The Next Big Idea Daily

Today: Why mastery requires idiosyncrasy.Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Gopnik's first memory of mastery was watching his mother roll out strudel dough, so in midlife, he asked his mother — a linguistics professor by day, pastry maestro by night — to teach him how to bake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the second day of our week-long master class with Adam Gopnik, New Yorker staff writer and author of "The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery." Today, he explains how learning to drive at the tender age of 55 brought him closer to his father.Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? It comes out every Friday and features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A few years ago, Adam Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker and three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, started thinking about all the things he wasn't good at. He couldn't dance the foxtrot or bake a brioche. Well into his 50s, he still had no idea how to drive a car. To make matters worse, when he looked around, he saw people who could do these things — often with great skill. How, he wondered, did they do it? How do any of us get good at the things we're good at? And how do some of us become next-level masters? To answer those questions, Adam set out to master the skills he lacked, and he has written up the results in a profound little book called "The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery." All this week, he'll be sitting down with Michael to talk about how he did it and what he learned. First up: drawing.Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final installment of his mini master class, Jonah shares his formula for telling great stories.The latest edition of our weekly newsletter comes out today. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, details on our next guest, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does asking questions make you look smart? (Yes!)Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s what cult leaders, charlatans, and at least one former president have in common.Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Jonah explains how adding one or two letters to the end of a word can propel you to success.Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to related content, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost everything we do involves words."Words," says Wharton professor Jonah Berger, "are how we persuade, communicate, and connect. They're how executives lead, salespeople sell, and parents parent. Even our private thoughts depend on language."But while we live in a world awash in words, we're strangely indifferent about which ones we use. We focus on the ideas we want to convey, not the best way to articulate them. And that, according to Jonah, is a big mistake because "subtle shifts in the words we use can have a big effect on our impact."This week on the show, he'll teach you how to make those subtle shifts so you can become a better communicator, a better persuader, a better friend, and a more confident, effective person.Jonah's new book is called "Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final installment of Jessi’s five-part master class, she explains why setting boundaries is critical if you want to establish healthy relationships.• Jessi Hempel is the author of “The Family Outing: A Memoir.” She also hosts the podcast “Hello Monday.”• Have thoughts about this week’s episodes? Sign up for our LinkedIn newsletter and leave a post a comment!• Don’t forget to download the Next Big Idea app Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices