I had heard Adam Grant speak a couple of times – once in a YouTube video from a panel with Malcolm Gladwell, and another on the Tim Ferris podcast – and was familiar with the premise of Originals, but reading the book did not disappoint.
Ideas to takeaway:
Parenting – to foster creativity in children, explain why a child’s behavior is wrong as opposed to simply correcting it. Praise a child’s good behavior by praising what it says about their character, not simply the behavior: “thanks for sharing your toys, you are such a generous person” as opposed to “sharing your toys was such a good thing to do.”
Commitment blueprint – companies that hired employees with a shared set of values and norms – people who fit with the company’s culture – were more successful than those who hired for skill set or for potential. That success can become dangerous as the company grows and becomes more successful, as a homogenous culture may be afraid to challenge bad assumptions within the company.
Defensive pessimism – envision the worst that could happen from an anxiety-inducing situation to help improve performance. Once you have considered the source of your fear, and thought through exactly how to mitigate each bad outcome, you will be better prepared than by simply thinking optimistically.
Sarick Effect – when trying to present a novel idea or way of thinking, it is helpful to present a list of reasons why the idea may fail. This takes the wind out of the sails of the pessimists in the audience, or leaders in positions of power, who are looking to poke holes in the idea.
Conversation with Malcolm Gladwell: https://youtu.be/xIu4Ca2QQdw
Adam Grant on Tim Ferris: https://tim.blog/2019/12/05/adam-grant/