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Podcast 2021-09-09

Ron Friedman || Reverse Engineering Greatness

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Today we have Ron Friedman on the podcast. Dr. Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation. He has served in the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, political leaders, and world’s leading non-profits. His books include […]

Episode Details

Show Notes

Today we have Ron Friedman on the podcast. Dr. Friedman is an award-winning social psychologist who specializes in human motivation. He has served in the faculty of the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, political leaders, and world’s leading non-profits. His books include The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace and most recently Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success.

Topics

  • Achieve greatness through reverse engineering
  • Reverse Outlining, the most popular TED Talk
  • The Xerox Story with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates
  • Why complete copycats fail
  • Originality is not creativity
  • Start a collection of masterpieces
  • How The Ritz-Carlton Hotel uses the Scoreboard Principle
  • Courage alone is not enough for success
  • Strategic practice and cross-training
  • Does visualization increase chances of success?
  • How copying can facilitate creativity

Seven core insights

What 11 years of conversation
revealed

  • 01
    Being over DoingThe richness of presence and inner life over constant productivity.
  • 02
    Creativity over EfficiencyMaking space for imagination and originality in a world that prizes optimization.
  • 03
    Self-Actualization over AchievementBecoming the fullest version of yourself, not just reaching the next milestone.
  • 04
    Deep Fulfillment over HappinessPursuing meaning and depth rather than fleeting positive feelings.
  • 05
    Self-TranscendenceGoing beyond the self to serve something larger — the highest expression of human potential.
  • 06
    Meaning & CompassionThe threads that run through every great conversation — purpose, connection, and care.
  • 07
    Human PossibilityThe unwavering belief that every mind is capable of far more than we’ve been told.

About the guest

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Keep exploring

11 years of
human possibility

478 episodes exploring creativity, intelligence, well-being, and what it means to be fully human. The archive is yours to explore.