Book Review: Originals
Happy Friday!
I hope you are having a great week so far! Mine has flown by. It’s been busy, but productive. We don’t have much planned for the weekend but the weather is looking pretty decent so we will have to make sure to spend some time outside. Last weekend it was pouring rain and hailing all night, and then by the afternoon it was sunny and a little warm but I didn’t trust it to stay that way haha.
Today I wanted to share some thoughts on a book I’ve read recently:
The Book:
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
What it’s about:
With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders. In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent. Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room floor. The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and improving the status quo.
Why I wanted to read It:
I have listened to Adam Grant’s podcast and heard him on others, and I really enjoy what he has to say and find some of it so interesting. I thought it was time I read one of his books.
So I bought this book but it stayed in my ‘books-to-read’ pile for a long time. I finally picked it up last month when I challenged myself to make a dent in my TBR pile.
Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the book but I kind of lost track along the way of how the stories and ideas tied back to the premise of being original.
Here are some key points from the book that resonated with me:
It’s about how we can all be more original without jeopardizing our relationships, deputations, and careers
People need help to develop the courage and strategies to pursue originality and leaders need the knowledge necessary to create cultures of originality in teams and organizations
The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether a better option exists
Vuja-de is the concept of facing something familiar but we see it with a fresh perspective that enables us to gain new insights into old problems
In their daily lives, successful people balance risks out in a portfolio - when we embrace danger in one domain, we offset the overall level of risk by exercising caution in another domain
if you want to be original, do a huge volume of work. The people with the highest originality generate their most original output during the periods in which they produce the largest volume
When it comes to idea generation, quantity is the most predictable path to quality
When we judge greatness, we focus not on people’s averages, but on their peaks
We often under-communicate our ideas - they are already so familiar to us that we underestimate how much exposure an audience needs to comprehend and buy into them
Whether you’re unhappy with your job, your marriage, or your government, research shows you have a choice between exit, voice, persistence, and neglect:
exit - removing yourself from the situation altogether
voice - trying to improve the situation
persistence - gritting your teeth and bearing it
neglect - staying in the current situation but reducing your effort
You have to ask yourself if you believe you can change and do you care enough to try
In the long run, research shows that most of us would censor ourselves less and express our ideas more
Have a great weekend.
