Originals

Introduction

Originals by Adam Grant explores how people can transform new ideas into actionable outcomes, ultimately challenging the status quo.

• The book delves into the minds and habits of original thinkers, dismantling the myth that leaders with innovative ideas are simply born that way.
• Adam Grant argues that success in originality is not just about being first, but also about strategic timing and execution.
• He also introduces the concept of "procrastinators with deadlines," who use well-managed delays to refine their ideas before acting.

The Choice is Yours: Following the Crowd or Forging Your Own Path

Years ago, psychologists discovered that two routes to achievement: conformity and originality.

• Conformity means following the crowd down conventional paths and preserving the existing status quo.
• Originality, on the other hand, means championing a set of novel ideas that go against the grain but ultimately make things better.

Of note, nothing is completely original.

• All of our ideas are influenced by what we learn from the world around us.
• Whether intentionally or inadvertently, we are constantly borrowing thoughts.
• According to Adam Grant, originality involves introducing and advancing an idea that is relatively unusual within a particular domain, and that has the potential to improve it.

The journey of originality begins with creativity: generating a concept that is both novel and useful.

• Originals are people who take the initiative to make their visions a reality.
• In other words, they are the "unreasonable ones" who persists in trying to adapt the world to themselves.

Instead of accepting the default, originals actively seek out better options in their own lives. This can be as simple as choosing a browser like Firefox or Chrome instead of the pre-installed Microsoft Edge or Safari.

• The starting point is curiosity: pondering why the default exists in the first place.
• This questioning attitude is similar to the concept of "vuja de", where something familiar is seen with a fresh perspective, leading to new insights.
• Surprisingly, many dissatisfying defaults in our world, from overpriced prescription glasses to gender inequality, are social constructs: human-made rules and systems. This awareness gives us the courage to imagine changing them.

Research shows that the most creative children are the least likely to become the teacher’s pet.

• These non-conformists students, who make up their own rules, are often labelled troublemakers.
• Many child prodigies become experts in their fields, but seldom become world-changers. Throughout their development, their focus is on absorbing established knowledge to earn the approval of their parents and the admiration of their teachers, rather than questioning defaults or producing new insights.

The paradox of ambition can hold back some of the greatest creators.

• The intense desire to succeed can be accompanied by a crippling fear of failure, leading them to play it safe and pursue guaranteed success rather than striving for truly unique accomplishments.
• Hence, hesitation to take action to promote new ideas is a universal fear that many people have, potentially leaving those ideas unknown forever. Most of us opt to fit rather than stand out.

However, the word entrepreneur, as it was coined by economist Richard Cantillon, literally means "bearer of risk".

• Great creators, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, were willing to take a leap of faith to embrace uncertainty and ignore social approval. They dropped out of school to will their technological visions into existence.
• However, many successful entrepreneurs (originals) are not extreme risk-takers, such as Warby Parker crew (online eyewear), Phil Knight (Nike) and Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple). They are often more ordinary than we realize. They too grapple with fear, ambivalence, and self-doubt. This is why some choose to mitigate risk by starting their companies while still employed. Holding onto a steady income provides a safety net, allowing them to test the waters of their entrepreneurial dreams and avoid the financial burden of immediate failure.
• Having a sense of security in one realm gives us the freedom to be original in another, similar to how we build a balanced stock portfolio.
• Ultimately, the path to originality and success is unique for each entrepreneur, with some embracing high-risk ventures and others taking a more measured approach built on calculated risk. What sets them apart is that they take action anyway, knowing that failing would yield less regret than failing to try.

From Passion to Impact: The Execution Gap in Bringing New Ideas to Life

We often lament the lack of originality in the world, attributing it to a scarcity of creativity.

• However, even with an abundance of novel ideas, idea selection remains key to achieving originality.

When it comes to idea generation, quantity is often the most predictable path to quality.

• Consider the likes of Shakespeare, Beethoven and Picasso. They likely maximized their chances of creating masterpieces by generating a vast number of ideas, though only a select few became their celebrated works.
• Content marketing platform Upworthy's rule exemplifies this: You need to generate a substantial number of headline ideas (at least 25) to strike gold.
• In contrast, many people fail to achieve originality because they limit themselves to a few ideas and then obsess over refining them to perfection. This strong conviction in their ideas can lead them to mistake their own favourites for universally appealing, hindering the generation of necessary variety and ultimately limiting their creative potential.

Originality flourishes when you broaden your frame of reference.

• Scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors often discover novel ideas by expanding their knowledge to include the arts and enriching their cultural experiences.
• Similarly, switching roles within a company (job rotation) can be another strategy. When people have a moderate level of expertise in a particular area, they tend to be more receptive to radically creative ideas.

Overconfidence can cloud our ability to accurately assess the potential of new ideas.

• Creators often struggle to judge their own work objectively. Their ideas might be too aligned with their own tastes (potentially alienating the audience) and their commitment to the work (e.g. overcoming obstacle) can lead to overestimating its success rate.
• Managers, while more realistic and neutral, tend to be too risk averse. They focus on the potential costs of investing in bad ideas rather than the potential benefits of piloting good ones, especially unconventional ones. In the face of uncertainty, our natural instinct is often to reject novelty, seeking reasons why unfamiliar concepts might fail. Rice professor Erik Dane's research suggests that the more expertise and experience people gain, the more entrenched they become in their way of thinking, becoming prisoners of their own prototypes.
• Test audiences or focus groups are aware that they are there to evaluate, not experience the idea authentically, so they are judging it from a potentially biased lens. They are primarily concerned with whether people will accept the idea against established norms.
• The best way to refine your creative ideas is to gather feedback from peer creators (colleagues) within your field before seeking audience approval. Our intuitions are only truly reliable in areas where we have extensive experience.
• Peer creators (colleagues) lack the risk-aversion of managers and test audiences. They are open to seeing the potential in unusual possibilities, which helps guard against false negatives. At the same time, they lack of emotional investment in your ideas, allows them to offer an honest appraisal, protecting against false positives.

When evaluating the potential of a new idea, it is easy to be swayed by the enthusiasm of its proponents, as with the Segway by Dean Kamen.

• As Daniel Kahneman explains in Thinking, Fast and Slow, intuition operates quickly based on strong emotions, whereas reason is a slower, more deliberate process.
• Intuitive investors are more likely to get caught up in an entrepreneur’s enthusiasm, while analytical investors focus on facts and make objective judgments about the business's viability.
• To predict whether the originators of a novel idea will achieve success, we should look beyond their expressed enthusiasm about their ideas and focus on the enthusiasm for execution revealed through their actions.
• Passion alone does not guarantee success; Ideas needs to translate into action for them to grow from invention to impact.

Beyond "Yes": Strategies for Voicing Your Ideas at Work

At some point, we have all considered voicing a minority opinion, challenging an illogical policy or championing a fresh approach.

• However, significant, often unconventional, change always faces resistance and opposition from those comfortable with tradition. They prioritize the safety of established methods over the potential of originality.
• Therefore, it is crucial to know when and how to speak up effectively without jeopardizing our careers and relationships.

Leaders and managers appreciate employees who take initiative to offer help, build networks, gather new knowledge, and seek feedback.

• Yet, suggesting improvements can be penalized.
• A study across various settings found a negative correlation between frequently voicing ideas and promotions.

Power and status are two key dimensions of social hierarchy.

• Power involves exerting control or authority over others, while status is about being respected and admired.
• When people lack respect while seeking influence, others perceived them as pushy and self-serving.
• This disrespect breeds resentment, creating a vicious cycle where we try to assert authority with increasingly disrespectful behaviour.
• Crucially, status cannot be claimed; it is earned or granted.

To elicit change, aim to earn status by integrating into the system and reforming it from within.

• Idiosyncrasy credit (the leeway to deviate from expectations) comes from respect, not rank and is based on contributions.
• For example, a low-status member challenging the status quo might be shut down, while a high-status individual's originality might be tolerated or even applauded.

When pitching a novel idea to someone with more power, expect scepticism. They will likely scrutinize your suggestions.

• Most of us assume persuasion requires emphasizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses.
• Counterintuitively, when the audience is unsupportive, highlighting your idea's flaws is preferable.
• Leading with weaknesses disarms the audience (they no longer feel "sold to") and shifts them from self-defence to problem solving. Additionally, professional self-criticism makes you appear more intelligent and trustworthy.

Presenting a new suggestion involves days or even years of thought. You have contemplated the problem, formulated the solution and rehearsed your pitch.

• Conversely, your audience is unfamiliar with your ideas, let alone convinced of them.
• To communicate new visions, you must clearly and repeatedly articulate the direction of change to stakeholders for them to understand and internalize it.

Familiarity breeds comfort because unfamiliar idea are often associated with more effort and a potential threat to the status quo.

• The "mere exposure effect" states that the more we encounter something, the more we like it.
• Interestingly, short, frequent exposures mixed with other ideas are more effective, as they maintain the audience’s curiosity.
• Additionally, introducing a delay between presenting the idea and evaluating it allows time for it to sink in.
• However, excessive familiarity can lead to boredom.

Choosing the right audience for speaking up is as important as how you deliver your message.

• Agreeable audiences may nod and smile, avoiding critical feedback in their effort to be accommodating and avoid conflict. While agreeable people may like you, they often dislike conflict even more. Their desire to please others and maintain harmony makes them prone to backing down instead of supporting you. Because agreeable people value cooperation and conform to norms, they are unlikely to challenge the status quo or upset relationships.
• Disagreeable managers, with their critical and sceptical stance, are more likely to challenge you, improving your ability to speak up effectively. They might not be your first choice for sharing a risky idea, but they can be your best advocates. Often, "prickly" people are more comfortable taking a stand against convention.

Instead of targeting agreeable audiences, aim your suggestions at those with a history of originality.

• Research shows that managers known for challenging the status quo tend to be more open to new ideas and less threatened by outside contributions.
• They prioritize improving the organization over defending it in its current state.
• They are motivated to advance the organization's mission, not blindly loyal to its shortcomings.

Also, speaking up to risk-averse middle managers can be challenging.

• Dominated by insecurity, they play a "follow-the-leader" game, conforming to prove their worth and maintain (or gain) status. After all, the fall from low to lower hardly hurts; the fall from middle to low is devastating (they have more to lost by quitting).
• Therefore, it is more effective to voice ideas both upward and downward. Senior leaders will see you as a rare employee seeking change, while juniors will become excited about the vision.

NOTE: Especially in male-dominated organizations, women pay a price for exercising their voice (they are devalued and often labelled bossy).

When faced with dissatisfaction in job, marriage or government, research suggests we have four main behavioural responses: exit, voice, persistence, and neglect. The final choice is based on feelings of control and commitment.

• Exit means removing yourself from the situation altogether: quitting a miserable job, ending an abusive marriage, or leaving an oppressive country.
• Voice involves actively trying to improve the situation: approaching your boss with ideas for enriching your job, encouraging your spouse to seek counselling, or becoming a political activist to elect a less corrupt government.
• Persistence is gritting your teeth and bearing it: working hard even though your job is stifling, sticking by your spouse, or supporting your government even though you disagree with it.
• Neglect entails staying in the current situation but reducing your effort: doing just enough at work not to get fired, choosing new hobbies that keep you away from your spouse, or refusing to vote.

In the quest for originality,

• Neglect is not an option.
• Persistence can be a temporary route to earning the right to speak up. But in the long run, like neglect, persistence often maintains the status quo and falls short of resolving your dissatisfaction.

To change the situation, exit and voice are the only viable alternatives.

• Exit has the advantage of altering your own circumstances easily, but it does not necessarily make them better for anyone else.
• The best we can do is voice our opinions and secure our risk portfolios, preparing for exit if necessary.
• In both exit and voice, we choose to speak up rather than stay silent, so that we have fewer regrets.

First Mover Myth: Strategic Procrastination Can be Creative

In the self-help world, countless resources advocate for overcoming procrastination.

• Parents and teachers often echo this sentiment, urging children to start assignments early instead of waiting until the last minute.

While the "early bird gets the worm" adage holds some truth, it is important to remember that the "early worm gets caught" too.

• Speed has clear advantages in beating competitors to market, but being the first mover often comes with significant challenges.
• The most effective change leader are not necessarily the first one in, but those who wait patiently for the right moment.
• Being original does not require being first. It just means being different and better.

Interestingly, research suggests that strategic procrastination can actually be conducive to originality. In other words, while procrastination may be the enemy of productivity, it can be a resource for creativity.

• When you procrastinate strategically, you intentionally delay a task, allowing yourself more time to think about it.
• Procrastination does not necessarily mean passively putting things off; you might be actively contemplating the task but postponing real progress or completion in favour of less pressing activities.
• This delay offers the benefit of divergent thinking. Instead of fixating on a single idea, you have the opportunity to explore a wider range of possibilities. This can ultimately lead to the selection of a more novel and creative direction for your work.
• In scientific work, ideas need time to simmer and procrastination can restrain the urge to respond prematurely.

Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik demonstrated that people have a better memory for incomplete tasks then completed ones.

• Once a task is finished, we stop thinking about it.
• But when it is interrupted and left undone, it stays active in our minds, keeping us open to improvisation and capitalizing on new opportunities or defending against threats.
• Hence, geniuses sometimes accomplish the most when they work the least, because they are mentally developing inventions and forming perfect ideas.

In cultures that value being first (like inventing or launching a product), everyone want to be the leader, not follower.

• Imagine a race - whoever gets there first has the most advantages.
• Others have to fight past the leader's patents and better skills, and convince customers to switch.

However, pioneers are much more likely to fail than settlers.

• Many startups fail because of premature scaling - making investments that the market is not yet ready to support. Never forget that many original people, ideas and movements have failed because they were ahead of their time, when people are uncomfortable and not ready to change.
• Settlers are those who wait until the pioneers have created a market before entering it, often branded as copycat. Different from risk-seeking pioneers, settlers learn from the mistakes of the first-movers and balance their risk portfolios before entering. Additionally, they often work upon competitors' technology to provide superior and revolutionary product or service.
• Hence, timing is crucial.

However, if everyone waits for others to act, nothing original will ever be created.

• Someone has to be the pioneer, and sometimes that will pay off.
• First-mover advantages tend to prevail when patented technology is involved, or when strong network effects exist.
• But in most circumstances, your odds of success are not necessarily higher if you go first because the market is uncertain, unknown or underdeveloped.

The key lesson here is that if you have an original idea, it is a mistake to rush solely to beat your competitors.

• Just as procrastinating can give us flexibility on a task, delaying market entry can open us up to learning and adaptability, reducing the risks associated with originality.

The Race to Originality: Conceptual vs Experimental Innovators

When Galenson studied creators, he identified two radically different innovation styles: conceptual and experimental.

• Conceptual innovators formulate a big idea and then set out to execute it.
• Experimental innovators solve problems through trial and error, learning and evolving as they go along. They tackle specific problem, but without a predetermined solution in mind. Instead of extensive planning, they figure it out as they progress.

According to Galenson, conceptual innovators are like sprinters, while experimental innovators are marathoners.

• His study of Nobel Prize-winning economists revealed that, on average, conceptual innovators did their most influential work at forty-three, whereas experimental innovators peaked at sixty-one.
• Experimental innovation requires years or decades to accumulate the necessary knowledge and skill before it becomes a sustainable source of originality.
• These fundamental differences between conceptual and experimental innovators explain why some originals shine early and others blossom later.

However, conceptual innovators become less original over time, often repeating themselves as they become entrenched in conventional problem-solving approaches (developing fixed thought patterns).

• Hence, to sustain originality as we age and gain expertise, our best bet is to adopt an experimental approach to keep discovering new ones.
• We can plan less rigidly for what we want to create and start testing out various tentative ideas and solutions.
• Eventually, with enough patience, we might stumble upon something both novel and valuable.

Why Moderation is Key to Building Alliance

Most efforts to change the status quo involve a movement by a minority group challenging the majority.

• While coalitions are powerful, they are inherently unstable, heavily reliant on the relationships among individual members.

We often assume common goals bind groups together, but in reality, minor differences among similar people can lead to hostility.

• For example, research shows vegans hold nearly three times the prejudice toward vegetarians as the other way around. In the eyes of the more extreme vegans, mainstream vegetarians are seen as wannabes.
• Horizontal hostility describes the tendency of members of extreme groups to distance themselves from more moderate factions within the same movement, viewing them as a threat to their core values.

NOTE: Interestingly, shared tactics, even when pursuing different causes, are a strong predictor of alliances. Common methods of engagement, like protests or publishing articles, foster a sense of shared identity and community.

To successfully form alliances, originals must often become tempered radicals.

• When creative non-conformists explain their why (as suggested by Simon Sinek), they should recognize that excessively radical approaches may alienate potential allies
• These individuals, who champion values that depart from tradition and challenge the status quo, can learn to "smuggle real vision inside a Trojan horse" by toning down their radicalism, presenting their beliefs in ways that are less shocking and more appealing to mainstream audiences.
• This aligns with the foot-in-the-door technique, where a small initial request secures a commitment before ultimately revealing the larger goal.
• The most promising ideas often begin with novelty and then incorporate familiarity, capitalizing on the mere exposure effect.

Similarly, coalitions often fall apart when people refuse to moderate their radicalism.

In efforts to challenge the status quo, originals often ignore their opponents.

• The logic goes that if someone is already resisting change, there is no point in trying to convince them. Instead, focus on strengthening your ties with people who already support you.
• However, our best allies are not necessarily those who have always supported us. They are the ones who initially opposed us but were eventually persuaded to become enthusiastic supporters.
• Our former adversaries have few special advantages:
• They are especially motivated to maintain a positive relationship because overcoming their initial negative impressions required hard work.
• Additionally they are also the most effective at persuading others to join the cause because they understand the doubts and misgivings of resisters and fence-sitters.

However, ambivalent relationships can be even more draining than negative ones.

• You are constantly on guard, expending more emotional energy and coping resources to grapple with questions about the person's trustworthiness.
• Therefore, some might argue it is best to avoid "strike hands" with such people altogether.

Nurturing Originality: How Relaxed Rules and Moral Values Fuel Creativity

To become original, we have to be willing to take some risks.

• When we go against the grain to upend time-honoured traditions, we can never be certain that we will succeed, but progress always involves risk.

Interestingly, research suggests birth order influences risk tolerance. Younger siblings exhibit a greater openness to risks and new ideas, partly due to evolving parenting styles.

• Parents often invest more attention, time and energy in firstborns, potentially leading to a more cautious risk averse approach based on logic of appropriateness.
• With subsequent children, parents become more relaxed, allowing for greater exploration.
• When older siblings serve as surrogate parents and role models, younger siblings do not face as many rules or punishments, fostering risk taking behaviour.
• Additionally, firstborns, fearing being "dethroned", may emulate their parents, enforcing rules and asserting authority, which can lead to rebellion from the younger sibling.
• Faced with the intellectual and physical challenges of competing directly with an older sibling (especially if they are 2-4 years apart in age), younger siblings may carve out their own niche to stand out.

Research suggests parents of highly creative children have fewer rules, focusing on moral values like honesty, respect, integrity, curiosity and perseverance.

• Praise that focuses on character encourages us to internalize positive values as part of our identities, leading to consistent ethical behaviour rather than isolated acts of morality.
• Explaining ethical consequences and how actions affect others fosters creativity while preventing criminal behaviour.
• Conversely, excessive rules can trigger rebellion, with teenagers defying controlling enforcement through yelling or threats.

Moreover, to spark originality in children, one of the most effective strategies is to cultivate their aspirations by introducing them to a wide range of role models, whether real people or fictional characters.

The Commitment Paradox: Building a Loyal Team While Fostering Think Different Culture

Across industries, there are three main hiring styles:

• Professional (skills-based)
• Emphasizes hiring candidates with the specific skillset required for the job.
• Star (potential-based)
• The focus shifts from current skills to future potential, placing a premium on finding the smartest and most adaptable individuals with the raw brainpower to acquire new expertise in a particular area.
• Commitment (culture-based)
• The top priority is to employ people who share the company's values and mission.
• Professional and Star founders tend to give employees more autonomy and challenging tasks. Commitment founders focus on building a strong company culture with a sense of belonging.

The commitment blueprint is associated with lower failure rates for companies seeking to survive and go public compared to the other approaches.

• Shared passion and commitment can create a more resilient and motivated team due to the strong sense of belonging and cohesiveness it fosters.
• After all, skills and stars are fleeting; commitment lasts.

However, the commitment blueprint suffered from slower growth rates in stock-market value.

• Commitment firms can struggle with attracting, retaining, or integrating a diverse workforce.
• Their focus on cultural fit can inadvertently lead to a lack of diversity in thoughts and experiences.
• This is especially true in established companies with strong commitment cultures, where employees might feel pressure to conform to maintain their place within the team.
• Consequently, once a market becomes dynamic, big companies with strong cultures can have a harder time recognizing the need for change (surrounded by devoted followers). This cultural inertia can make them more likely to resist the insights of those who think differently, resulting in a failure to learn and adapt.

However, to survive in an infinite game of business, discomfort of dissent should be favoured over the comfort of consensus.

• Insights from minority or outsiders, even if challenging, should be actively sought to fix mistakes and pursue innovations.
• Even when their ideas are wrong, they contribute to the exploration of a wider range of solutions (thoughtful disagreement), ultimately leading to decisions that are qualitatively better.
• Hence, fostering a culture that promotes expression of original ideas and embraces diverse perspectives is key to staying ahead of the curve. Decisions will be made based on an idea meritocracy, not a status hierarchy or democracy (where people feel pressured to conform to the dominant).

How to Harness Anxiety for Success

Going against the grain involves emotional drama. Fear of rocking the boat can paralyze us from envisioning the best-case scenario.

• As expected, those who have mastered handling emotionally challenging situations (e.g., job demotion, nervousness before a major presentation, or getting blamed for a mistake) are more likely to speak up and challenge the status quo.
• They possess both the courage to rock the boat and the skills to keep it steady.

Although many originals project an outward image of conviction and confidence on the outside, their inner world is often riddled with ambivalence and self-doubts.

• Choosing to challenge the status quo is an uphill battle, and there are bound to be failures, barriers, and setbacks along the way.
• The problem itself might not be complex, but the decision to act requires courage.

Psychologist Julie Norem has identified two distinct strategies for dealing with challenges:

• Strategic optimists
• These individuals are anticipating the best, staying calm and setting high expectations.
• Defensive pessimism
• They are expecting the worst, feeling anxious and imagining all the things that can go wrong.

Most people believe that strategic optimism is the superior approach. However, Norem finds that although defensive pessimists are more anxious and less confident in analytical, verbal, and creative tasks, they perform just as well as strategic optimists.

• When self-doubts creep in, defensive pessimists do not succumb to fear. Instead, they deliberately imagine the worst-case scenario to intensify their anxiety and convert it into motivation for meticulous planning. Their confidence stems not from ignoring problems, but from thorough preparation and mitigating every single possible risk. Without this worry (anxiety), they become complacent and discouraged from planning.
• Hence, it is hazardous to think like a defensive pessimist before committing to a particular action. In this early stage, excessive worry can activate the "stop system" and paralyze us.
• However, once we have settled on a course of action and made a commitment, we can strategically shift to a defensive pessimist mindset. By harnessing this anxiety as a source of motivation, we can meticulously plan and prepare, ultimately increasing our chances of success.

Public speaking often evokes fear in people.

• The most common advice is to "try to relax and calm down".
• However, reframing fear as excitement (by instructing the speaker to say "I am excited" aloud before the speech) is sufficient to significantly improve the quality of their speeches.
• Imagine you are driving fast and scared. Trying to calm down (hitting the brakes) is difficulty when you are already moving so fast. Getting excited is like using the gas pedal instead. Rather than suppressing a strong emotion, the equally intense feeling of excitement propels you forward to focus on positive outcomes.
• Alternatively, effective display of humour can also be a weapon against fear.

Also, fighting solo with an original idea can be fearful. The pressure to conform to the majority, even when their goal might be flawed, can be immense. This fear can lead to self-doubt and hesitation.

• However, even with a single dissenter, the power dynamic can shift.
• The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader.
• Merely knowing that you are not the only resister makes it substantially easier to reject the crowd.
• Emotional strength can be found even in small numbers.

Remember, originality brings more bumps in the road, yet it leaves us with more happiness and a greater sense of meaning.

The Power of Loss Aversion in Motivation

To counter apathy, most change agents instinctively focus on inspiring vision of the future. While this message is important, it might not be the most effective starting point.

• To motivate risk-taking beyond one's comfort zone, it is crucial to first expose the problems with the current state.
• Cultivate a sense of dissatisfaction, frustration, or even anger with the current situation, framing it as a guaranteed loss if left unchanged.

According to Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, our risk tolerance behaves differently depending on whether we stand to gain or lose.

• We tend to be more risk-averse in the domain of benefits. When we have a guaranteed gain, we prioritize protecting that guaranteed amount rather than taking risks for potentially larger gains.
• However, when faced with a guaranteed loss, we become more willing to take risks. In this scenario, we will even consider riskier options to avoid losing anything at all.

The key to motivating risk-taking lies in how we frame the situation.

• For safe new behaviours: Highlight the positive outcomes to create a sense of "want" and encourage immediate action.
• For risky new behaviours: As people are comfortable with the status quo, the benefits of change are not attractive enough. Instead, focus on the potential negative consequences of inaction to create a sense of "need" and nudge them towards the new behaviour.
• For example, the urgency of innovation and business adaptation becomes clearer when framed as avoiding being put out of business by competitors, rather than simply pursuing additional profit.

Summary

Every day, we all encounter things we love and things that need changing.

• The former sparks joy, while the latter fuel our desire to make the world different - ideally, better than we found it.

But trying to change ingrained beliefs and behaviours can be daunting.

• We often accept the status quo because effecting real change seems impossible.

However, Adam Grant's Originals offers a powerful message:

• We do not have to invent entirely new ideas to make a positive impact.
• Instead, the book focuses on the concept of championing unconventional ideas and becoming successful advocates for change.