Malcolm Gladwell & Adam Grant: Getting Uncomfortable with the Future | Future of Work Conference

"Getting Uncomfortable with the Future," followed by Q&A

In this characteristically provocative conversation, Adam Grant and Malcolm Gladwell debate what’s been overlooked and misunderstood about leadership, whether high performance gets too much attention, and how to build teams that are more than the sum of their parts.

In the wide-ranging follow-up Q&A to their discussion, Malcolm and Adam discuss whether organizations should hire historians, why Malcolm is retiring from the regrets game, and some principles that should guide the future of hiring.

Speakers:
- Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times Bestselling Author of Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath and Host at Revisionist History Podcast
- Adam Grant, Wharton Organizational Psychologist, Author of Think Again, Host of WorkLife

#MalcolmGladwell #AdamGrant #FutureofWork #WhartonFOW

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[akendall]

I did a search using the words Smug and Pretentious and Malcolm Gladwel came up!

[raginaldmars]

I wish
I had SUCH pro Blems
Kinder Garden

[bruce_daisley]

I've watched the whole conference now. This and Zeynep Ton's talk are the best picks. This is an exceptional and stimulating series of provocative thoughts.

[dubkayc]

My two fav nerds, and I mean that in the best way.

[sballantine]

In the military everything is about team work. As an example, in the assessment and selection process for Green Berets each candidate is rated for their ability to work as a team both by the cadre (those assigned to oversee the performance of each candidate) as well the candidate's peers.

[merovech]

Gladwell is so careful not to draw causations from correlations. Even the way he frames it is fantastic

Edit: also thank you Wharton for enabling the comments section. Other universities seem to censor public debate

Edit 2: Grant got jacked! Keep it up mate!

[kristy]

That team school idea Malcolm had was really cool. It made me sad seeing it get low key dismissed and laughed off, even after he said, "I'm serious." Damn. I just want to sit and talk to Malcolm forever.

[bthomson]

Brave yes!!! Protected always a bad idea imho! Get a callous, get a thorny hide ( see Weavers' song about a lumber jack!) become resilient! Men should feel but all should be able!

[matthewfrancis]

Great talk. Totally don't agree with MG at 20:21 when he says a (basketball) team could carry a "slow, lumbering white guy". The Bulls totally needed Luke Longley to compliment the big talent.

[krafique]

In related to comfort vs discomfort phenomena, my company leadership talks and promotes so much inclusion and diversity, bring forward examples of employees who racially, sexually, ethnically diverse but our senior leadership and board of directors are mostly all white males

[mw]

If students are to reach their full potential should grades matter?

[JesseKanner]

Sorry Malc. The Stones' golden period was TEN years long: Aftermath ('66) to Some Girls ('76). When I'm charitable I'll extend out to include Tattoo You and Undercover.

[MsJbs]

Congrats to Mr. Gladwell for being the newest dad in town.

[CynCopeland-TheAnswerIsMeat]

I agree with Malcolm re team orientated schooling -- the sooner we teach peeps how to work with a variety of other peeps, the better prepared they'll be for moving into organisations! Most will have heard an anecdote about a interviewee being rather apologetic about their employment history being only that they 'worked at McDonald's' - and the interviewer saying 'GREAT! You know how to work with a team!' Adam's taking his 'poking' to an unhelpful extreme, actually being quite dismissive. Edging well into the 'antagonist for antagonist sake'. The devil's advocate can be a powerful role, when done with respect.

[masterbooya]

Please, someone tell Adam Grant he is not funny.

[tebohomsiza]

Interesting info: the sort of school he is talking about exists and I am currently enrolled into. It’s called LEINN International and LEINN Arts!!!

[GuitarGare]

19:10. As big a fan as I am of Malcolm’s work, he really dookies the duvet here with his opine about someone’s art, qualifying a point he was making in his interest in a “ consistent product“ of an artist over time. Paul Simon and the Rolling Stones are all human beings, not utilities/fodder for your judgment. One might make the case that the minute someone puts out their art that everything they do is fair game to comment on and someone’s life’s work is a fleeting nod (or not). 
Stepping back from the self axiomatic precipice in this particular case might be my suggestion. (With all due respect) I quit watching at this point. See? Narratives have a duration, just as the attention paid to them. The shoe is now on the other foot. The arrogance in the statement was offensive.

[cswigert]

He does NOT understand the Golden State Warriors and the difference between the Curry model and Lebron model is NIGHT/DAY. First Andrew Bogut was a #1 draft pick and a very important player in the mold of the Warriors style. One style is hero ball (Lebron) and the other style is the team approach in which one of the best shooters of all time submits his ego to an uber team approach - the exact team approach Gladwell was extolling earlier in his conversation.

[lorrainearams]

until society gets rid of conformity, nothing will ever change - thoughts must be like this, the way someone says something must be this way, opinions must be alike, success must be this or that - everything - everything goes back to conformity -

[helenmurray]

Hasn't Adam Grant heard of Donald Winnicott's idea of "good enough"? That's what Gladwell seems to be saying when he talks about "pretty good".