How To Be a Friction Fixer with Bob Sutton

What's Next! with Tiffani Bova

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova.

This week I have the honor and privilege of welcoming Bob Sutton to the show. We’ve been social media buddies for many, many years and I thought it was about time that Bob would join me on the podcast.

Bob is an organizational psychologist and professor of Management Science and Engineering at the Stanford Engineering School. He has written eight books, including his latest, The Friction Project, which is what we're going to talk about today. He also wrote other bestselling books, including The No Asshole Rule; Good Boss, Bad Boss, and Scaling Up Excellence.

THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… any leader or individual contributor who wants to become a friction fixer in their sphere of influence.

TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… there’s friction in every organization. Some friction is good and fosters creativity and innovation but bad friction can seriously impede progress. Often, areas of friction are unresolved for long periods of time and if they get attention, it’s often by addition, which just piles on layers of complexity. Bob strips things back and describes how anybody at any level can make a difference in reducing inefficiencies.

WHAT I LOVE MOST… Bob’s example of how the DMV has reduced friction through a single person, a greeter, who helps cut down the dreaded time that people spend waiting. As Bob says, “If the DMV can do it, so you can you!”.

Running Time: 27:27

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Find Bob Online:

Website

Bob’s Book:

The Friction Project