Mission vs. Ego: The Dangers of Narcissistic Leadership | The Curiosity Shop

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

April 2, 2026

Duration

1h 4m

Channel

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Show Notes Adam Grant, Why We Fall for Narcissistic Leaders, Starting in Grade School, NYT 2025. O'Reilly et al. 2001 When 'Me' Trumps 'We': Narcissistic Leaders and the Cultures They Create, 2021 Brené Brown, "Shame shields" in The Dare to Lead Glossary: Key Language skills, tools, and practices. (pg. 15-16) Bagozzi et al. 2003 (A study on cross-cultural differences in reaction to shame) Brené Brown, Dan Pink on The Power of Regret, Dare to Lead, 2022 We're The Millers (Trailer) 2013, Awkward Roadtrip Moments: No Ragrets George Saunders, "Failures of Kindness", Convocation Speech, 2013 Emily Grijalva et al. 2020 (A study of the impact of narcissim on NBA team performance) How Brené Brown and Lumen CEO Kate Johnson Sparked This Telecom Comeback, WSJ Leadership Institute, 2025 (11:25) Adam Grant, Unless You're Oprah, ‘Be Yourself’ Is Terrible Advice - Adam Grant 2016 NYT My response to Adam Grant’s New York Times Op/ED: Unless You're Oprah, ‘Be Yourself’ Is Terrible Advice - Brené Brown LinkedIn 2016 Watts et al, 2014 (A study of grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism in U.S. Presidents)

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Brené Brown

  host

  Research professor and social worker known for work on vulnerability, shame, and leadership.

• Adam Grant

  host

  Organizational psychologist and professor known for research on work psychology and prosocial behavior.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, featuring Brené Brown and Adam Grant, Mission vs. Ego: The Dangers of Narcissistic Leadership | The Curiosity Shop explores why narcissistic leadership thrives, erodes culture, and demands mission-first leadership They distinguish between clinical diagnosis and observable leadership patterns that reliably erode trust, accountability, and shared reality inside systems.

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