In today’s episode, we tackle friction with Bob Sutton. Bob is an organizational psychologist and professor at Stanford, a New York Times bestselling author, and is here with us to discuss his upcoming book, The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder. 

Bob Sutton sheds light on the double-edged sword of 'friction' in both professional and personal interactions, so why is friction a double-edged sword that you need to master to be successful, what strategies can you use to identify (and minimize) friction in your daily interactions, and how can you use positive friction as a tool to maximize your problem-solving capacity, boost productivity, and profitability?

What to Listen For

• Introduction – 0:00


• How do you identify the friction you bring to relationships that makes people not want to work with you or hang out with you?


• What can you learn from the California DMV about the importance of reducing friction to maximize productivity and boost customer satisfaction?

• 3 Ways to Make Friction a Force for Good at Work – 19:57


• If friction slows things down, how do individuals and businesses use friction to amplify results?


• What strategies can individuals use to become friction fixers and accelerate their careers?


• How can understanding a company's culture of handling friction help you in job interviews?

• Power Poisoning and its impact on Organizational Friction – 34:00


• How can leaders avoid falling into the trap of power poisoning so they don’t hurt their own bottom line by introducing unnecessary friction into the organization?

• The Impact of AI and Technology on Organizational Friction – 44:12


• What are the best practices for integrating AI into the workplace without increasing friction?

How can listeners apply the insights from The Friction Project to their professional and personal lives?

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