GRANTED: Hot books for summer and what to do about burnout
May 2022
The highest compliment from someone who disagrees with you is not “You were right.” It’s “You made me think.”
Good arguments help us recognize complexity where we once saw simplicity. The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It’s to promote critical thinking.
A couple recent articles that made me think:
1. The expanding job (Anne Helen Petersen, Substack)
Vacations and perks aren't cures for exhaustion. They're temporary bandages to stop the bleeding. The first principle of fighting burnout is to reduce demands: stop overloading teams with stressful tasks and expecting one person to do multiple jobs.
2. Why did we stop believing that people can change? (Rebecca Solnit, NYT)
You're not the exact same person as you were 10 years ago. Your opinions, habits, and values have evolved, and others can too. A vital part of believing in people is seeing their potential for growth—but also recognizing that they change on their own timelines and paths, not yours.
From my desk
3. WorkLife season 5
We’re back with new podcast episodes:
The not-so-great resignation: Apple | Spotify | Transcript
How to pitch your best ideas: Apple | Spotify | Transcript
Dolly Parton is burning up, not burning out: Apple | Spotify | Transcript
4. The 12 hot nonfiction books to read this summer
My favorite new releases explore persuasion, mental health and well-being, innovation, data and tech, and leading and managing.
In solidarity,
Adam Grant, Ph.D.
Organizational psychologist at Wharton, author of THINK AGAIN, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife