Adam M. Grant (born August 13, 1981) is an American popular science author, and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania specializing in organizational psychology.

Adam Grant
Adam Grant (2021)
Adam Grant (2021)
Born (1981-08-13) August 13, 1981 (age 43)
West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation
  • Psychologist
  • professor
  • author
Alma mater
Genre
Years active2007–present
SpouseAllison Grant
Children3
Signature
Website
www.adamgrant.net
Grant at the 2024 World Economic Forum

Early life and education

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Grant was born in the township of West Bloomfield, Michigan, on August 13, 1981, to a lawyer father and a teacher mother.[1][2] He grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Grant participated in springboard diving and aspired to be a professional basketball player growing up.[2] During high school, he was named an All-American in 1999 in diving.[3]

He received a B.A. from Harvard College, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in organizational psychology.[4][5] He worked as a professional magician during college.[6]

Academic career

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Before pursuing a career in academia, Grant was the advertising director at Let's Go Publications and a professional magician.[7] Grant was hired by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to serve as an assistant professor of organizational behavior in 2007.[8] After publishing a series of papers in academic journals, he was hired as an associate professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, becoming the school's youngest tenured professor at age 28.[9][10] He was ranked by students the best professor at the university from 2011 to 2017.[11] In 2023, Grant was named by the Thinkers50 as the #2 most influential management thinkers in the world.[12]

Business

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Grant is the host of the WorkLife and ReThinking podcasts.[13][14]

In 2017 Grant co-founded (along with University of Michigan professor Wayne Baker and entrepreneur Cheryl Baker) Give and Take, Inc.,[15] a company that makes a software called Givitas, a web-based SaaS platform designed to help organizations implement the principles from his book Give and Take.

Grant serves on the board of Lean In[16] and chairs the Creative Advisory board of EXILE Content.[17]

Personal life

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While in graduate school, Grant married Allison; the couple have two daughters[18] and a son.

Books

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  • Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success (Viking, 2013) ISBN 9780670026555
  • Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Viking, 2016) ISBN 9780525429562
  • Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy. with Sheryl Sandberg (Knopf, 2017) ISBN 9781524732684
  • Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know (Penguin, 2021). ISBN 9781984878106
  • Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things (Penguin, 2023). ISBN 9780593653142

Awards

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  • 2011 winner of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.[19]
  • 2015, named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "eStories". www.estories.com. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Dominus, Susan (March 27, 2013). "Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  3. ^ "1999 Mens Public School All American Divers". USA Diving. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Adam Grant". Management Department. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "Adam Grant". Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Give and Take – Adam Grant on YouTube
  7. ^ "Adam Grant - Thinkers50". thinkers50.com. November 11, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Clayton, Mike (March 22, 2016). "Adam Grant: Natural Giver". Management Pocketbooks. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Dominus, Susan (March 27, 2013). "Is Giving the Secret to Getting Ahead?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  10. ^ Maurer, Tim. "Are You A Complainer, Consumer Or Contributor?". Forbes. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Clifford, Catherine (May 18, 2017). "Why Wharton's No. 1 professor recommends keeping a resume of your failures". CNBC. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  12. ^ "Adam Grant - Thinkers50". thinkers50.com. September 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "WorkLife with Adam Grant". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "ReThinking".
  15. ^ "Givitas – Knowledge Collaboration Software – Give and Take". giveandtakeinc.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "Lean In Founders & Advisory Board". leanin.org. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 2, 2019). "Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal Join Exile's Creative Advisory Board With Chair Adam Grant". Deadline. PMC. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "Award Citation" (PDF). American Psychologist. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  19. ^ "APA PsycNet". psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  20. ^ Grant, Adam (November 4, 2017). "Opinion | Kids, Would You Please Start Fighting?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
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