Be An Original In A World Of Imitations

Latest read I have finished is Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant. Some of my favorite books are those that have a deep research foundation and excellent stories that back up the research and make it come alive. This book is very much in that vein. What was most intriguing though is how it showed different ideas than you are used to. Things that you think are the best qualities to have and showing you how they can sometimes have the opposite effect you are going for.

As an example, when we are in a situation that makes us scared or nervous (giving a speech or going on a job interview) the common advice is to find ways to calm yourself down. The problem is that calm is an opposite emotion of fear, it is like slamming on the breaks going 80mph. Tell yourself to get excited about it, how great you are going to feel after you go through with it. Excitement is an easier conversion from fear because it has similar emotions to fear.

One of my favorite concepts that I'm totally using in future interviews is based on asking people about what Internet browser they used. A study showed that people using Firefox or Chrome were better workers. It had nothing to do with the browser itself, are you a person that just accepts whatever default browser your computer has installed or do you take the initiative to find something better? If you just accept the default browser you are more likely to see a job description as fixed rather than looking for ways to improve and make things better. As a manager, I can tell you the type of person I would prefer to work with.

If you are the type of person that likes to see new ways of looking at things, I highly recommend Originals.


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