(2018-06-04) Book Summary Originals By Adam Grant Allen Cheng

Book Summary + PDF: Originals, by Adam Grant | Allen Cheng

In our modern economy, innovation is prized socially and rewarded financially. But how do you generate good new ideas? How do you tell which ideas are good? And how do you execute to make them real?

In this Originals book summary, learn:

• The primary factor in generating more good ideas
• Why “first mover advantage” is a myth
• How procrastination can actually help you come up with better ideas
• Why first-born children are generally less creative than last-born children, and how to encourage originality in your children
• Which levels of an organization’s totem pole to target with your new idea

Table of Contents

• 1-Page Summary of Originals
• Caveats for Originals
• Originals Chapter Summaries
• Chapter 1: Creative Destruction
• Chapter 2: Blind Inventors and One-Eyed Investors
• Chapter 3: Out on a Limb – Speaking Truth to Power
• Chapter 4: Fools Rush In – Timing, Strategic Procrastination, and the First-Mover Disadvantage
• Chapter 5: Goldilocks and the Trojan Horse – Creating and Maintaining Coalitions
• Chapter 6: Rebel with a Cause – How Siblings, Parents, and Mentors Nurture Originality
• Chapter 7: Rethinking Groupthink
• Chapter 8: Rocking the Boat and Keeping it Steady – Managing Anxiety, Apathy, Ambivalence, and Anger

1-Page Summary of Originals

Originals Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: Creative Destruction

Chapter 2: Blind Inventors and One-Eyed Investors

First off, acknowledge that you’re a terrible judge of your own ideas.

How do you tell which ideas are good?

test your ideas with believable colleagues and with your target audience.

Chapter 3: Out on a Limb – Speaking Truth to Power

Chapter 5: Goldilocks and the Trojan Horse – Creating and Maintaining Coalitions

Chapter 6: Rebel with a Cause – How Siblings, Parents, and Mentors Nurture Originality

Chapter 7: Rethinking Groupthink

You can also increase your creativity by having a breadth of experience in orthogonal fields

Chapter 4: Fools Rush In – Timing, Strategic Procrastination, and the First-Mover Disadvantage

*How do you come up with good ideas?

By far the most important way is to generate LOTS of ideas*

the idea of cohesion leading to groupthink wasn’t supported by research – cohesive groups weren’t more likely to dismiss divergent opinions; cohesive groups were more likely to be secure enough to challenge one another.

the more important cause of groupthink seems to be overconfidence, and how actively dissenting voices are encouraged and rewarded in the company

Polaroid’s CEO was infamously closed to criticism

In contrast, Ray Dalio’s hedge fund Bridgewater Associates is famous for its principles of radical transparency

reject the maxim “don’t bring me problems; bring me solutions.” While this rewards self-initiative, it also risks premature optimization when the problem is poorly understood.

instead of just discussing options one at a time, force the group to rank order the alternatives.

Chapter 8: Rocking the Boat and Keeping it Steady – Managing Anxiety, Apathy, Ambivalence, and Anger

The Benefits of Pessimism

pessimists visualize all the things that could go wrong, and by controlling their risk, they feel in control.

Framing Your Emotions

In short, telling yourself “I am nervous” makes you perform worse than when you tell yourself “I am excited.”

Strength in Numbers