Lesson 1: How to Help Individuals Achieve Progress as a Group | Adam Grant

Prioritize future potential over past performance. Frame lack of experience as an asset. When people talk about group projects in school, they often lament how the “smartest” person did all the work and everyone else contributed nothing or just went along with the leader (assuming they must know best). But that’s no way to live in the workplace, especially when it comes to developing people’s potential. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant argues that group brainstorming stifles individual and team potential. In this video lesson, he explores why inexperience in a group can be a strength and why brainstorming individually before coming together will elevate a group’s potential. Look beyond early performance When we think about talent, we tend to focus on where people start and to overlook the distance they’re capable of traveling. As a leader, your core job is to recognize the potential people don’t see in themselves — and then help them realize it. Leadership is about helping your team become more than the sum of its parts. See lack of experience as a strength People tend to hold back from speaking up when they feel they lack expertise. Imposter beliefs may prevent individuals from sharing novel ideas and fresh perspectives. As a leader, watch out for people’s self-limiting beliefs: I don’t really know what I’m talking about. I’ve never solved this problem before. I don’t have a lot of experience. Help people recognize that their lack of experience is an asset, not a liability. Understand that people’s deep experience in a domain may prevent them from seeing new ideas (i.e., cognitive entrenchment). It’s often the people who lack experience — those from different industries, jobs, cultures, etc. — who are best positioned to reveal a group’s blind spots. Rethink brainstorming Research shows that group brainstorming is less effective than people realize. It can lead to: Production blocking: We can’t all talk at once, so some ideas get lost. Ego threat: We don’t want to sound stupid, so we don’t share unconventional ideas. Conformity pressure: When an idea gets popular, we [all] jump on the bandwagon. These problems are magnified for people who lack power or status: Introverts in a group of extroverts The most junior person in a room Women and people of color on teams dominated by white men Instead, try brainwriting: Provide a prompt in advance and let people generate ideas independently. Invite people to separately rate the quality of each idea. Consider anonymizing submissions. Finally, bring the group together to develop and refine the most promising ideas. The goal is to allow individuals to generate variety and volume; then bring in the group’s judgment to evaluate potential. © Freethink Media Inc., All Rights Reserved. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Youtube Member Get exclusive classes and early, ad-free access to new releases without leaving Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@bigthink/membership/ ►Become a Big Think Web Member Get the entire Big Think Class library, premium print issues, live events, and more. https://bigthink.com/membership/ ►Subscribe to Big Think on Substack Get all of your favorite Big Think content delivered to your inbox. https://bigthinkmedia.substack.com/subscribe/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Adam Grant: Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live 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. Grant is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of five books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 45 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across all platforms. Grant hosts WorkLife, a chart-topping TED original podcast. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, Bridgewater, and the Gates Foundation. He writes on work and psychology for The New York Times, has served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon, has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and has appeared on Billions. He has more than 6 million followers on social media and features new insights in GRANTED, his free monthly newsletter.