A Slice of Adam Grant

Earlier this Summer, I purchased Adam Grant’s Something to Think About calendar. In August, I would step into a new role, away from classroom routines and into an office with much less noise. I needed something, an object to mark the significance of a new “desk job” to go with my favorite Brené Brown quotes.

Even though the calendar starts in January, I began consuming his quotes on the first day of school. At first, I’d read the latest one as soon as I sat down, but as weeks passed, a pile of stuff blocked my view, and I would forget to rip the expired quote to discover the new one. Forgetfulness allowed me to catch up.

That only meant I had to get better at reading them daily.

Today, after lunch, I returned to my office and realized my desk was once again full of “pending stuff.” I saw a roll of contact paper to return, calendars to revise, notes to convert to minutes, and sticky notes with reminders from teachers who came looking for me but couldn’t find me. Underneath all that, I found Adam.

Shoot, the last one I read was March 1st/2nd. I’m behind again.

*insert some shame here*

When I read the first of the five quotes missed, I thought, “What if these are my slices for tomorrow?“

Here’s some wisdom from Adam Grant that I’m glad to have missed this week. They needed to be read together.

March 3rd: “Productivity comes from maintaining consistent routines. Creativity depends on breaking free from routines. Fresh ideas spring from diversifying what we read, who we meet, and when and where we work. Stability may get things done, but variety is the spice of originality.”

I think Adam knew we were starting this writing challenge at the beginning of March. Good timing!

March 4th: “Withholding feedback is choosing comfort over growth. Staying silent deprives people of the opportunity to learn. If you’re worried about hurting their feelings, it’s a sign that you haven’t earned their trust. In healthy relationships, honesty is an expression of care.”

This one jumped at me, along with Brené’s quote hanging on my wall: “Daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about hard things.”

*sigh*

March 5th: “Changing your mind doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned your principles. It may mean you’ve learned something. It’s better to contradict yourself and be accused of hypocrisy than to stick to your guns and sacrifice your integrity. The hallmark of integrity is honesty, not consistency.”

I had to read one three times. Adam, are you speaking to me?

March 6th: “To remember what you read, don’t reread or highlight. Take a 10-minute break, then summarize and share it with someone. The best way to learn something is to pause and then teach it. You remember it better after you retrieve it—and you understand it better after you explain it.”

I’ll keep this one and use it with my teachers! It also reminds me of a book I started and didn’t finish #mylife

March 7th: “It’s hard to change people’s values. It’s easier to appeal to the values they already hold. People shut down when you push your principles. They open up if you speak to theirs. Motivating others requires you to know—and care about—what matters to them.”

I hear you, Adam. I hear you.