A book of inspiring stories about non-conforming leaders who inspired change. It has inspired me to think outside of the box and embrace my creativity. It reframed my thoughts around procrastination and failure and helped me think about actions to take.

Interesting book about original thinkers and innovators who challenge the status quo, their attributes, etc. and how we can foster originality in ourselves, our children and our organisations. A useful summary at the end, with good footnotes and references, too. Full review to appear on my blog.

A deeply informative and well researched book that shows readers how people who think outside the box thrive.

This is a very interesting book written by a very interesting man. Sheryl Sandberg certainly thinks so. The foreword is a glowing tribute and makes you want to meet him; he's certainly made it onto my fantasy dinner party guest list now.

Incredibly easy to read and to dip in and out of when you fancy a quick insight or several about the wonderful workings of the human mind.

There are many surprising revelations and some of them will make you feel much better about your own curious habits or 'against the grain' gut feelings. Others, of course, will leave you in awe of the tenaciousness, self-belief, stubbornness - however you want to see it - of ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they feel they have to and because they just know they are right. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't, but it makes for fascinating reading.

Also knowing that even the most successful minds in the world (on a financial basis anyway) occasionally get it badly wrong, and finding out why, is balm for the soul.

Highly recommended and a book I will continue to go back to, just like Sheryl.

In 'Originals' Adam Grant explores how those who refuse to conform to societal norms have shaped our world, in sports, business, politics and more and what we can learn from their iconoclastic methods.

Backed up by research and real life examples, Originals is a fascinating insight into how we can all be more original. Packed full of practical suggestions, there are a fair few surprises along the journey to discovering why the Segway was such a failure while Seinfeld was such a hit.

There's plenty of inspiration here and a nifty summary at the end to recap everything you've learned. Highly recommended.

I found it quite hard going to start off with if I’m honest, good content within the book, some is very interesting.

I love reading books like this - I'm a massive non-fiction fan, and particularly enjoy books detailing people who 'buck trends and expectations'. As a person who often feels doubted by others for wanting to do things differently, books like this serve as inspirations to me. I like the fact that although Grant does talk about his own experiences, the book explores lots of different stories, from lots of different people. Sometimes I find authors writing in this genre spend far too much telling their own story and talking about themselves which can get a little tiresome. Afterall, your life isn't as interesting to other people as it is to you!

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The New York Times bestselling author examines how people can drive creative, moral, and organisational progress—and how leaders can encourage originality in their organisations.
How can we originate new ideas, policies and practices without risking it all? Adam Grant shows how to improve the world by championing novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battling conformity, and bucking outdated traditions.
Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt. Parents will learn how to nurture originality in children, and leaders will discover how to fight groupthink to build cultures that welcome dissent.
Told through dazzling case studies of people going against the grain, you’ll encounter an entrepreneur who pitches the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who challenged secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees who don’t criticize him, and the TV executive who saved Seinfeld from the cutting room floor. Originals will give you groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and how to change the world.

I don't read a lot of books of this type, except for the usual suspects: Malcolm Gladwell and the like. I am also in a bit of a slump at work, ideas-wise, so when this appeared on Net Galley, I thought it sounded just like the kind of thing I needed to read about now.

And, initially, I was really into it. The opening 50 pages or so grabbed my attention and gave me some great ideas. Simple as they may have seemed, I took them on-board and will now work with them. They were presented in an easy-to-read format (unlike some that just weigh you down with statistics and jargon), and I could almost imagine that the author was sitting down next to me, explaining all these fresh concepts personally.

But, as the book dragged out, I started to feel less "connected" - maybe like it was a series of essays or something that had been expanded on to try and make a book out of them (I saw one review say "It is like a BuzzFeed article turned into a book - which just about sums it up!)" And the ideas themselves all started to sound familiar - felt like I had read some of the quotable parts before, like I had read the anecdotes or takeaways before, like I had read some of this before...and for a book called "Originals", I wasn't feeling that this book was that original by the end.

Was it a good book? Sure, I got some stuff out of it to work on for my business and my own personal growth but, as far as being "original"...I think it may have missed the mark somewhat.


Paul
ARH

I actually love this book. All my life I’ve felt the need to break rules and push boundaries, The Originals explains why this kind of behaviour can be a positive thing. Now I face further anxiety while raising my children in regards to their education and what I “should” be doing in order to conform. This book was an eye opener for me and I’ve been encouraging others to break free of the norm ever since reading it.

I enjoyed this very much, The writing is vibrant and captivating and the book is full of inspiring ideas that might just change your life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book.

I struggled a bit with this book, which is a shame because I think it has some really good pieces in there, it's just I found them not as accessible as I'd have hoped. I suspect partly this booked suffered because of the book I'd read before, a fast-paced biography of Elon Musk. In that book, the challenge was trying to fit everything in, which made parts of this book feel far too slow and drawn out.

The classic tip when trying to convey a message is to tell people what you're going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them. It can be a little repetitive but it's generally accepted as helping people recall things. This book takes the repetition too far for my taste though. There are some items where I was told four or five times what I was going to be told, and then the actual item flew by in roughly a page. It's like a succession of clickbait headlines... and the inevitable slightly disappointing coverage of something you'd actually find interesting.

And that's essentially where I didn't click with this book - if it was an article on a website I'd happily read, and on some chapters, I'd even click that share link. But as a book, I unfortunately found it just a little bit lacking. Chapters are like pimped up stories on Medium, the action points at the back could be a list on Buzzfeed. There's not enough deep dive in the book itself. Credit where it's due, there are a lot of references to follow up and read more, but that's the difference even reading on an ebook - I want to read something fluidly. I don't want to disappear and read something too deep or have to hunt back for it at a later point. If this were online? I'd open references in a new tab and read at my leisure.

My personal relationship with the style of the book is where I'm torn. There are some really good items in here and I'm inevitably going to relate them to people when things come up. Some people who will respond well to the repetition an will appreciate the studies put slightly out of sight so they don' get bored. I think the actual content is strong, it's just not presented in a style that engages me enough. However, I know people who I think will get a huge amount from this book an cherish it for years, but for me, it just feels too compromised. It offers too brief an overview of things I want more from, but it's not light enough to just glide through either.

A good book for a lot of people, but for me, it just missed the mark.

An interesting take on how originality in thinking and working outside the norm can lead to greater achievement. The premise was illustrated through in depth and diverse real life examples. Thanks NetGalley!

Highly recommended book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading

Growth and progression are built on innovation and originality, and rely on bold thinkers to carry ideas forwards and make a difference. But to make a difference, do individuals have to be different? In Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton business school, sets out to identify the traits that define original thinkers and successful business people, entrepreneurs, artists, innovators and leaders alike. It’s full of ideas. He explores the role of birth order, discusses the merits of procrastination, makes suggestions for productive criticism, and backs it all up with examples from businesses such as Google, Babble and Apple. It stops short of being a manifesto for challenging the status quo, but its effect is the same. Be bold, and be different, and you might just change the world.

On this occasion, unfortunately the book could not be reviewed due to unexpected circumstances, and now it is a little 'too old'. Should any opportunity exist to re-visit it, I will take contact.