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The cover of Originals

Originals

Adam Grant, 2016

Grant shows original thinkers are not fearless risk takers: they hedge with day jobs, trust peers over managers to judge ideas, delay strategically, and turn fear into useful dissent.

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7 parts, about 21 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Shows that originals feel the same doubt as others and manage risk, often keeping a day job while testing a venture
  • Explains why people misjudge ideas, why peers forecast better than managers, and why producing many ideas raises the chance of a hit
  • Questions the advantages of moving first and the groupthink theory, and shows how to speak up, find allies and turn fear into excitement

Who it is for

  • Employees with an idea who hesitate to speak up
  • Founders deciding whether to quit a job for a venture
  • Leaders who want dissent in their teams

What the summary covers

  1. Creative Destruction3 min
  2. Blind Inventors and One Eyed Investors3 min
  3. Out on a Limb4 min
  4. Fools Rush In3 min
  5. Rethinking Groupthink3 min
  6. Rocking the Boat and Keeping It Steady4 min
  7. Practical Takeaways1 min

Recommended by

  • Sheryl SandbergCOO of Facebook and author of Lean In
    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.
  • Malcolm GladwellAuthor of Outliers and The Tipping Point
    Reading Originals made me feel like I was seated across from Adam Grant at a dinner party, as one of my favorite thinkers thrilled me with his insights and his wonderfully new take on the world.
  • Richard BransonFounder of The Virgin Group
    After launching hundreds of businesses—from airlines to trains, music to mobile, and now a spaceline—my biggest challenges and successes have come from convincing other people to see the world differently. Originals reveals how that can be done and will help you inspire creativity and change.
  • Peter ThielCofounder of PayPal and Palantir, author of Zero to One
    It can sometimes seem as if one must learn everything old before one can try anything new. Adam Grant does a masterful job showing that is not the case; we are lucky to have him as a guide.
  • Seth GodinAuthor of Linchpin
    An urgent must read, a seminal work that will surprise you on every single page. Adam Grant has reset our expectations for what it means to be creative and what’s required to make a difference. Share it with someone you care about.
  • J. J. AbramsDirector of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, cofounder of Bad Robot
    This extraordinary, wildly entertaining book sheds new light on the Age of Disruption.

About the author

  • Adam GrantProfessor of organizational psychology at the Wharton School and popular science author
    • Born 13 August 1981 in West Bloomfield, Michigan
    • Harvard BA; Michigan MS and PhD in organizational psychology
    • Hired at Wharton in 2009, the school's youngest tenured professor at 28
    • Former Junior Olympic springboard diver and magician
    • Wharton's top rated professor seven years running; hosts the Re:Thinking podcast
    • 2011 APA early career award

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