GRANTED: Why "quiet quitting" is trending and repeating yourself is a good habit

August 2022

“That’s just the way I am” is a missed opportunity for growth. Personality is not your destiny—it’s your tendency.

No one is limited to a single way of thinking, feeling, or acting. Who you become is not about the traits you have; it's what you decide to do with them.

Some links that got my brain cells firing this month:

1. Read: The Only Thing New about Quiet Quitting Is the Name (Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press)
As every Office Space fan knows, "quiet quitting" isn't laziness. Doing the bare minimum is a common response to bullshit jobs, abusive bosses, and low pay. When they don't feel cared about, people eventually stop caring. If you want them to go the extra mile, start with meaningful work, respect, and generous pay.

2. Watch: Steelmanning the Other Side (Liv Boeree, YouTube)
A good refresher on a key step for escaping confirmation bias, delivered in a clever parody of a drug commercial.

3. Listen: When Will Met Grace (Malcolm Gladwell, Revisionist History)
A fascinating analysis of the tradeoffs between the collective impact of broadcasting and the freedom of creative expression ushered in by streaming.

From my desk

4. Talking Mental Health with Prince Harry
I make the case that great managers care more about your well-being than your results. We do our best work when leaders put people above performance. Full video here.

5. Why Repeating Yourself Is a Good Thing
Repeat after me: good communication requires repetition. New research reveals that leaders are 9x more likely to be criticized for undercommunicating than overcommunicating—those who say too little come across as unclear and uncaring. When you're starting to get bored of your message, it's probably just starting to land.

In solidarity,

Adam Grant, Ph.D.
Organizational psychologist at Wharton, author of THINK AGAIN, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife