Adam Grant
Organizational Psychologist, The Wharton School of Business
Author, Give and Take, Originals, Option B
Host: WorkLife, a TED original podcast
Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for six straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he studies how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune's 40 under 40.
He is the author of three New York Times best-selling books that have sold over a million copies and been translated into 35 languages. Give and Take examines why helping others drives our success, and was named one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal—as well as one of Oprah's riveting reads and Harvard Business Review’s ideas that shaped management. Originals explores how individuals champion new ideas and leaders fight groupthink; it was praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, and Malcolm Gladwell. Option B,with Sheryl Sandberg, is on facing adversity and building resilience.
Grant's TED talks on original thinkers and givers and takers have been viewed more than 11 million times. He received a standing ovation at TED in 2016 and was voted the audience's favorite speaker at The Nantucket Project. His speaking and consulting clients include Facebook, Google, the NBA, the Gates Foundation, the U.S. Army and Navy, and the World Economic Forum, where he has been honored as a Young Global Leader. He hosts "WorkLife", a TED original podcast; writes on work and psychology for The New York Times; and has over 2 million followers on social media. He shares monthly insights in his newsletter, GRANTED.
Grant was profiled in The New York Times Magazine cover story, "Is giving the secret to getting ahead?" He was tenured at Wharton while still in his twenties, and has received the Excellence in Teaching Award for every class that he has taught. He is the founder and host of the Authors@Wharton speaker series, and co-director of Wharton People Analytics. He has designed experiential learning activities in which students have raised over $325,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation while developing leadership, influence, networking and collaboration skills. He is a passionate feminist who serves on the Lean In board and the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon.
Grant earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan, completing it in less than three years, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, magna cum laude with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He has earned awards for distinguished scholarly achievement from the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, and the National Science Foundation. His pioneering research has increased performance and reduced burnout among engineers and sales professionals, enhanced call center productivity, and motivated safety behaviors among doctors, nurses and lifeguards. He is a former magician and Junior Olympic springboard diver, and lives in Philadelphia with his wife, two daughters, and son.