Adam Grant Books

An organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton, Adam Grant is also a New York Times best selling author and one of the most popular TED talk speakers.

His books have sold millions of copied and have ben translated into 35 languages. He also publishes the hugely successful WorkLife podcast.

Credited as one of the world’s top management thinkers, he has received awards from the the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. Much of his work focuses on challenging preconceived notions about motivation, generosity and creativity.

Grand is also a former Junior Olympic springboard diver.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

A self-help book on how to escape the echo chamber.

The biggest challenge we have to grow as individuals isn’t just to learn, but to analyze and confront our existing opinions and modify them if the evidence suggest we should.

Adam Grant calls this unlearning, and highlights its important in a world that’s changing more rapidly than ever before. As humans we often stick to our existing opinions rather than challenge them. And worse, we see those challenges as a threat to our egos and as a result, we surround ourselves with like-minded individuals rather than those who will help us grow.

This book isn’t just a call-to-action but a workbook of how to challenge ourselves, question ourselves and be ok with being wrong. In it, Grant introduces us to individuals who convince others for a living, from an international debate champion, to a Black musician who convinces white supremacists to stop hating.

The purpose of this book is to help us grow, shed views that aren’t helping us, prioritize mental flexibility over consistency and become wiser individuals.

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Unique ideas are the ones that really push us and society forward. Rather than small percentage gains, they allow us to grow by multiples.

In “Originals” Adam Grand champions this concept and teaches us how to be a thought leader, from discovering against-the-grain ideas that are worth exploring, to outlining how to battle conformity and trends. He details just how to speak out, create allies, chose the right time to speak, manage doubt and how to do it all without risking everything.

And for more than just the world of business, Grant teaches how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children and how community leaders can build cultures that promote questioning.

This book is a must-read according to billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

Rather than the conventional notions of hard work, talent, luck and passion, Adam Grant argues that success has a lot more to do with our individual style of interacting with others. Some are takers, some are givers and some are matchers – the latter group being those who aim to trade evenly.

In his first published book, Grant makes the case that givers are a rare breed who help without expecting anything in return and who see incredible success as a result. There is a risk that some get burnt out or exploited, but the rest achieve great things and help others at the same time.

Praised by senior leaders at Google, Nike, NASA and more, Give and Take shows how networking, collaboration and selfless helping can not only provide a path to success for individuals, but can grow businesses and transform communities.