Leslie John

Leslie John, a Harvard Business School professor who studies decision-making and personal disclosure, challenges the taboo around oversharing. She explains why undersharing harms trust. Short stories and experiments show how vulnerability builds connection, helps hiring and leadership, deepens friendships, and even boosts customer trust when companies reveal downsides.

Vanessa Chang, director at Leonardo and author exploring how societies absorb technologies. Leslie John, Harvard professor studying disclosure and decision-making. They discuss when sharing strengthens trust and the risks of silence. They trace how technologies from writing to phones reshape attention, voice, and social habits. Short, lively conversations about revealing, privacy, and how tools become essential.

Leave an Amazon Rating or Review for my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Check out the full episode: https://greatness.lnk.to/1893DM Leslie John reveals something fascinating about human connection: when you share your hopes and dreams with someone, it literally activates the pleasure centers of your brain. That's why opening up feels so good. But it's also why relationships get weird when the sharing only goes one direction. She tells a hilarious story about walking up to Jerry Seinfeld like they were old friends and immediately regretting it. It's the perfect example of how lopsided familiarity tricks our brains. Leslie breaks down the "dance of reciprocity" that builds real trust, where both people gradually reveal more and raise the stakes together. Lewis gets honest about spending years as an over-giver and people pleaser because he needed everyone to like him just to feel emotionally safe. Leslie reframes boundaries in a way that changes everything: every no is actually a yes to something that matters more. Sign up for the Greatness newsletter: http://www.greatness.com/newsletter Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leslie John, James E. Burke Professor at Harvard Business School and author of Revealing, studies how self-disclosure shapes trust and connection. She explains why holding back harms relationships and health. Short practices like daily audits and sincere praise can reveal missed intimacy. She also contrasts safe workplace transparency with riskier personal vulnerability.

Leslie John, behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor and author of Revealing, explores the hidden costs of staying quiet. She discusses why undersharing can stall relationships and growth. Short social risks that deepen bonds, how to spot safe moments to share, and why naming feelings at work and in life matters are all covered in lively, practical conversation.