GRANTED: Wondering why middle managers get such a bad rap and how to change it

May 2018

To understand success, pay less attention to the final product and more to the mundane process. It's way more fun to read Harry Potter than it would be to watch J.K. Rowling write. And I can only imagine how dull it would be to sit in a library and watch Lin-Manuel Miranda reading books about Hamilton.
 
But the seeds of greatness are planted in the daily grind.

Each month, I answer a few fascinating questions from readers about work and psychology. Here are some of the questions you asked recently—click any question for my response, plus my favorite resources on 7 other topics you raised:

• Middle management gets a bad rap as the armpit of administrative jobs. How can we change it?

• Why do jerks sometimes succeed?

• I’m inviting some colleagues to create a “user manual” for how to work effectively with me. What questions should I ask them?

Submit your own questions to wondering@adamgrant.net. Include your first name and city, or ask to be anonymous, and I'll pick a few next month to answer here.
 

Also: if you have any feedback on my WorkLife podcast as we start to plan season 2, I’ll be grateful for your comments and suggestions here.

Finally: I’ve heard from some listeners that they’re doing podcast clubs at work—it’s like a book club, only you discuss a podcast instead. We got a bunch of requests for discussion guides on WorkLife, so I’ve posted 10 questions per episode in the transcripts on LinkedIn, which also include all the sources referenced on the show.
 
1. How to love criticism. Transcript
2. The Daily Show’s secret to creativity. Transcript
3. The problem with all-stars. Transcript
4. Your hidden personality. Transcript
5. How to trust people you don’t like. Transcript
6. Faking your emotions at work. Transcript
7. A world without bosses. Transcript
8. When work takes over your life. Transcript

Cheers,
Adam

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