Dr. Adam Grant: How to Unlock Your Potential, Motivation & Unique Abilities

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Adam Grant, Ph.D., a professor of organizational psychology at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an expert in the science and practical steps for increasing motivation, maximizing and reaching our potential, and understanding how individuals and groups can best flourish. He is also an avid public educator, having written five bestselling books, delivered several top-ranking TED Talks and is the host of two psychology podcasts. We discuss how to overcome procrastination, how to increase intrinsic motivation (even for dreaded tasks), identify blind spots and rethink our assumptions, and how we can build a persistent growth mindset. We also explain tools to improve creativity and discuss the surprising relationship between creativity and procrastination. We then explore how to effectively solicit useful feedback and grow from constructive criticism and how you can improve your level of focus and attention using science-supported methods. We also discuss mental tools to get out of negative thought spirals, how to nurture potential in yourself or others, and the dark side of perfectionism. The discussion delivers more than a dozen science-supported protocols that are readily applicable to anyone seeking to live a more productive, fulfilling, and creative life. For the show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit Thank you to our sponsors AG1: Eight Sleep: Levels: Waking Up: InsideTracker: Momentous: Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: Threads: @hubermanlab Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: @hubermanlab LinkedIn: Website: Newsletter: Dr. Adam Grant Website: Books: Podcasts: Academic profile: TED Talk: “Are You a Giver or a Taker?”: TED Talk: “ The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers”: Instagram: X: Facebook: LinkedIn: Threads: @adamgrant Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Adam Grant 00:01:37 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels & Waking Up 00:05:56 Procrastination & Emotion; Curiosity 00:14:06 Creativity & Procrastination; Motivation 00:20:48 Intrinsic Motivation & Curiosity 00:27:59 Tool: Tasks & Sense of Purpose 00:30:52 Sponsor: AG1 00:32:34 Extrinsic Rewards, Choice; Social Media 00:42:24 Tool: “Quiet Time” Protocol, Chronotypes 00:49:20 Tool: Creativity: Mornings, Movement, Stillness 00:57:05 Sponsor: InsideTracker 00:58:14 Tools: Ideas & Filtering, Feedback & Opinions, Advice 01:07:15 Tool: Constructive Criticism, “Second Score”; Verbs 01:14:40 Tool: Growth Mindsets, Scaffolding; Job Innovation 01:21:50 Tools: Task Sequencing & Intrinsic Motivation; Tapering & Frame of Reference 01:30:03 Tools: Momentum, Confidence & Domains; Negative Thought Spirals 01:36:16 Tool: Phone & “To Don’t” List; Writing Ideas 01:39:54 Tool: Bias Blindspot, Reflected Best-Self Portrait 01:45:36 Helping Others, Synthesizing Information 01:50:24 Modes of Thinking, Blind Spots & Assumptions 01:56:10 Thinking Like a Scientist: Hypothesis-Testing & Discourse, Social Media 02:05:15 Tool: Authenticity, Sincerity & Etiquette, “Snapshot” & Online Presence 02:12:49 Realizing Potential: Motivation, Opportunity & Process 02:21:53 Skills to Realize Potential, Perfectionism 02:27:52 Tool: Early Success & Performance Cycle, “Failure Budget” 02:31:56 Future Projects, Complex Issues & Challenging Ideas 02:40:10 Artistic Hobbies, Magicians 02:45:55 Science Communication, Interest & Self-Relevance 02:52:16 Languishing, Descriptive Language & Emotions 03:00:09 Tool: Nurture Potential in Children, “Coach Effect” 03:10:16 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #AdamGrant #Science Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - Disclaimer: