Adam Grant

One of the clearest signs of learning is rethinking your assumptions and revising your opinions. 21 things I rethought in 2021: a thread...

Our scarcest, most precious resource is not time or energy. It’s attention. Our circumstances are often beyond our control. Our concentration is within it. Where we focus shapes our happiness, success, and relationships. Undivided attention is the most basic currency of care.

Too many people recognize their opinions as feelings, but mistake their beliefs for facts. Closed minds hold truths to be self-evident. Open minds are willing to question even strongly held views. Lifelong learning requires the courage to challenge our own convictions.

A mark of wisdom is being quick to change your opinions but slow to change your principles. It takes openness to update your views. It takes integrity to uphold your values. A key to growth is raising your understanding without lowering your standards.

People who cheat on their spouses are more likely to cheat at work, too. Evidence: Marital infidelity predicts 2-3x greater odds of professional misconduct among CEOs, financial advisors, and police officers. Integrity is not a 9-5 job. Character counts in every part of life.

The people who dominate the conversation often have the least to say. Being the loudest voice in the room doesn’t gain respect. It crowds out the contributions of those who speak at a lower volume. It’s better to leave people wanting to hear more than wishing they’d heard less.

Good advice doesn’t always come from people close to you. It comes from people who want what's best for you. When people are trying to influence you or please you, they tend to give biased suggestions. The most reliable sources of wisdom are people who put your interests first.

Patience is not always a virtue. Impatience is fuel for taking initiative. Being content to wait can make people reactive. A distaste for delays motivates them to be proactive. "Restless" kids often grow up to become resourceful adults.

Leadership isn't measured by how many followers you have. It's gauged by how may lives you improve. Selfish leaders divide people to advance personal agendas. Servant leaders unite people to achieve common goals. The best leaders are those who bring out the best in others.

A teacher in Thailand invites her students to pick their greeting. Can we do this in every classroom in every country?

There's a name for staying up late even though you know you'll regret it: Bedtime procrastination. It's more likely when you dread tomorrow, lack freedom and joy today, and do mindless activities tonight. A simple, effective antidote is committing to a sleep time and routine.

The most enduring marker of success isn't wealth, fame, or power. It’s what we create and contribute to others. In the short run, status symbols capture attention. In the long run, achievement is judged by impact. The highest accomplishment is improving the lives of others.

Most of the people we try to impress are busy trying to impress someone else. The spotlight effect is the habit of overestimating how much others focus on us. We don't see how preoccupied they are with themselves. True confidence stems from self-respect, not social approval.

The biggest risk to young people's mental health is not screentime. It’s addictive behavior. 4-year study: The warning sign of serious issues isn’t hours on devices, but whether kids struggle to control their usage. We should worry less about time than distress and compulsion.

A basic way to avoid bad habits is to imagine how you’ll feel afterward. It’s called episodic future thinking. Previewing the unwanted consequences of procrastinating, overeating, and doomscrolling can motivate better choices. Your future self is wiser than your present self.

Dads are spending 3-4x as much time with their kids as their dads did with them. When father figures are engaged, kids show better cognitive development, boys have fewer behavioral problems, and girls have fewer emotional problems. Every child deserves strong parental bonds.

A building block of emotional intelligence is a rich vocabulary of emotion words. Kids and adults are better at managing feelings when they have a broader repertoire of terms to describe them. Language is a mirror and a map: It reflects what we feel and guides how we respond.

Dear managers: If you’re not going to consider feedback, it’s better not to seek it at all. Data: When people in power request input but then disregard it, they’re judged more negatively than if they hadn’t asked. Bad leaders ignore. Good leaders listen. Great leaders act.

Good books immerse you in a new world. Great books introduce you to a new worldview. Good books are page-turners—they're meant to be devoured. Great books are corner-folders—they're made to be savored. Good books keep you engaged. Great books leave you changed.

One more time: A company is not a family. Healthy workplaces value results as well as relationships.

Can we all agree that presidents shouldn’t have the power to pardon people convicted of crimes that involve… 1) Violence 2) Harm to children 3) Large sums of money Asking for both parties