About this episode

Brené Brown and Adam Grant discuss the distinction between effort and excellence, the importance of coaching, and how unclear priorities can affect team performance.

Previously released on Dare to Lead, this is part of a special six-part series with Adam Grant on Brené's book, Strong Ground. Brené and Adam unpack the difference between effort and excellence, why coaching matters more than judgment, and how unclear priorities can quietly derail even the hardest-working teams. From there the conversation moves further into prioritization, a consequential 2x2 decision-making framework, and how leaders inadvertently signal the wrong priorities through their emotional reactions. Circling back to effort, they also discuss why the first question leaders should ask when results fall short is whether they set their team up for success in the first place. Plus, Brené has a real-time realization that her own team may not be aligned on what's actually consequential. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know – Adam Grant, 2021, Viking Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit – Brené Brown, 2025, Random House No, You Don't Get an A for Effort – Adam Grant, 2024, The New York Times Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol Dweck, 2006, Random House Praise for Intelligence…

People in this episode

Host: Brené Brown

Guest: Adam Grant

Topics covered

• effort vs excellence
• coaching
• prioritization
• leadership
• team success
• decision-making framework

Keywords

• effort
• excellence
• coaching
• leadership
• prioritization
• decision-making
• team success

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Strong Ground, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, No, You Don't Get an A for Effort, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Praise for Intelligence Can Undermine Children's Motivation and Performance, What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means, “Both/And” Leadership, Genius of the AND

More episodes of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

• Time Scarcity and Pocket Presence · July 9, 2026 · 38 min
• Sports as Leadership Theater and Recognizing Near Enemies · July 2, 2026 · 43 min
• Courageous Leadership as a Daily Practice · June 25, 2026 · 44 min
• The Highest Performance Strategy is Caring About People ft. Simon Sinek · June 18, 2026 · 1h 21m

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