ADAM GRANT SPEAKING TOPICS
Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success
In an interdependent world, interactions are a fundamental building block of success. To be effective in teams and service relationships, employees need skills in building networks, collaborating, talent management, persuasion and negotiating. Is there a consistent interaction style that drives both individual and organizational performance across these domains? Drawing on his new book, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success (April 2013 from Viking), Adam introduces three fundamental styles of professional interaction, and demonstrates their profound implications for individual and collective performance. Adam reveals surprising insights about what it takes to develop productive interactions, and how leaders, managers and employees can use this knowledge to build richer networks, more innovative teams and more rewarding service relationships. Innovation, Collaboration and Social Networks: Where Do Good Ideas Come From? To innovate, organizations need access to fresh ideas for developing original, useful products, services, and process. Many of these ideas are hidden in our professional networks, but most of us fail to access them. We make the mistake of relying on close colleagues, whose knowledge and perspectives tend to be redundant with our own. Although we can gain more efficient access to novel information through our acquaintances, these weak ties pose a different challenge: it is difficult to trust them. Synthesizing new evidence and the habits of exceptional networkers and innovators, Adam examines strategies for managing this innovation paradox of balancing trust and novel information in our networks. Adam shows audiences how to identify the key contacts in their networks and leverage untapped opportunities for innovation. To the Giver Go the Spoils: Driving Organizational Success by Building a Culture of Contributors Culture is a foundation from which successful organizations are built—but many struggle in creating an environment in which employees can be both fulfilled and effective in their work. What exactly is it that makes some organizations paragons of growth and success, while others have a hard time getting the right things done? Based on a decade of research and consulting with Fortune 500 companies, Wharton professor and author Adam Grant argues that the highest-performing organizations are the ones that embrace an ethos where helpfulness—and sharing knowledge and skills across an organization—is at the core of organizational values and norms. In this dynamic presentation, Grant outlines the strategies and practices that leaders can use to build a culture of contributors, which in turn proven to increase revenue, efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction. The Power of Powerless Communication: The New Rules for Influencing Others In the quest for influence, we often strike a dominant pose, relying on assertiveness and authority to overpower others. Although this approach can succeed in the short run, it often sacrifices the respect and trust of the very people we hope to influence in the long run. Is there a more sustainable path to influence? Using revolutionary studies and rich stories from inside companies, Adam highlights the power of powerless communication. He shows how counterintuitive techniques such as asking questions, expressing uncertainty, and talking tentatively can actually increase success in selling, persuading, and negotiating. Adam delivers actionable insights for leaders, managers and employees about how to be modest and influence people. Building and Leading Effective Teams: How to Foster Teamwork and We regularly rotate people in and out of teams, assuming that employees can carry their knowledge and skills with them. Yet pioneering evidence shows that in a wide range of settings, from surgery and software development to airline cockpits and professional basketball, when it comes to teamwork, the whole is usually less than the sum of the parts. Combining cutting-edge science and experience consulting with renowned organizations, Adam highlights pitfalls and best practices in designing and managing teams, outlining novel, practical steps for increasing team performance. |
"Adam Grant is, plain and simple, one of the finest social scientists of his generation. But if that weren't enough, he is also one of the most accessible. He is the rare scholar whose work combines academic rigor with real-world practicality—which is why I read everything he writes and why an ever-growing audience is benefiting from his insights. |