Produced by the ilab at Wbur Boston.
Hey listeners.
Today we're sharing an episode of Work Life with Adam Grant from Ted.
In the episode, Cheryl speaks with Adam about getting and giving advice about our work lives.
Season three launches next week, so get ready for ideas about how to procrastinate less fight burnout, fix broken job interviews, and negotiate better.
When I was in middle school, a young writer named Jeff Zaslow moved in across the street.
A few years earlier, Jeff had been assigned to write a story for the Wall Street Journal about the contest to replace the great advice columnist Ann Landers.
On a lark, Jeff decided to enter the contest himself.
When an interviewer told him he was underqualified, he fired back.
Well, I may be 28, but I have the wisdom of a 29 year old.
Jeff got the job.
He went on to give sage advice for decades in his columns and in moving books like the last lecture with Randy Pausch.
When I was thinking about writing my first book, I was really struggling with how to frame the idea.
I needed advice, so I called Jeff and he gave me exactly the guidance I needed.
A few months later, tragedy struck.
Jeff lost his life in a car accident.
He never got to give his last lecture, and he never got to pick a successor to his advice column.
But I have a strong hunch about who Jeff would have chosen.
The author of the wildly popular advice column Dear Sugar.
I didn't much read advice columns.