
#175 Legendary Psychologist Adam Grant on Why Leadership is All About Humility, Integrity and Adaptation | Impact Theory
Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory
06/16/20
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On this episode of Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, he lays out the most fundamental aspects of a good leader. Adam and Tom discuss humility, integrity and the importance of being a giver, not a taker. They also delve deep into the idea of “cognitive entrenchment”, which is a deadly trap that everyone has to deal with, no matter how educated, informed, or driven they are.
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SHOW NOTES:
What are the universal principles of leadership? [1:29]
Are you a giver or a taker? [2:42]
Adam explains how to be successful as a giver, and the main traps to avoid [4:31] I
f you want to lead, you must keep people’s attention on the message, not on you [6:30]
A leader is like a shepherd, very rarely out in front of the flock [10:03]
Adam describes the skills leaders need to acquire, and the criticism they need to seek [13:12]
Adam explains why he works so hard to avoid getting caught up in being right [17:01]
Teams who have too many superstars don’t win championships [20:53]
The leader of a team is often the person who most exemplifies what the group stands for [24:48]
Adam describes “cognitive entrenchment” where experts get mentally stuck [25:37]
Tom and Adam discuss the need for hyper-specific goals and testable hypotheses [28:47]
Is there a point where the constant need for personal growth actually becomes harmful? [33:33]
Tom talks about being a synthesizer, instead of being the thinker of original thoughts [37:13]
Do you care about what you want to say, or about what people will actually hear? [40:36]
Adam talks about why he doesn’t always follow his intuition [42:04]
FOLLOW:
WEBSITE: www.adamgrant.net
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Previous Episode

On this episode of Conversations with Tom, host Tom Bilyeu and guest Daniel Schmachtenberger engage in a fascinating discussion about social media, neural warfare, game theory, power itself, and the ways that our society has over-optimized. In particular, they talk about why it’s so important to stop trying to be right, why we need to start thinking in more complex ways, and why the real battlefield is the human mind.
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SHOW NOTES:
Daniel was home-schooled, allowed to study whatever he thought was most important [0:30]
Daniel’s parents actually referred to his family as an “experiment” [3:40]
By the time a child goes to school, civilization has already been imprinted on them [6:04]
Daniel advocates that optimization is actually a part of the problem [8:37]
Daniel details exactly why trying to optimize leads to serious problems [13:14]
Daniel talks about how to understand civilization’s history through game theory [18:40]
Some kinds of value can be extracted and lead to power, and other kinds can’t [20:57]
Daniel uses the example of COVID-19 to illustrate the problems with optimization [25:48]
How can we think in complex ways that respect the interconnected nature of existence [30:41]
It’s much easier to break things than it is to build complex systems [35:39]
Tom and Daniel discuss whether it’s possible to nudge people in the right direction [38:16]
Social media will lead us to war even though no one wants it [46:01]
Daniel and Tom discuss the connections between high school bullying and terrorism [51:12]
If you aren’t considering counter-responses, you are just being emotionally hijacked [58:56]
People’s minds are the battlefield [1:04:17]
There are no authorities that are trustworthy enough to just assume they are right [1:09:59]
Do you want to be effective or do you want to be right? [1:15:15]
Daniel explains how people become fundamentalist about things they are wrong about [1:19:45]
Debates are often not about understanding. They are just dogfights. [1:28:48]
Legitimate power is when I am trying to influence someone to be more self-directed [1:32:03]
Tom explains the relief of focusing on finding the right answers instead of being right [1:35:35]
If you want to be right, you are very easy to control. Fragile egos are vulnerable. [1:39:55]
Capitalism, the Trump campaign and Christianity have all been antifragile so far [1:42:33]
FOLLOW DANIEL:
WEBSITE: neurohacker.com
INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/2UxGUo1
Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact?
If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you.
This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day.
Subscription Benefits:
- Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more
- New episodes delivered ad-free
- Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list
- You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more:
- Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement
- Money Mindset: Business & Finance
- Relationship Theory: Relationships
- Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health
- Power Ups:
Next Episode

On this episode of Health Theory with Tom Bilyeu, Dr. Ghannoum explains the connections between fungi and bacteria in our gut, and why it’s so important for the two communities to work in harmony. He also describes the ways the gut communicates with the brain, discusses current research on autism and gastrointestinal issues, recommends a diet for good gut health, and even shares an incredible story about how one act of kindness can change thousands of lives.
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SHOW NOTES:
The mycobiome is the fungal community that lives in our body [1:00]
Bacteria and fungi are both good and bad, and are either in harmony or not [2:02]
Tom and Mahmoud use the analogies of forests or gardens to explain how the gut works [3:35]
Mahmoud explains how bacteria and fungi produce benefits by working in harmony [6:01]
The gut communicates with the brain, just as the brain communicates with the gut [9:21]
The microbiome really starts getting formed during birth, through the vaginal canal [12:43]
Biofilms are dangerous because they protect bad microorganisms and prevent nutrition [16:45]
Mahmoud explains how FMT can rebuild the microbiome [19:56]
Mahmoud discusses probiotics and how to target them correctly [23:39]
Mahmoud believes that within five years we will have “probiotics 2.0” [27:32]
Mahmoud explains why he wants to focus on gastrointestinal issues with autistic kids [29:31]
It’s much easier to adjust the fungal community than it is to change bacteria [33:54]
Candida can be very dangerous, but the majority of people have some of it [35:37]
Mahmoud recommends a low sugar, whole foods diet, and describes a good diet [38:18]
Mahmoud shares the story of losing his livelihood due to the invasion of Kuwait [41:22]
One act of kindness can change many lives [45:06]
Dr. Microbiome recommends the one change people should make in their diet [46:36]
FOLLOW MAHMOUD:
WEBSITE: drmicrobiome.com
INSTAGRAM: https://bit.ly/2URyDM0
FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/2Y9vDwk
Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact?
If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you.
Want to transform your health, sharpen your mindset, improve your relationship, or conquer the business world? This is your epicenter of greatness.
This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day.
Subscription Benefits:
- Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more
- New episodes delivered ad-free
- Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list
- You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more:
- Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement
- Money Mindset: Business & Finance
- Relationship Theory: Relationships
- Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health
- Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJaz
Subscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) :
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