Synopses & Reviews
The #1 New York Times bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas — and how leaders can fight groupthink, from the author of Give and Take.
"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." — Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and The Tipping Point
"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. And it could very well inspire you to change your world." — Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In
With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders. In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent. Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room floor. The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and improving the status quo.
Review
"Originals is a fascinating, eye-opening read that will help you not just recognize your own unique gifts, but find the strength to challenge conventional wisdom to bring them to life. Using surprising studies and riveting stories, Adam Grant brilliantly shows us how to champion new ideas, bust persistent myths that hold us back and change not only our lives, but our world." Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, and author of Thrive
Review
"Fresh research, counter-intuitive insights, lively writing, practical calls to action... Grant has a deserved reputation as an original thinker." The Financial Times
Review
"[Grant] examines what successful non-conformists... have in common, all in an effort to help the rest of us learn how to do things like bust myths, speak truth to power, and avoid groupthink without getting sidelined." The Washington Post
Review
"Part of the fun of Grant’s book is that he redeems behaviors we typically regard with puritan disdain.... Thought-provoking." The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Adam Grant has been recognized as Wharton’s top rated teacher for four straight years, one of the world’s twenty-five most influential management thinkers, one of HR’s most influential international thinkers, and one of the world’s forty best business professors under forty. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NFL, Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs, Disney Pixar, the United Nations, the U.S. Army and Navy, and the World Economic Forum, where he has been recognized as a Young Global Leader. He also serves as a contributing op-ed writer on work and psychology for the New York Times. Grant earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and his B.A. from Harvard College. He is a former magician and Junior Olympic springboard diver.