A 911 dispatcher tells a parked cop to go gamble at the casino. And the officer isn’t offended!
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Stanford GSB professor Nir Halevy joins host Matt Abrahams to talk about his new book, Level Up: Why Hierarchies Are Broken and How to Fix Them (Basic Books, out October 20). Returning after his fan-favorite first visit, Nir explains why some hierarchies breed mentorship and respect while others breed threats and sabotage, and why the difference comes down to a diagnosis anyone can make. He also shares research he runs everywhere from ballet companies to police radios to Stanford locker rooms.
Together, Nir and Matt discuss
• The three U's that explain why a workplace feels toxic.
• Why elite ballet companies count more than a dozen ways to be great.
• Just $10,000 can show the kind of team you can really run.
• Why a 911 dispatcher's joke on an open radio channel is not perceived as a threat.
• The Shark Tank pattern behind one line on a CV that earned more recruiter callbacks.
Nir names drawing on his research inside ballet companies, Stanford athletics, and police dispatch and names three standards that mark a healthy workplace. Press play and find out what they are for yourself!
About The Guest
Nir Halevy is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, where his research focuses on influence, power, status, and negotiation. His work has taken him inside ballet companies, police dispatch centers, and Stanford athletics, and his strategic card game is played in classrooms and boardrooms. His newest book is Level Up: Why Hierarchies Are Broken and How to Fix Them, out October 20 from Basic Books.
About Matt
Matt Abrahams is a leading communication expert, lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford GSB, and host of the award-winning Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast. He has coached presenters at TED, the World Economic Forum, and the UN Secretary-General's office, and his online talks have garnered millions of views worldwide. He is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter and Speaking Up without Freaking Out, two bestselling guides to confident, spontaneous communication.
Key Quotes
• "Hierarchies tend to break in predictable ways. The broken hierarchies tend to be ultra-competitive, unjust and unstable." - Nir Halevy (04:03)
• "In addition to a meritocracy, a leader can create a virtuocracy based on virtue." - Nir Halevy (07:34)
• "There are almost no barriers to writing a gratitude letter. You can be the CEO and write a gratitude letter." - Nir Halevy (12:12)
• "When you're communicating across large psychological distances, abstractness actually helps people understand what you're saying." - Nir Halevy (16:21)
• "Just one line of humor bragging in the CV gets significantly more callbacks from recruiters." - Nir Halevy (19:02)
• "Although all groups start with perfect egalitarianism, within minutes there's a hierarchy at the table." Nir Halevy (21:40)
• "As you're navigating your workplace hierarchy, you're also simultaneously shaping it." - Nir Halevy (23:05)
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Comparisons Are Everywhere
04:03 Three Unwanted U’s at Work
07:22 De-Fracture Your Hierarchy with a CPR
09:15 A Dozen Ways to Matter
10:44 100% Rivals, 100% Allies
12:53 The Dispatcher, the Cop, and the Casino
15:15 The Two-Boss Rule
18:21 Put a Joke on Your Resume
20:34 Matt's 3 Questions
25:27 Conclusion
Relevant Links:
• Nir Halevy: https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/nir-halevy/
• Nir's Book Level Up (New Book): https://bookplease.ai/halevy/level-up-why-hierarchies-are-broken-and-how-to-fix-them?podcast=think-fast-talk-smart
• The Promotion Game:
https://www.promotiongame.org/
Episode References:
• Ep. 30 - The ONLY 3 Ingredients You Need To DISSOLVE All Your Disagreements!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1JhAUSL0JU / https://www.fastersmarter.io/30-dissolve-disagreements-how-communication-impacts-conflict/
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