GRANTED: My new WorkLife Podcast launches in 3... 2...

What do the Daily Show, the Boston Celtics, and NASA all have in common?

They all go to the extreme on something that can help us make work better. I've spent time with each of them for WorkLife, my new podcast with TED—which launches today.

Here's a preview of today's episode—click below to listen to this episode and subscribe to follow along with new episodes as they're released.

In work and life, defensiveness is one of the biggest barriers to growth. But there's one workplace where people don’t just listen to negative feedback; they actually crave it. I went to Bridgewater Associates to grill founder Ray Dalio and a number of others on how we can all get better at taking criticism—and dishing it out.

Ray: You could say to me, you know, "Hey, jerk, you're being an asshole" or something. It would be okay for me. Then I'll say, "Okay, am I being an asshole?"

Me: It's incredibly fun to think that you can go around calling people assholes and then the default response is supposed to be "tell me more". Is that really how you want people to react to criticism?

Ray: I want to put that on the table together. Maybe I’m the one being a jerk or misunderstanding.

An unconventional approach, with unexpected results. To hear more about how they teach people to stay open, give WorkLife a listen below.

Our next episode will be released on March 7. I’ll take you inside the writers’ room at The Daily Show to find out how they do group creativity under the gun.

Stay tuned for Wondering in early March, too.

Cheers,
Adam

Adam Grant, Ph.D.
Author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKE,
coauthor of OPTION B, and Wharton professor.