Originals

Key Concepts

Greater volume of ideas increases the odds of originality

If originals aren’t reliable judges of the quality of their ideas, how do they maximize their odds of creating a masterpiece? They come up with a large number of ideas. Simonton finds that on average, creative geniuses weren’t qualitatively better in their fields than their peers. They simply produced a greater volume of work, which gave them more variation and a higher chance of originality. (p. 35)

Speaking up with new ideas is often punished, partly because it takes repetition for new ideas to catch on

“Leaders and managers appreciate it when employees take the initiative to offer help, build networks, gather new knowledge, and seek feedback. But there’s one form of initiative that gets penalized: speaking up with suggestions.”(p. 65)

“An unfamiliar idea requires more effort to understand. The more we see, hear, and touch it, the more comfortable we become with it, and the less threatening it is.” (p. 78)

First movers into a space do not have an advantage, especially when the idea is too new for customers to accept

“But surprisingly, as I’ve studied originals, I’ve learned that the advantages of acting quickly and being first are often outweighed by the disadvantages. It’s true that the early bird gets the worm, but we can’t forget that the early worm gets caught.” (p. 93)

Procrastination can be helpful when it keeps more ideas on the table, longer

“Along with providing time to generate novel ideas, procrastination has another benefit: it keeps us open to improvisation. When we plan well in advance, we often stick to the structure we’ve created, closing the door to creative possibilities that might spring into our fields of vision.” (p. 100)

“In the Indian companies, multiple members of each company’s top management teams rated their CEOs on strategic flexibility. The CEOs who planned carefully, acted early, and worked diligently scored as more rigid: once they formulated a strategy, they stuck to it. The CEOs who tended to delay work were more flexible and versatile—they were able to change their strategies to capitalize on new opportunities and defend against threats.” (p. 101)

Radical ideas often must be tempered or wrapped with familiar ideas to gain acceptance

Researchers Debra Meyerson and Maureen Scully have found that to succeed, originals must often become tempered radicals. They believe in values that depart from traditions and ideas that go against the grain, yet they learn to tone down their radicalism by presenting their beliefs and ideas in ways that are less shocking and more appealing to mainstream audiences. (p. 124)

Later-born kids, on average, are more creative

“Niche picking might help to make sense of this mystery. ...Adler argued that because firstborn children start life as only children, they initially identify with their parents. When a younger sibling arrives, firstborns risk being “dethroned” and often respond by emulating their parents: they enforce rules and assert their authority over the younger sibling, which sets the stage for the younger child to rebel.” (p. 156)

“Psychologist Robert Zajonc observed that firstborns grow up in a world of adults, while the more older siblings you have, the more time you spend learning from other children.” (p. 159)

Having a smaller number of rules for kids and delivering discipline with lessons helps them be more creative

“In one study, parents of ordinary children had an average of six rules, like specific schedules for homework and bedtime. Parents of highly creative children had an average of less than one rule and tended to ‘place emphasis on moral values, rather than on specific rules,’ psychologist Teresa Amabile reports.” (p. 164)

“In Donald MacKinnon’s study comparing America’s most creative architects with a group of highly skilled but unoriginal peers, a factor that distinguished the creative group was that their parents exercised discipline with explanations. They outlined their standards of conduct and explained their grounding in a set of principles about right and wrong, referencing values like morality, integrity, respect, curiosity, and perseverance.” (p. 164)

Diverse perspectives are helpful, but only when there is a culture of genuine exploration of differences

“If you’re going to build a strong culture, it’s paramount to make diversity one of your core values. This is what separates Bridgewater’s strong culture from a cult: The commitment is to promoting dissent.” (p. 190)

“While it can be appealing to assign a devil’s advocate, it’s much more powerful to unearth one. …’Dissenting for the sake of dissenting is not useful. It is also not useful if it is ‘pretend dissent’—for example, if role-played,’ Nemeth explains. ‘It is not useful if motivated by considerations other than searching for the truth or the best solutions. But when it is authentic, it stimulates thought; it clarifies and it emboldens.’” (p. 192)

Visions are more effective when those they impact to give them voice

“In a series of experiments, Dave Hofmann and I found that the most inspiring way to convey a vision is to outsource it to the people who are actually affected by it.” (p. 221)

“In later studies, I found that people are inspired to achieve the highest performance when leaders describe a vision and then invite a customer to bring it to life with a personal story. The leader’s message provides an overarching vision to start the car, and the user’s story offers an emotional appeal that steps on the accelerator.” (p. 222)

Actions for Impact

 Individual Actions (pp. 245-9)

1. Question the default.

2. Triple the number of ideas you generate.

3. Immerse yourself in a new domain. Originality increases when you broaden your frame of reference. 

4. Procrastinate strategically. 

5. Seek more feedback from peers. 

6. Balance your risk portfolio.

7. Highlight the reasons not to support your idea.

8. Make your ideas more familiar.

9. Speak to a different audience. 

10. Be a tempered radical. 

11. Motivate yourself differently when you’re committed vs. uncertain.

12. Don’t try to calm down. 

13. Focus on the victim, not the perpetrator.

14. Realize you’re not alone.

15. Remember that if you don’t take initiative, the status quo will persist. 

Leader Actions (pp. 249-52)

1. Run an innovation tournament.

2. Picture yourself as the enemy.

3. Invite employees from different functions and levels to pitch ideas.

4. Hold an opposite day.

5. Ban the words like, love, and hate.

6. Hire not on cultural fit, but on cultural contribution. 

7. Shift from exit interviews to entry interviews. 

8. Ask for problems, not solutions.

9. Stop assigning devil’s advocates and start unearthing them. 

10. Welcome criticism. 

Parent and Teacher Actions (pp. 252-3)

1. Ask children what their role models would do. 

2. Link good behaviors to moral character.

3. Explain how bad behaviors have consequences for others.

4. Emphasize values over rules.

5. Create novel niches for children to pursue.

Quotables

“The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether a better option exists.” (p. 7)

“Research demonstrates that it is the most creative children who are the least likely to become the teacher’s pet. In one study, elementary school teachers listed their favorite and least favorite students, and then rated both groups on a list of characteristics. The least favorite students were the non-conformists who made up their own rules.” (p. 9)

“But in reality, the biggest barrier to originality is not idea generation—it’s idea selection.” (p. 31)

“As we gain knowledge about a domain, we become prisoners of our prototypes.” (p. 41)

“In light of this evidence, Bryan suggests that we should embrace nouns more thoughtfully. “Don’t Drink and Drive” could be rephrased as: “Don’t Be a Drunk Driver.” The same thinking can be applied to originality. When a child draws a picture, instead of calling the artwork creative, we can say “You are creative.” After a teenager resists the temptation to follow the crowd, we can commend her for being a non-conformist.” (p. 170)

“When a group becomes that cohesive, it develops a strong culture—people share the same values and norms, and believe in them intensely. And there’s a fine line between having a strong culture and operating like a cult.” (p. 177)

“As management scholar Karl Weick advises, ‘Argue like you’re right and listen like you’re wrong.’” (p. 201)

“Venting doesn’t extinguish the flame of anger; it feeds it. When we vent our anger, we put a lead foot on the gas pedal of the go system, attacking the target who enraged us.” (p. 240)

“Research demonstrates that when we’re angry at others, we aim for retaliation or revenge. But when we’re angry for others, we seek out justice and a better system. We don’t just want to punish; we want to help.” (p. 242)