In her foreword, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg proclaims that Adam Grant's Originals will "not only change the way you see the world... [but also] change the way you live your life." Grant (Give and Take), an organizational psychologist and professor at Wharton, believes everyone can become more creative, learn when to trust instinct and when to turn to others, and present ideas more convincingly--as individuals, employees, entrepreneurs, managers and parents. Grant offers surprising findings--like why entrepreneurs are more risk-adverse than most, why Chrome and Firefox users are less likely to quit their jobs, why child prodigies and teacher's pets rarely change the world, why later-born children are much more likely to be innovative, why pioneers are often less successful than settlers, and how emphasizing nouns over verbs can help parents encourage originality in children.
Since Grant believes anyone can change the world, he provides practical strategies for questioning the status quo, sparking vuja de (seeing the familiar with fresh perspective), using procrastination as an invaluable entry into innovation, and generating ideas that are worth pursuing. He also suggests ways to mitigate the emotional and professional challenges new ideas may bring. To illustrate his assertions, Grant presents examples that include why Seinfeld was nearly passed over, how the space shuttle Columbia tragedy might have been avoided, and how a CIA analyst convinced her organization to share more information. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, an employee who feels you're stagnating or a hopeful parent, Originals is an entertaining "how to" manual for the pursuit of originality. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics