Adam Grant Highlights

Here’s a summary of my highlights from Adam Grant:

Success is framed not as winning against others but as making a positive contribution. Achieving meaningful success means helping others succeed, which shifts the focus from competition to contribution Success is not about winning a competition. It’s about making a contribution.
Creating a giving culture at work involves: carefully screening out takers rather than just hiring givers, redesigning reward systems to value contributions to others, and normalizing help-seeking just as much as help-giving. This is crucial for organizational generosity Building cultures of givers at work.
Wisdom is about integrating the knowledge and ideas from everyone in a group, as opposed to displaying one’s individual intelligence. Great leaders focus on guiding groups to shared goals, rather than advancing personal agendas It's better to be the wisest person in the room than the smartest.
Changing your mind isn’t a sign of weakness or lost integrity, but often a mark of wisdom and growth. Realizing you were wrong just means you lacked knowledge before, and growth requires openness to revising your views Changing your mind is not a sign of losing integrity.
The way you respond to feedback determines whether people will continue offering it. You don’t have to agree with feedback, just show that you value it. The best way to keep receiving valuable feedback (“tough love”) is to thank people for it How you respond to feedback determines whether people offer it again.
It’s a greater compliment to be called thoughtful than smart. Thoughtfulness is the intersection of deep reflection and broad concern for others, while intellect is simply a capacity to reason It's a higher compliment to call people thoughtful than smart.
Emotional intelligence is linked to self-awareness. Accurately sensing your own emotions (even your heartbeat) can make you less likely to misjudge others' intentions and less judgmental in general Listening to your heart is a source of emotional intelligence.
Silence shouldn’t always be read as disengagement. Sometimes the quietest people in the room are reflecting deeply, choosing to process before speaking. It’s often better to think carefully than to speak without thinking Silence is not always a sign of disengagement.
Narcissistic leaders are threatened by talent, while humble leaders welcome it and strive to make everyone around them smarter. Great leaders grow talent rather than seeking to remain the “smartest” person in the room Narcissistic leaders are threatened by talent.
Lifelong learning isn’t about showing what you know, but constantly expanding your knowledge. Great teachers challenge your views rather than simply confirm them, and real growth comes from finding joy in questioning Being a lifelong learner isn't about proving your knowledge.
Framing meeting agendas as questions helps foster thoughtful, engaging, and productive discussions—especially during brainstorming—by charging participants to come prepared and driving focused inquiry Framing agendas as questions in meetings is a technique that encourages thoughtful and structured discussions.

These highlights collectively emphasize growth through humility, the importance of contribution and generosity, value in thoughtful reflection, and the courage to rethink preconceptions—all hallmarks of Adam Grant’s philosophy. If you want a specific quote or want a deeper dive on any of these, let me know!