholic? Don’t Wear it as a Badge of Honor

    These are the Four Drivers of Workaholism

    Thomas Curran on The Perfection Trap

    The Team

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  • We associate the word epidemic with disease. Yet it’s a word we’re increasingly using to refer to a state of mind, namely, loneliness. Researchers have not only found a significant increase in people’s feelings of loneliness, but they’ve also learned how detrimental loneliness can be to our health and wellbeing.

    One of the most effective antidotes to loneliness is feeling like we belong. In fact, researchers have discovered that feelings of belonging can spill over into every area of our lives, from school to work to home. When present, they can boost our motivation and performance.

    That’s why I wanted to speak with Stanford psychologist Geoffrey Cohen, author of the book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides. Geoff has spent his career designing interventions to counter loneliness. In our conversation, he shares how taking even the smallest steps can reap big benefits.

    Episode Links

    Understanding and Overcoming Belonging Uncertainty

    The Science of Belonging and Connection

    A Crisis of Belonging

    Joe Keohane on the Benefits of Talking to Strangers

    The Team

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  • One-on-one meetings are the cornerstone of manager-employee relationships. For managers, they’re an opportunity to teach, coach, and mentor. For employees, they’re a chance to grow and develop.

    But given how important these meetings are, how well are we using them? How effectively do we plan and run them? Bottom line - are they an afterthought or a priority?

    These are just some of the questions, I asked meeting expert Steven Rogelberg, author of the book, Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings. In response, Steve not only described what the most effective one-on-one meetings look like, but he also explained how to design and lead them. I left the interview with lots of practical tips and tools.

    Episode Links

    This is the Most Important Meeting You’ll Have. Here’s How to Make It Better.

    Meetings Can Really Suck. Here’s How to Fix That

    Managers, Take This Simple Assessment to Hold Better One-on-One Meetings

    Make the Most of Your One-on-One Meetings

    The Team

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  • For many of us, the word addiction quickly conjures up images of drugs and alcohol. But we’re often slower to apply the term to compulsive, tech-induced behaviors like playing video games, checking social media, or shopping online.

    We prefer to think of these pleasure-seeking activities as harmless distractions. Yet they can just as easily lead to addictive behaviors. And with our ever-present smartphones, the chance of mindlessly engaging in these activities, to the point of addiction, are more likely than ever.  

    That’s why I wanted to talk to Anna Lembke, author of the book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Anna is a psychiatrist and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University. In this conversation, she uses patient stories to teach us about addiction. She also explains how our lifestyles encourage addictive behaviors. Finally, she shares insights on what we can do.

    I found her book to be revelatory and, as strange as this may sound, a real page turner. I also found it to be the resource we can all use to live more healthfully in a pleasure-filled world. 

    Episode Links

    We Have a Dopamine Problem

    I’m Addicted to My Phone. How Can I Cut Back?

    Constant Craving: How Digital Media Turned Us All into Dopamine Addicts

    Judson Brewer on Unwinding Anxiety

    The Team

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  • We go to the dentist, get our eyes checked, and get our cars inspected. These regularly scheduled health and safety audits let us know how we’re doing.

    But we rarely audit how we spend our time.

    Sure, most of us have a calendar. Yet few of us study how these calendar events impact our happiness. We rarely track the connection between what we spend our time doing and how well we’re flourishing.

    As a result, we can find ourselves feeling unhappy, frustrated, and what scientists call “time poor.”

    Researchers like Cassie Holmes want to change that. They’ve learned there’s a strong connection between how we spend our time and how happy we feel. In her book, Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, she shares ways we can optimize our calendars for happiness, including ways to avoid distraction, extend joy, create a meaningful schedule, and avoid regret.

    Holmes’ tips on time tracking and time auditing are simple and powerful. As the year draws to a close, this may be just the book you’re looking for as we head into a new year.

    Episode Links

    Having Too Little or Too Much Time is Linked to Lower Subjective Well-being

    Our Flawed Pursuit of Happiness – and How to Get It Right

    A Valuable Lesson for a Happier Life (video)

    Trust by Hernan Diaz

    The Team

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  • I’ve spent a lot of time talking to guests about our relationships at work. For example, we’ve discussed how to listen better, how to navigate conflict, and how to influence others, just to name a few.

    What I’ve spent less time talking about are the relationships that go beyond work. That’s why I invited Kat Vellos on the show this week to talk about her amazing book, We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships. 

    Kat’s book is more than a callout to the power of friendship. It’s a roadmap for making new friends, and, equally valuable, it’s an owner’s manual for deepening existing friendships.

    It's an episode that really resonated with listeners. With the holidays approaching - and opportunities for more time with friends and family - I wanted to rebroadcast it for you. Enjoy!

    Episode Links

    How Many Hours Does It Take to Make a Friend by Jeffrey A. Hall

    Better Than Small Talk

    The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

    Donald Horton and Richard Wohl and Para-Social Communication

    Loneliness and Social Connections

    Choke by Sian Beilock

    Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

    Kat Vellos TED Talk

    Happy City by Charles Montgomery

    Having and Being Had by Eula Biss

    The Team

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  • In the U.S., we have laws and policies in place to prevent discrimination of Black workers. In addition, we have leaders who make public pledges in support of diversity goals. Yet the data continue to show that Black employees are less likely to be hired, more likely to stall out in mid-level positions, and stand little chance of gaining senior level positions.

    Why is that?

    Adia Harvey Winfield’s work lies at the intersection of labor and race, and her research reveals that, for Black workers, there are gray areas. These gray areas are the cultural, social, and relational factors that influence who gets hired, who gets promoted, and who finds it easiest to navigate the workplace. That’s what she writes about in her latest book, Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It.

    Adia shares powerful stories of Black workers across all kinds of professions and organizations. We’re taken into the lived experiences of individual Black employees as they navigate landmines most of us don’t even see. It’s a book that took my understanding of racism in the workplace to a whole other level.

    Episode Links

    How Gray Areas in Work Culture Drive Racial Inequality

    What Do a Black Scientist, Non-Profit Executive, and Filmmaker Have in Common? They All Face Racism in the 'Gray Areas' of Workplace Culture

    We Built a Diverse Academic Department in 5 Years. Here's How.

    Joan Williams on Diversity Practices that Work

    The Team

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  • A well-crafted story can fuel connection. It can inspire trust and entertain. Better still, it can have a ripple effect.

    Yet most of us avoid telling stories. Instead, we stick to the facts and emphasize the data. Now, even if we believe this is the best way to convey information, our brains, if they could talk, would disagree. That’s why, if we want to connect, persuade, or just keep our audience’s attention, we need to get better at storytelling.

    That’s why I wanted to speak with Karen Eber, author of the book, The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories That Inform, Influence, and Inspire. Karen not only explains why stories matter, she also explains how to craft them. Every section of this book is filled with takeaways you can immediately put into practice. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again.

    Episode Links

    How Your Brain Responds to Stories and Why They’re Crucial for Leaders

    The 4-Part Structure to Telling Great Stories

    Vanessa Bohns on How We Influence Others

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  • We’re often put on the spot to say something of value. And when it happens, it can catch us off guard.

    For example, you log in early to a conference call and need to make small talk with high status colleagues. Or you find out in a meeting that a co-worker is leaving the company, and you’re asked to say a few words.

    These kinds of spontaneous interactions happen more often than we think. But unlike formal presentations or pitches, there’s no time to practice. We wonder how to manage our anxiety and improve our performance.

    That’s why communications expert, Matt Abrahams, wrote the book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot. He shares strategies to help us lower our stress and make what we say more concise, relevant, and memorable. Matt takes our on-the-spot communication to the next level.

    Episode Links

    How to Shine When You’re Put on the Spot

    How to Speak Confidently When You’re Put on the Spot

    The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

    Episode 235 with Jonah Berger

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  • Most of us are on a performance treadmill. We show up. We execute. Then tomorrow we do it all over again.

    But this relentless focus on execution leaves little time for learning. As a result, our skills stagnate, and we accomplish less. Soon we find ourselves working harder while falling further behind.

    Eduardo Briceno calls this The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action, a label that’s also the title of his book. In it, he shares how we can build learning into our day without sacrificing performance. It’s a way of working that ensures high execution and continuous learning.  

    Episode Links

    4 Signs of the Chronic Performance Trap and How to Break Free

    Your Talent Wants a Learning Culture. Here are 5 Steps to Create One

    Interview with Steve Magness

    My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

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  • We live and work in a digital world where getting interrupted by communication tools is the norm. That means we shift our attention at least every 47 seconds. Then it takes us about 30 minutes to get back on task. At the same time, we continually interrupt ourselves – looking things up, tracking information down.

    While some view this as a problem to be solved, Gloria Mark sees it simply as a new reality. And she believes we’re using old language and frameworks to navigate it. Things like flow and sustained focus, when neither our brains nor our work allows for these kinds of solutions. Instead, she believes we need to lean into what our brains need, including taking social media breaks. She also believes we need to organize our day around what she calls kinetic attention.

    Gloria Mark’s book, Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity, gives the attention space a much-needed update. There are tips you’ll immediately want to put into practice.

    Episode Links

    How to Restore Our Dwindling Attention Spans

    A Psychology Expert Shares the 3 Things She Always Does to Boost Her Brain Energy

    The Island of Lost Trees by Elif Shafak

    Interview with Nick Carr

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  • As humans, we have certain default settings that help us navigate the world. Yet those same default settings make us vulnerable to fraud and deception.

    For example, our ability to focus helps us concentrate on what’s right in front of us. But it also prevents us from seeing what’s missing. For example, we’re more willing to believe a presumed investment expert who touts a winning track record without thinking about the losses he never mentions.

    Our brains also rely on past experiences to guide our behavior. The upside is that it conserves energy and prevents us from having to relearn things like tying our shoes or driving to the store. Unfortunately, it predisposes us to act without thinking.

    That’s why Daniel Simons has written a book called Nobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken in and What We Can Do about It. In it, he points out four habits that can put us at risk, and he shares ways to overcome them. He also points how others can leverage our very human tendencies to deceive us.

    Talking to Dan helped me see another side to some of my default settings and how I can stay vigilant, so I don’t get fooled.   

    Episode Links

    Failures of Awareness: The Case of Inattentional Blindness

    Failure to Detect Changes to People During Real-World Interaction

    The Last Improv Show

    Interview with Woo-Kyoung Ahn

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  • We’re often told that saying yes to everything will be the key to our success. It’ll strengthen our relationships, enhance our reputation, and help us achieve our goals.

    But what if the reverse were true? What if learning how to say no is the game changer? What if mastering this skill is the way to achieve our goals?

    Vanessa Patrick has written a book on the subject titled, The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No That Puts You in Charge of Your Life.

    There are so many factors that influence whether we achieve our goals, things like focus, persistence, and resilience. After reading Vanessa’s book, I’d add knowing how and when to say no.

    Episode Links

    Getting to Gutsy: Using Personal Policies to Enhance (and Reclaim) Agency in the Workplace

    How to Say “No”: Conviction and Identity Attributions in Persuasive Refusal

    Juggling Work and Home Selves: Low Identity Integration Feels Less Authentic and Increases Unethicality

    The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

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  • Aiming for perfection seems like a noble goal. It’s like we’re holding ourselves to a higher standard or standing out from the crowd.

    But striving for perfection means working toward the impossible. And the cost to our mental and physical health can be enormous.

    London School of Economics Professor, Thomas Curran, experienced the impact of perfectionism firsthand. As a recovering perfectionist, he’s made the field the focus of his research.

    Curran’s research led to his book, The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough. In it, he explains the psychology behind it, calls out cultural messages that reinforce it, and shares steps we can take to overcome it.

    Episode Links

    Perfectionists Need to Embrace Failure

    The Rise of Perfectionism – and the Harm It’s Doing Us All

    Understanding Perfectionism and Impostor Syndrome with Dr. Thomas Curran

    Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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  • For many, work is the centerpiece of our lives. It’s not only a source of status and fulfillment, but also central to our identity.

    But what do we miss out on when hold these expectations of our work? What does it cost us?

    That’s the question Simone Stolzoff asks in his book, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. In answering this question, he explains the drivers that got us here, the reasons society and culture reinforce them, and what life might look like if we reframed the role of work in our lives. He challenges us to recognize who benefits by us making work the whole of our lives.

    Episode Links

    Losing Your Job Doesn’t Mean Losing Your Identity

    Please Don’t Call My Job a Calling

    Stop Looking for the Perfect Job

    Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

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  • Winning athletes and coaches have a lot to teach us. They’re asked to perform at the highest level, day in and day out, and they face enormous pressure to succeed.

    Faced with these expectations, the most successful ones must continually elevate their performance. But how?

    That’s a question Sally Jenkins has spent a career trying to answer. Through her work as a sportswriter at The Washington Post, she discovered the formula great players use to succeed, and she shares it with us in her latest book, The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us about Work and Life.

    It’s a fascinating set of insights that will help you elevate your own performance.

    Episode Links

    Bitter Rivals. Beloved Friends. Survivors.

    Another Side of Dad

    This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

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  • There’s a lot to be said for the excitement we feel when we first set a goal for ourselves. The sense of exhilaration can give us the momentum we need to get started.

    But when the exhilaration wears off – and it usually does – we’re faced with a choice. Will we revert to old habits or develop new ones?

    These moments are what Jonathan Rhodes calls choice points, and the decisions we make can really add up. Ultimately, how we manage ourselves in these moments can be the difference between the life we have and the life we want.

    That’s why I wanted to interview Jonathan Rhodes, author of the book, The Choice Point: The Scientifically Proven Method to Push Past Mental Walls and Achieve Your Goals. His Functional Imagery Training provides a concrete roadmap to help us stay the course.

    Episode Links

    Tokyo 2020: Simone Biles’ Withdrawal is a Sign of Resilience and Strength

    How to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs

    The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

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  • Coming up with good ideas is hard. But it’s not because we’re not creative or smart enough. It’s likely we just haven’t learned how.

    Fortunately, Sheena Iyengar, Professor at Columbia Business School, has written a playbook that answers the question, how can I get my best ideas? It’s her latest book, Think Bigger: How to Innovate.

    Sheena’s approach leads us, step by step, from generating ideas to assessing which ones are innovative enough to act on. It’s a method informed not only by others’ successes but the science behind them. It’s a book you’ll return to again and again.

    Episode Links

    Sheena Iyengar Wants Us to Understand How Humans Come Up with Big Ideas

    Does Brainstorming Actually Generate Great Ideas?

    If There are No New Ideas, How Do We Keep Innovating?

    Antonio Canova

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  • Ambition is complicated. Yet the messages we receive from an early age are simple: “Winners never quit.” “Reach for the stars.” “Follow your dreams.”

    But like most simple messages, reality often paints a very different picture. Long hours that lead to burnout, or individual striving that results in loneliness.

    Rainesford Stauffer ran up against these realities. And, in her work as a journalist, she spoke to others who did, as well. That’s what led her to rethink what ambition could be, and to write about it in her book, All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive.

    In this interview, we talk about the roles history and religion have played in our ambition. We also discuss times when embracing ambition is a good thing. Ultimately, we try to uncover unexamined assumptions that can drive how we live our lives. 

    Episode Links

    There’s No Such Thing as Getting Ahead by Rainesford Stauffer

    Seeking Self-Esteem: Construction, Maintenance, and Protection of Self-Worth by Jennifer Crocker and Lora E. Park

    Too Much of a Good Thing: The Effect of Contingency of Self-Worth on Goal Setting by Xi Chen

    Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins

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