On Brand with Donny Deutsch Malcolm Gladwell: Zeitgeist Surfer
Aug 11, 2022
Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author and journalist, joins the conversation to explore his influential works like Outliers and The Tipping Point. He shares intriguing insights on why some historical figures are remembered while others vanish. The duo dives into the dynamics of political behavior influenced by demographics and discusses his latest book, Bomber Mafia. Gladwell also reflects on the evolving landscape of celebrity in the social media age and highlights thought-provoking findings from his podcast, Revisionist History.
01:01:42
Timing Shapes Success
- Malcolm Gladwell finds timing and generational context crucial to explaining success and professional patterns.
- He shows this through examples like Jewish lawyers and advertising where access and era shaped outcomes.
Hockey's Birth-Month Bias
- Gladwell recounts the hockey birth-month study showing elite rosters skew to January–March births.
- He explains youth selection favored maturity, leaving later-born talent overlooked.
Age Alters Political Tone
- Gladwell suggests America's political shifts partly stem from an aging population changing rhetoric and risk tolerance.
- He reads decisions like Dobbs as reflecting a crotchety, older mindset with less regard for precedent.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Gladwell on historical memory and forgotten figures
02:50 • 35sec
Brands of the Week overview
03:25 • 51sec
How CPAC results reflect on Trump's hold
04:16 • 57sec
Cheney's ad and intra-party criticism
05:13 • 30sec
Senate Democrats' legislative win and impacts
05:43 • 48sec
Labor market strength and economic outlook
06:31 • 30sec
Gladwell's stance on remote work and WFH consequences
07:01 • 27sec
Rising consumer debt trends
07:29 • 25sec
Millennials rejecting legacy industries
07:54 • 1min
Fortune Global 500: world's biggest companies
08:58 • 38sec
Beyoncé's album sales decline
09:36 • 23sec
Field of Dreams game and cultural events
09:58 • 19sec
Aaron Rodgers credits psychedelics for success
10:17 • 31sec
Home trends: plunge pools and hair transplants
10:48 • 57sec
Fast food value menu shrinkage and consumer backlash
11:45 • 41sec
Mustard-covered donut novelty and food marketing
12:26 • 41sec
Global Livability Index top cities
13:08 • 38sec
Health research on staying up late
13:45 • 39sec
Ad break
14:25 • 1min
Introducing Malcolm Gladwell and his body of work
15:38 • 41sec
Gladwell on being a 'zeitgeist surfer'
16:18 • 1min
What inspired The Tipping Point and Outliers
17:20 • 2min
Joe Flom and structural explanations in Outliers
19:03 • 2min
Personal ties between Gladwell and advertising world
21:07 • 50sec
Hockey cutoff date effect and youth advantage
21:57 • 3min
Genesis of The Tipping Point idea
25:19 • 50sec
How demographics and age shape political behavior
26:08 • 4min
Potential new book on Tom Bradley and political compromise
30:12 • 2min
Comparing Tom Bradley's strategy to Trump's style
32:10 • 5min
Overview of The Bomber Mafia story
36:51 • 4min
Gladwell's current reading interests and forgotten icons
40:30 • 1min
Why some cultural figures fade from memory
42:00 • 4min
Longevity versus peak fame in cultural legacy
45:35 • 3min
Influencers, social media, and changing celebrity models
48:16 • 6min
Revisionist History season on experiments
54:16 • 58sec
The Minnesota starvation experiment insights
55:14 • 3min
Ethics and net value of risky human experiments
58:42 • 24sec
Closing thoughts and episode wrap-up
59:06 • 13sec
Outro
59:19 • 2min
#71
• Mentioned in 151 episodes
Trump: The Art of the Deal
Tony Schwartz
Donald J. Trump
This book is a mix of memoir and business advice, detailing Trump's professional and personal worldview.
It outlines his approach to deal-making, including his eleven key elements for success, such as 'Think Big,' 'Maximize Your Options,' and 'Have Fun.' The book offers insights into Trump's business strategies, his interactions with various figures, and his approach to negotiating deals.
It also provides a glimpse into his personal life and how he runs his organization.
#801
• Mentioned in 31 episodes
David and Goliath
Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Malcolm Gladwell
In 'David and Goliath', Malcolm Gladwell challenges conventional wisdom about obstacles and disadvantages.
He uses the biblical story of David and Goliath as a starting point to explore various cases where underdogs have triumphed over more powerful opponents.
The book delves into topics such as the benefits of 'desirable difficulties', the impact of dyslexia on successful individuals, and the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful strategies in different contexts, including warfare, education, and social movements.
Gladwell argues that what appears to be a weakness can often be a strength, and that too much power or advantage can sometimes be counterproductive.
#717
• Mentioned in 32 episodes
Talking to Strangers
What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know
Malcolm Gladwell
In 'Talking to Strangers', Malcolm Gladwell delves into the challenges and misunderstandings that occur when we interact with people we do not know.
The book explores various high-profile cases, such as the death of Sandra Bland, the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, and the interactions between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.
Gladwell argues that our default assumption to trust strangers until proven otherwise often leads to disastrous outcomes.
He discusses the 'default to truth' theory and how our perceptions of strangers can be skewed by preconceived notions and stereotypes.
The book provides insights into human psychology and communication, highlighting the importance of being aware of our assumptions when dealing with strangers.
#1848
• Mentioned in 16 episodes
The Bomber Mafia
A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
Malcolm Gladwell
The Bomber Mafia delves into the story of a group of American military officers who developed a doctrine of daylight strategic bombing aimed at minimizing casualties through precision high-altitude aerial bombardment.
The book contrasts the idealistic strategies of the 'Bomber Mafia,' led by General Haywood Hansell, with the brutal pragmatism of General Curtis LeMay, who implemented scorched-earth tactics in Japan using napalm.
Gladwell examines the moral challenges and consequences of these strategies, including the devastating firebombing of Tokyo and the broader implications for modern warfare.
The book also explores the technological and historical context of these events and poses questions about the morality and effectiveness of different military approaches.
#159
• Mentioned in 96 episodes
The Tipping Point
How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Malcolm Gladwell
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell examines the phenomenon of social epidemics and how ideas, products, and behaviors spread rapidly.
He introduces three key principles: the law of the few (the role of connectors, mavens, and salespeople in spreading ideas), the stickiness factor (how messages or trends must be memorable to spread), and the power of context (how environment and circumstances influence human behavior).
Gladwell uses various examples, such as the rise in popularity of Hush Puppies shoes, the decline in New York City's crime rate, and the success of children's TV programs like Sesame Street, to illustrate these concepts.
The book provides insights into how small changes can lead to large-scale social and behavioral transformations.
#4508
• Mentioned in 7 episodes
What The Dog Saw
And Other Adventures
Malcolm Gladwell
This book is a compilation of Malcolm Gladwell's articles from The New Yorker, categorized into three parts.
The first part, 'Obsessives, Pioneers, and other varieties of Minor Genius', focuses on individuals who excel in their fields but are not widely known.
The second part, 'Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses', delves into issues of prediction, including intelligence failures and the Enron scandal.
The third part, 'Personality, Character, and Intelligence', discusses psychological and sociological topics such as criminal profiling, homelessness, and the differences between panicking and choking under pressure.
Gladwell's essays offer insightful analyses and unique perspectives on a wide range of subjects.
#88
• Mentioned in 137 episodes
Outliers
The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell
In 'Outliers: The Story of Success', Malcolm Gladwell examines the often-overlooked factors that contribute to high levels of success.
He argues that success is not solely the result of individual talent or hard work, but rather is influenced by a complex web of advantages and inheritances, including cultural background, family, generation, and luck.
The book delves into various examples, such as the success of Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Canadian ice hockey players, to illustrate how these factors play a crucial role.
Gladwell also discusses the '10,000-hour rule' and the impact of cultural legacies on behavior and success.
The book is divided into two parts: 'Opportunity' and 'Legacy', each exploring different aspects of how success is achieved and maintained.
#307
• Mentioned in 59 episodes
Blink
The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Malcolm Gladwell
In 'Blink', Malcolm Gladwell explores the concept of 'thin-slicing', the ability of our unconscious mind to make rapid decisions based on limited information.
The book delves into both the strengths and pitfalls of this process, using examples from various fields such as psychology, medicine, sales, and law enforcement.
Gladwell discusses how these snap judgments can be both incredibly accurate and sometimes tragically wrong, influenced by factors like prejudice, stereotypes, and psychological priming.
He also examines how experts develop their intuitive judgment through experience and training, and how stressful situations can affect our decision-making abilities.
This week on “On Brand”, Donny sits down with author, podcast host, and global thinker, Malcolm Gladwell. The pair start with Malcolm’s inspiration for his most successful books like Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point – leading to a discussion of his new book, Bomber Mafia. The duo also discuss Malcolm's thoughts on Trump, historical memory, and Malcolm’s approach to his podcast "Revisionist History." But first, Donny starts off by naming Dick Cheney, the labor market, Beyoncé, Aaron Rodgers, and many others in his weekly Brands of the Week segment.
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