Adam Grant The Originals Summary

ORIGINALS: HOW NON-CONFORMISTS MOVE THE WORLD BY ADAM GRANT

What do Steve Jobs, Picasso, Martin Luther King have in common?

They are originals; innovators, disruptors and leaders. These people are valuable, they overcome fear and inspire others to adopt their idea and take action.

Here are 5 points to make you an original:


1. Continuous Questioning

Understand the world is made up of system by people. This means systems can change and if you under stand the system then you can change it.

Warby Parker, an online eye and sun glass retailer disrupted the market when the market was dominated by Luxotica.

They were able to understand the system and build a company valued at $1 Billion dollars. They now sit among Apple, Google and Nike as one of the world's most innovative companies.

Dig for the answers and bend the rules.


2. Risk Aversion

None of the Warby Parker founders wanted to jump into it their business full time. All of them were in university studying to land full time corporate gigs.

Having a sense of security in one area of your life gives you ability to be original in another. Fear of failing is not as bad.

Start things on the side and you'll be 33% less likely to fail.

3. Productive Procrastination

Leaving stuff to the last minute forces us to improvise. Martin Luther King left his 'I have a dream' speech to the last minute.

This is called the Zeigarnik effect from the Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik.

This is when the mind stays open to new ideas and insights even after attempting to finish a task. Martin Luther King intentionally left room for himself to come up with brilliant lines and a speech that will remembered forever.

Also, timing is everything. Originals are always late to the party because they know that there is a 47% failure as a first mover while there is an 8% failure coming in later.

You don’t have to be first to win. You just have to be different and better.

4. Create, Create, Create

When it's quantity versus quality, quantity wins and paves the way for quality.

Picasso create 2800 ceramics, 1800 paintings, 1200 sculptures and +12,000 drawings. We only know of a few because were dictate what is good.

The market decides what is good or not. What is under an original's control is the quantity.

5. Selling Your Idea

Most people are skeptical of ideas so lead with faults. The more radical the idea the more resistance it will face. Leading with a fault will:

a. Disarm the audience
b. Make you look smart
c. Make you more trustworthy

Also, collaborate and ask questions. Lead them to your idea

In addition, implement the 'anchor effect' an idea with a common point or reference to make it more easily understood.

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