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Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal
How To Build The Career You Want - Professor Of Behavioural Science Dr Grace Lordan
Nov 1, 2021
01:28:08
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Quick takeaways
- The mindset of deliberately reflecting on and making intentional choices is crucial for future leaders navigating through uncertainty.
- Finding joy and purpose in daily tasks can lead to happiness and success.
- The balance between being satisfied with the present and striving for more is important for personal growth and fulfillment.
- Recognizing the role of early experiences in shaping risk aversion can challenge stereotypes and create a more inclusive environment.
Deep dives
The Importance of Admitting Mistakes and Changing One's Mind
The speaker emphasizes the significance of leaders being willing to admit when they are wrong or have changed their minds. Navigating through uncertainty means making mistakes sometimes, but it is important to deliberately reflect and make intentional choices. This mindset is crucial for future leaders.
Dr. Grace Lawdon's Expertise and Work
Dr. Grace Lawdon, an associate professor in behavior science at the London School of Economics and expert advisor to the UK government, discusses her book 'Think Big' and explores various behavior science concepts in the podcast. They delve into topics like how emotions affect decision making, the relationship between gender and risk aversion, and the reasons behind procrastination.
The Importance of Finding Joy and Purpose in Tasks
The conversation with Dr. Grace Lawdon explores the idea of finding joy and purpose in the tasks one does on a daily basis. The podcast suggests that focusing on the pleasure and fulfillment derived from the activities can lead to happiness and success. It encourages individuals to reflect on the tasks they enjoy and align them with their long-term goals.
Balancing Satisfaction with Current Life and Aspiring for More
The podcast discusses the balance between being satisfied with the present and striving for more. It highlights the significance of finding pleasure and purpose in one's activities, as well as being open to changing goals and paths based on personal growth and self-discovery. The conversation emphasizes the importance of individual experiences and context in determining one's path towards fulfillment.
The importance of controlling your own destiny
Early experiences can shape our belief in our ability to control our own destiny. It is important to find a balance between having an internal locus of control and recognizing external factors. By identifying the things we can control and focusing on them, we can make better decisions and avoid obsessing over factors beyond our control.
Anticipating failure and the resilience to bounce back
Anticipating failure often leads to anxiety and worry, even before the actual event takes place. However, humans are resilient and often find that the negative experience is not as bad as anticipated. Failure and rejection are part of life, and learning from these experiences is crucial. By focusing on what we can learn from failure, we can bounce back and approach future endeavors with a more positive and determined mindset.
Gender differences in risk-taking and the impact of early experiences
At the average level, women tend to be more risk-averse than men. This difference can be attributed to early experiences and the willingness to take risks. Men, often due to cultural expectations, have more chances to experience rejection and failure, which helps them become more resilient. Understanding these factors allows us to challenge stereotypes and encourages women to embrace risk-taking. By recognizing the role of early experiences, we can create a more inclusive environment that promotes risk-taking and learning.
Overcoming procrastination and the power of small actions
Procrastination can be beneficial up to a certain extent, providing time for ideas to percolate in the background. However, chronic procrastination can hinder productivity. Strategies such as the Pomodoro Technique, breaking tasks into smaller chunks, and reducing the cost of starting can help overcome procrastination. Setting clear goals and creating an environment conducive to focused work can make tasks more manageable and enjoyable.
2.
Doctor Lawdon, You're on the Government Advisory Body for Productivity and Skills
2min
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"The goal is there to serve two purposes. One so that you start investing in your career and two so that you bring your future self forward so you are not just investing in activities that serve you for the present day" - Dr Grace Lordan
We all have big dreams for the future, but to achieve our goals we have to start with small steps. Dr Grace Lordan is an Associate Professor in Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and an expert advisor to the UK government as a member of the skills and productivity board. Grace has recently released her book 'Think Big: Take Smalls Steps and Build The Future You Want', an evidence based guide that looks at how your small actions today will determine your future self and draws on behavioural science to offer every day, actionable solutions that will move you towards your goals.
In the conversation Ali takes a deep dive into Grace's book covering tonnes of behavioural science concepts including how our emotions influence decision making, the relationship between gender and risk aversion and why we procrastinate and fear of failure. You'll leave the episode with a better understanding of why people stumble in their career journeys, why others succeed and some practical advice to set you off on your think big journey.
Connect with Grace
Website: https://www.gracelordan.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/g.lordan/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gracelordan_?lang=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracelordan/
Grace's Book, Think Big: https://geni.us/OoRe
Connect with Ali
Website: https://aliabdaal.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliabdaal/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliAbdaal
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aliabdaal
Find any resources mentioned on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/
Sponsored by Brilliant
This episode is kindly supported by Brilliant, the best way to learn maths, science and computer science online. Brilliant focuses on helping you learn through interactive courses that work to develop your intuition and first principles knowledge, rather than just memorising methods and facts. Sign up at https://brilliant.org/deepdive - the first 200 people will receive 20% off the annual premium subscription.
📚Check out my New York Times Bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity!
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