WSB Exclusive Speaker Adam Grant keynote speech
Adam Grant speaks at TED2018 - The Age of Amazement

Adam Grant

"Our session was incredible! As you had promised, Adam was superb in every way. His generosity of time, energy, knowledge, and spirit was incredible. We could not have asked for more." Fraternal/Membership Organization

As an organizational psychologist, Adam Grant rethinks how we work and live. He has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for 7 straight years, and his research has inspired people to question assumptions about leadership, success, character, culture, and change. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 6 books that have sold millions of copies and been praised by Oprah, Mark Cuban, Malcolm Gladwell, Trevor Noah, and Serena Williams. This October, he’s releasing a new book, Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World. Adam’s TED talks have over 35 million views, and his podcasts have over 100 million downloads; he hosts Re:Thinking and cohosts The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown. He has been recognized as the world’s #2 most influential management thinker and in Fortune’s 40 Under 40. He has advised leaders at Google, Pixar, and the NBA; served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon; and received awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. His viral NYT op-ed on languishing was the most-saved article of 2021, and he shares new insights in his Substack newsletter, Granted. Adam received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former magician and Junior Olympic springboard diver. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Allison (a novelist and poet), two cats (who don’t get along), and three children (who mostly do).

Featured Videos

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Adam Grant

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Adam Grant

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Adam Grant on How Pixar’s Riskiest Team Made Its Greatest Hit

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Adam Grant on Modeling Resilience: Why Leaders Should Prioritize Mental Wellness

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Adam Grant on How to Reveal Hidden Potential & Unlock Organizational Excellence

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Adam Grant

Adam Grant on Rethinking Brainstorming: A Better Method to Drive Creativity

Adam Grant’s Speech Topics

  • Hidden Potential

    We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent and intelligence. But the true measure of potential isn’t where you start—it’s how far you can travel. Building on his #1 New York Times bestseller, Hidden Potential, Adam Grant examines how to build the character skills, structures, and systems that accelerate learning and elevate excellence. We all have hidden potential, and this talk highlights how we can unleash it—in ourselves, in our teams, and in our organizations.


    Advance praise:

    “This is a book that should be read by parents, leaders, coaches, and every school board member in America. Adam Grant reveals that everything you think about developing potential is wrong.”

    – Mark Cuban, Shark Tank investor, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and cofounder of Cost Plus Drugs


    “I read Hidden Potential in one sitting, loved it, and have been thinking about it ever since. Which is the highest praise I can give a book. This is Adam Grant’s finest work—it will inspire you to bigger dreams.”

    – Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and host of Revisionist History


    “Wickedly entertaining and deeply insightful, Adam Grant has done it again. You have more in common with Mozart and Steph Curry than you know, and Hidden Potential will show you how to achieve your absolute best. You’ll devour it and find yourself begging for more.” 

    – U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, author of Make Your Bed and The Wisdom of the Bullfrog

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

    Many visions, strategies, and best practices were created in a world that no longer exists. The faster our environment changes, the more critical it becomes to rethink our assumptions. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant finds that the very skills that make us good at thinking and learning can make us worse at rethinking and unlearning. Building on his #1 New York Times bestselling book, Think Again—called “brilliant” by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman—Adam examines how we can update our own opinions, open other people’s minds, and build a learning organization in which people know what they don’t know and are eager to improve on the status quo. His eye-opening evidence and entertaining delivery will leave you determined to never again say “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

  • Resilience at Work: A Conversation with Adam Grant

    When Adam Grant wrote his viral piece about languishing, it was the most-read New York Times article of the year—and the most-saved across all platforms. During this session, he fields questions about how the “blah” of languishing is different from burnout, what causes these two sets of emotional challenges, and how individuals, teams, and workplaces can move toward flourishing and build resilience. “Resilience is the strength and speed of our response to adversity,” says Grant. “It’s a skill set that we work on throughout our lives.” 

  • Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

    To survive and thrive, organizations need original thinking. Yet many people stay silent instead of voicing their best ideas—and many leaders stifle dissent rather than encouraging it. In his #1 New York Times bestselling book Originals, Grant set out to explore how to unleash original thinking. “Originals are nonconformists—people who not only have new ideas, but take action to champion them,” says Grant. “They’re people who stand out and speak up. Originals drive creativity and change in the world.” In this talk, Grant reveals how to get better at recognizing and championing new ideas, and how to build cultures that welcome diverse perspectives and honest feedback.

  • Givers Take All: Creating a Culture of Productive Generosity

    Culture is a key component of success, but many leaders struggle in managing the cultures of their teams and organizations. Based on decades of evidence, Adam Grant argues that the highest-performing organizations are the ones that embrace an ethos of knowledge sharing, helping, and mentoring. In his New York Times bestselling book, Give and Take, Grant examines how interpersonal interactions can fuel success, depending on whether you’re a “giver” (generous), a “taker” (me-first), or a “matcher” (trades favors evenly, quid pro quo). “Givers succeed in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them,” he writes. “Giver success creates value, instead of just claiming it.” In this presentation, Grant outlines the key strategies for building a culture of productive generosity. He highlights the importance of screening out takers, rewarding givers, and creating norms of help-seeking as well as help-giving.

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam Grant delivered an outstanding session that perfectly blended humor, insight, and storytelling. His prepared remarks were sharp and engaging, his slides enhanced every point, and the moderated Q&A was thoughtful and dynamic.Adam also hosted a special sponsor lunch with about 150 attendees; the energy in the room was electric. Guests were practically competing for the mic, eager to engage with him. He has a rare gift for making everyone feel like they’re in conversation with a close friend. Adam truly connects.

Business Conferences / Audiences

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam delivered a dynamic keynote that challenged the audience to recognize when they fall into “preacher, prosecutor, or politician” mode and instead to “think like a scientist.” He explored how great leaders hold their ideas loosely, test assumptions, and surround themselves with people who challenge their thinking. Adam’s humor and authenticity shone through—and he graciously stayed afterward to sign books and take photos with attendees.

Technology

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam was superb, engaging, insightful, and full of practical takeaways. He balanced humor and storytelling with actionable ideas that resonated across the room, from simple ways to make daily meetings more efficient to broader strategies for identifying and elevating cultural carriers within an organization. He naturally brought the audience into the conversation, creating a dynamic and interactive experience.

Association

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam kept the 2,500-person audience fully engaged from start to finish. His presentation flowed seamlessly into an interactive Q&A, where he made everyone feel part of the conversation. The fireside chat format really highlighted his dynamic style. He brought humor, energy, and thoughtful exchanges with the host that made the discussion feel fresh and personal.

Technology

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Our session was incredible! As you had promised, Adam was superb in every way. His generosity of time, energy, knowledge, and spirit was incredible. We could not have asked for more.

Fraternal/Membership Organization

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam Grant was very well received by our audience. He was an absolute delight and we enjoyed hosting him. His presentation was energetic, informative and he built in enough humor into his presentation that it kept it light and entertaining. There were lots of questions from the audience so good audience interaction was/is always a good sign. In short, I believe that the learning was great and that everyone left with information that they could take away and apply.

Fraternal/Membership Organization

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

We received very positive feedback on Adam’s presentation and we are appreciative of the customization of his remarks to the financial services industry.

Insurance

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam Grant was fantastic and response from the audience was also extremely positive. We had good engagement from the audience during the Q&A, and the majority who responded to our post-event survey rated Adam as Excellent. All in all, I’d say it was a success.

Education Programs

What other organizations say about Adam Grant

Adam Grant got our Annual Meeting off to a terrific start with such a great and provocative message for our members. Just truly fantastic! And, a great conversation starter for the rest of the meeting.

Executive Development/Coaching

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