Adam Grant Thinks Again
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Sigal Barsade Taught Me That Emotions Have a Place in the Workplace

Adam Grant

Feb 13
10

Last week, the world lost a brilliant professor, and I lost a beloved colleague and friend.

Sigal Barsade was a major reason why I came to Wharton. She believed that good enough was never good enough. She spent her life aiming for the best—not only for herself, but for everyone else too. She redefined my standards of excellence, care, and integrity.

As a scholar of organizational behavior, Sigal often described her life’s work as exploring “everything that can’t be explained by rationality.” Her pioneering research taught me that emotions belong at work; moods often spread from one person to another; it only takes one friend to avoid loneliness; and teams perform better when they show care, affection, and yes, even love.

For a decade, Nancy Rothbard, Samir Nurmohamed, and I had the privilege of teaching leadership and teamwork with Sigal. She mesmerized leaders by teaching them to read micro-expressions of contempt on colleagues’ faces and showing them how emotions could even be contagious among rocket scientists. She encouraged students to apply her wisdom to every element of their lives by opening up about her own life. A whole generation of MBAs learned emotion regulation skills through her story about how she helped her husband manage his road rage. “This is a full-service class,” she’d quip, smiling as laughter rippled through the room.

Sigal never hesitated to stand up for her values and risk her popularity for her principles. She challenged students to make ethical decisions and open doors for disadvantaged groups. Watching her in action gave me the confidence to teach emotional intelligence to skeptical audiences and the courage to speak out against disrespect in toxic cultures.

As a mentor, Sigal spent countless hours helping her proteges at all hours (often after midnight and even occasionally before 10am). Her generosity extended far beyond her own students. I’ll never forget the time when she heard about a fire in an undergraduate dorm room, and invited the student—a complete stranger—to stay at her house.

As a colleague and friend, there was nothing too big to ask of Sigal and no detail too small to matter to her. She remembered our food allergies and ordered special meals to accommodate. She once re-listened to an entire podcast episode just to give me feedback. When my wife Allison and I needed a babysitter, she recruited her own daughter (who is still our kids’ most-requested visitor).

Sigal constantly showed compassion for others. It was no surprise to learn that she had cofounded a children’s museum in her spare time and regularly donated to a foundation for blind donkeys. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor just over a year ago, Sigal continued to co-chair a task force on the role of behavioral science in preventing the spread of Covid and checked in regularly to see how our colleagues, our students, and my family was doing. Last month when I went to say goodbye, the tumor had progressed to the point that it was difficult for Sigal to speak. That didn’t stop her from thinking of others. Her last words to me weren’t about her, but about our family: “give my love to Allison.”

Sigal elevated the intelligence (both emotional and cognitive) in every room. She cared deeply and thought deeply. I will miss her deeply.

To learn more about Sigal’s work and life:

  • Her obituary in the New York Times

  • Her academic research

  • Her popular articles on how to manage your emotional culture and handle emotional contagion during the pandemic

  • Her talk on love at work

  • The time when she broke her rule of not doing interviews to appear on my podcast to share her expertise on contagion and culture

  • Her interview on how emotions aren't noise—they're data

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10 Comments

  • Ian Bremmer
    Writes GZERO World with Ian Bremmer
    v sorry to hear dude.
    • 12w
  • Erin Andrews
    Writes The rEAl dEAl with Erin Andrews
    Sorry for your loss. 🙏
    • 11w
  • Crystal Knight
    This is a beautiful tribute and she is an inspiring person, thank you for sharing those links. The link titled "love at work" sends you to a talk on Group Affect. I did find her talk under "related videos", but I thought I would let you know.
    • 12w
  • Silvana Ordoñez
    I am very sorry for your loss, Adam. thanks for sharing her great legacy here.
    • 12w
  • Top fan
    Yudith Agüero Ruiz
    Thank you Sigal and Adam for all the Love and for teaching us how to love better and be better humans through the science of emotional intelligence ❤️
    • 13w
  • Mary Shanahan Fagnano
    There is no better inspiration than reflection on a life well-lived for others. Sigal clearly inspired countless individuals and I was unaware of her until now. Thank you for allowing Sigal to inspire me today and, as of today, forever, Adam.
    3
    • 13w
  • Emma Seppälä
    Thanks for highlighting her important work and beautiful personality, Adam
    • 12w
  • Allison Wood
    Thank you for making us aware of Sigal, Adam. What an amazing human being she obviously was. I look forward to exploring the links you provided and learning more about her work and her humanity. I am sure I will discover ways to build on my own as a re…
    See more
    • 10w
  • Alfredo Cecilio
    I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and emotions amid the loss of your beloved colleague and friend. Peace to her soul.
    • 11w
  • Jeremy Robinson
    Adam- thank you for these rich remembrances of your exceptional Mentor and colleague. I had a brief positive experience with her when she taught a module on Emotional Intelligence at the Wharton Coaching Executive Education Program about 15 years ago…
    See more
    • 13w
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