Adam Grant

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Originals by Adam Grant

(Special thanks to Andrew Riad for gifting us with this book!)

Originals explores how innovators see the world differently and bring others into their success.  It is not the high school valedictorians who go on to change the world, Grant argues, since their very success signals that they have perfected following and benefiting from the existing system.  By contrast, it is the highly creative children that teachers tend to discriminate against, labeling them as troublemakers.

One fascinating insight is that a person's browser choice is a strong indicator of whether they will be predisposed to innovation.  Grant shows that people who rely on the default choice (Internet Explorer or Safari), moving out of their comfort zone is unlikely.  But those individuals who take the time to adjust their software for a better experience (Chrome and Firefox) are more likely to adapt their surroundings to their satisfaction.  Out of curiosity, I did a quick check of the triginnovation.com visitor browser preference and a whopping 85% of you are using Chrome, Firefox, or mobile browsers.  If you are still using Internet Explorer, we suggest you take some time to reflect and reexamine your life choices.

Grant points out that procrastination often triggers the most creative and productive results. It appears the brain wants to process the problem right up to the deadline. Grant cites the impact of procrastination through examining Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.