I’ve never thought of myself as very original and certainly not a non-conformist. However I’ve been reading a remarkable book by Adam Grant, called “Originals – How non-conformists change the world” which challenged the way I looked at the choices I have made that bring me to where I am today.
The more I read, the more I realised that many of my friends, colleagues and clients would enjoy it much as I did. It’s also particularly relevant for increasing employee engagement.
So why?
Well, it boils down to the fact that most of us want success, from our work and our personal lives, but few of us feel we have the inner strength or ability to break the shackles of what Adam Grant refers to as the “defaults” in our life. Essentially it’s a perfect resource to help anyone champion new ideas and fight group think.
Imagine if some of the defaults, or myths in our life or business, which most of us believe are set in stone, are in fact conformist rules that do NOT have to be the norm for us!
Some of the myths Adam discusses include:
- Why the smartest kids in class or child prodigies rarely make dents in the world as we expect and why.
- Why being original is not as risky as we think it is.
- How being many of the most successful and original thinkers and business people of our time, like Steve Wozniack and Dr Martin Luther King procrastinated much more than you think – and procrastination is actually OK.
- Why being original is proven to help you feel more engaged and satisfied at work.
Before I read the book, I’d never thought of myself as original and non-confirming. But as I contemplated the notion I realised that I am original. I made this choice when I setup my partnership with my Mentoring software partner Chronus and as I swam against the tide, my life improved, success followed and others around me were better off.
So, if you feel like you are stuck in a rut, feel a bit helpless or need some inspiration to kick start things, then this book is truly going to transform you. It offers a simple pragmatic way of thinking differently and making things happen!
Click here to see a review of the book – http://www.adamgrant.net/originals
Written by Gehan Dantanarayana.
Gehan is one of the founders of Footprint Coaching and Consulting – an organisation that makes it easy and affordable for people to get coaching and mentoring. Gehan is passionate about helping people feel empowered, productive, innovative, creative, organised and content which ultimately leads to achieving fulfilling results.