Review of
Instaread:
Summary of Originals How Non-Conformists Move the World
by Adam Grant
Five out of five stars
There can be no
argument regarding the value of original thinkers (referred to as originals)
that are able to come up with the wild and effective ideas for new ways of
doing things. As so many of them say, “The way to come up with good ideas is to
come up with a lot of ideas and filter out the best ones.” Where the dispute
comes is when there are attempts to apply broad principles to the creation of
the original thinkers. It simply cannot be done.
The most
interesting point in the book that is mentioned in this summary appears in the
opening overview and is repeated in key takeaway four. “Originals are made—
often self-made— and not born. These innovators make themselves different from
others.” This contradicts the common belief that the originals are born smarter
and more rebellious than others or develop it as a reaction to difficult
circumstances. Furthermore, it is also pointed out that the originals are often
risk-averse, rather than the common belief that they are more willing to take a
chance on a new idea. Many times their most effective tactic is to engage in
organized procrastination.
As is pointed
out in this summary, the closest to a universal characteristic of the originals
is a lack of intellectual laziness. Originals tend to be very curious and often
have an obsession regarding how things work and function.
This summary
should convince managers that are examining the current state of their
organization and are nervous about the future that the book should be
incorporated into the development of their strategic planning. If you think
that your organization is suffering from an “idea gap,” it contains three
points of very good news. The first, second and third are all based on the idea
that originals are made, meaning that it is possible to create the environment
where people can move closer to being an original. In the modern and rapidly
changing world, this is often essential for survival.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes
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