Business Book Review: Originals by Adam Grant
In a testament to his own originality, Grant’s Originals is a captivating masterclass in creativity for professionals and parents alike. All underpinned by fascinating research.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: WH Allen
Released: 2007
Key Takeaways for Personal Branding
Adam Grant is the youngest tenured professor and highest-rated teacher at The Wharton School. Upon reading Originals, it’s easy to see why.
In an epic display of his own originality, Grant delivers a masterpiece in business leadership. Crossing disciplines and eras with ease to sew together complex ideas in a simple, yet impactful, way. His careful curation of research is both fascinating and distinct from his counterparts.
Years ago, psychologists discovered there are two routes to achievement:
Conformity: Following the crowd down conventional paths, maintaining the status quo
Originality: Taking the road less travelled. Championing novel ideas. Going against the grain to ultimately make things better
Like the best of writers, earlier on, Grant acknowledges:
“Of course, nothing is completely original, in the sense that all of our ideas are influenced by what we learn from the world around us.”
Internet Explorer and Safari Users Versus FireFox and Chrome
A fascinating study showed that your internet browser can predict your performance.
The study analysed a group of salespeople. In an unexpected turn, it compared FireFox and Chrome users to Internet Explorer and Safari users.
FireFox and Chrome users stayed in their jobs for 15 percent longer than their Internet Explorer and Safari-using counterparts. They were 19 percent less likely to miss work. They had higher sales and their call times were shorter. After just 90 days on the job, they had customer satisfaction levels that Internet Explorer and Safari uses only achieved after 120 days.
Where does the difference lie? It’s in how they obtained the browser. Internet Explorer and Safari are the default browsers on PCs and Macs. FireFox and Chrome must be installed. Those that install it demonstrate resourcefulness and initiative. From this simple act to sales calls, and handling customer complaints, these individuals consider more effective options than simply the default path.
Are you a troublemaker?
Grant shares research that showed the most creative children were the least likely to be the teacher’s pet.
Elementary school teachers were asked to rate their favourite and least favourite students based on a list of characteristics. Their least favourite students were the non-conformists who played by their own rules. Creative students tend to be discriminated against and labelled as trouble-makers.
Kissing Frogs
You’re reminded that sometimes you have to kiss frogs before you find Prince Charming. The best creatives simply seem to understand this better than most:
“Creative geniuses weren’t qualitatively better in their fields than their peers. They simply produced a greater volume of work, which gave them more variation and a higher chance of originality.”
Picasso’s body of work includes more than 1,800 paintings, 1,200 sculptures, 2,800 ceramics and 12,000 drawings. Plus prints, rugs and tapestries. Only a small portion granted him the acclaim he is revered for.
Shakespeare shares a similar story. In the span of five years, he produced three of his five most popular pieces - Macbeth, King Lear and Othello. In the same window, he also produced Timon of Athens and All’s Well That Ends Well - ranked among his worst works.
Even Einstein reflects this pattern. He may have transformed physics, but much of his 248 publications had little impact.
So, the assumption to chase quality over quantity often proves false:
“In fact, when it comes to idea generation, quantity is the most predictable path to quality.”
Instead of chasing perfection for a few key ideas, put many ideas out there.
Beware of rejecting novelty (false negatives)
Using pop culture phenomena that nearly never were, Grant cautions on being too prone to creating false negatives. Something expected to fail, but ultimately flourished. This occurs when you focus too much on reasons to reject an idea and stick to established prototypes.
Infamously, J K Rowling’s Harry Potter was first rejected by numerous publishers. The books alone would go on to generate $25 billion and sell more copies than any other book series. But, this nearly never was. Rejectors said it was too long for a children’s book.
Seinfeld is undoubtedly one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Its finale episode was the third most-watched finale of any show to date. Yet, in the development of its earlier episodes, it was criticised for being “too New York” and “too Jewish”.
Leisure Time Hobbies
Grant champions the importance of high-value hobbies. Research shows having them is a defining trait among entrepreneurs and inventors. Those who start businesses were more likely to have hobbies that involved drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture and literature.
“People who are open to new ways of looking at science and business also tend to be fascinated by the expression of ideas and emotions through images, sounds and words.”
Galileo demonstrates this concept. When he made the remarkable discovery of mountains on the moon, it wasn’t his telescope that found this. It didn’t have the magnifying power. Instead, he recognised the zig-zag pattern that separated the light and dark areas of the moon. Galileo had artistic training in a technique called chiaroscuro. It focuses on light and shade.
Favourite Quotes
The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether a better option exists.
Practice makes perfect, but it doesn’t make new. The gifted learn to play magnificent Mozart melodies and beautiful Beethoven symphonies, but never compose their own original scores. They focus their energy on consuming existing scientific knowledge, not producing new insights. They conform to the codified rules of established games, rather than inventing their own rules or their own games.
We find surface ways of appearing original—donning a bow tie, wearing bright red shoes—without taking the risk of actually being original.
Immerse yourself in a new domain. Originality increases when you broaden your frame of reference.
Don’t try to calm down. If you’re nervous, it’s hard to relax. It’s easier to turn anxiety into intense positive emotions like interest and enthusiasm.
Originals by Adam Grant: Available on Amazon.
