Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant

Feb 2016 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The #1 New York Times bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas in their careers and everyday life—and how leaders can fight groupthink, from the author of Hidden Potential, Think Again, and the co-author of Option B

“Filled with fresh insights on a broad array of topics that are important to our personal and professional lives.”—The New York Times DealBook

“Originals is one of the most important and captivating books I have ever read, full of surprising and powerful ideas. It will not only change the way you see the world; it might just change the way you live your life. And it could very well inspire you to change your world.” —Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In

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becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions.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.

Ratings and reviews

Favourite Quote : Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep (Chapter 2) Favourite Chapter : Chapter 8 is about managing emotions. He shares how Popovic manage to get the people of Serbia to topple the Serbian president. Popovic introduced hilarious tactics like getting shoppers to gaze into a telescope to see an eclipse of Milosevic face during a lunar eclipse event to get people excited about his new movement. He was able to transform fear into strong positive emotion of hilarity. On New years eve, he got thousands of people to gather for a Red Hot Chilli Pepper Concert with local bands. After the performances by the local bands, the crowd were waiting for Red Hot Chilli Peppers but what came was a depressing music with videos of victims who died during Milosevic reign with a psychologist to tell the audience that they have nothing to celebrate, this year is the year of oppression and 2000 is the year. The author furthers adds that Popovic used a technique called emphatic anger because he showed the videos of victims to Milosevic reign and not what Milosevic has done because to show Milosevic bad deeds will just fuel hatred to the person but showing fallen victims creates an awareness that its not about toppling the government for hatred but by toppling the government, it will create a change in everyone’s life. (Chapter 8) Personal thoughts on the book : The book is very well written and structured. It starts with how one can be original in their ideas followed by how parents can bring up their child to be original. Subsequently it shares about creating a workplace culture to be original and lastly talks about managing emotions and getting followers. The author also bring up great examples such as Martin Luther King. At the end of the book, the author give breakdowns of the key points for the entire book. So if you want the key points from the book, just read the ending to the last chapter.

I got so much out of reading this book (new info and ideas to consider, it helped to generate new ideas of my own, validation of some of my ways of thinking / behaving and motivation to improve on others, ways to think about things differently, etc). Can't recommend this book enough!

Very interesting and broadens my knowledge, however some opinions or statements were quite general and not thoroughly backed up with sufficient evidence/examples. Only focuses on one case study at a time to explain the concepts.

About the author

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. He is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of five books that have sold over 2 million copies and been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, Power Moves, and with his wife, Allison Sweet Grant, The Gift Inside the Box. His books have been recognized as among the year’s best by Amazon, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, and the Wall Street Journal and been praised by J.J. Abrams, Richard Branson, Bill and Melinda Gates, Malcolm Gladwell, and Malala Yousafzai.

Adam’s TED talks have been viewed more than 20 million times. He hosts the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, Bridgewater, and the Gates Foundation. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers, Fortune’s 40 under 40, Oprah’s Super Soul 100, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and received distinguished scientific achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation. Adam writes for the New York Times on work and psychology and serves on the Department of Defense Innovation Board. He received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former Junior Olympic springboard diver. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, their two daughters, and their son.