The contemporary world of rapidly evolving spheres of human activity and the abundance of competitive ideas, attracting attention and making a change becomes challenging. As the first chapter from Adam Grant’s book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World demonstrates, unconventional thinking is the most effective way of achieving success and making an impact. The most important thing I learned from the chapter is the importance of risk-taking, creativity, and non-conformity in pursuing success. The readers can learn that being creative and original can result in more effectiveness in achieving a successful outcome, but the risk factors need mitigation.
Personal Connection
I personally experienced the fact that being original and non-conformist can lead to changes within the status quo in my circle of friends during my high school years. My friends and I were highly interested in fitness and bodybuilding, and thus, we regularly went to the gym to build musculature. However, there was a certain idea within the group that working out for more than 2 hours will yield better results. However, I did not conform to the given preconceived notion and trained only for no longer than an hour. After three months, I had the most outstanding physique results compared to my friends, and they realized that excessive training was unnecessary. The book states that originality requires resourcefulness and non-acceptance of the default (Grant 5). The gym’s personal trainers and various posters promoted extended training sessions, whereas I learned online that short and effective pieces of training could be more productive than a long one. Therefore, I demonstrated a high level of resourcefulness and did not confirm the default message of the local gym.
Current Issues
As vividly demonstrated by the sphere of business, the contemporary world is excessively field with various ideas, which makes it difficult to invent something new. Such business ideas as Netflix or Uber have originated from conventional ones, television and taxi. However, the application of unconventional thinking allowed these businesses to become extremely successful (Dudley 679). Indeed, according to Grant, one of the ways to introduce innovation is by creative destruction, which is the remaking or rethinking of conventional ideas from a new perspective (2). However, the unconventional approach must be based on solid knowledge and professional experience, accompanied by a flexible mind and creative thinking. For example, Bill Gates did not drop out of college without making sure that the alternative path was properly secured (Grant 20). A flexible mind will be able to recognize all possible risks and problems. Looking at the problem from different points of view, a creative manager will be able to offer its non-standard solution.
Choosing originality, one uses its creative thinking to go against the flow and achieve success through uniqueness. For example, as Sowcik et al. states, the application of innovative and creative leadership allows for achieving significant results in employee productivity (167). According to Grant, there are two “routes to achievement,” namely conformity and originality (3). Both of these pathways can pose certain challenges in the form of risk or intense competition.
Another example of risky but creative decision-making of David Lynch when creating his TV series Twin Peaks demonstrates that the director’s non-conformity has enhanced his popularity and the success of his artistic creations. Actors, who worked with David Lynch, stated that he is among the most creative individuals in the industry (Nordine par. 1). It is important to note that the book claims the risk always accompanies success (Grant 14). Creativity, as applied to a business, can also increase the risk of failure, if an idea is promoted, that is creative but inappropriate, or the market does not need such a novelty. However, when analyzing this problem, one should not forget that risk is a likely event for a project, the occurrence of which can both negatively and positively affect the parameters and results of the project, business, or even the industry as a whole. Most often, the risk is presented as the likelihood of loss or loss of profits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the approach of a non-conformist who can think outside the box and apply innovative ideas to already existing notions, as it is done in creative destruction, creates space for achievement and success. In my experience, I have tried to adhere to a non-conformist perspective when going to the gym and it showed outstanding results compared to my peers. Consequently, Grant’s book vividly illustrates the importance of being creative, brave, and original to achieve success.
Works Cited
Dudley, Geoffrey. “Creative Destruction and the Sharing Economy. Uber as Disruptive Innovation.” Transport Reviews, vol. 38, no. 5, 2018, pp. 679-681.
Grant, Adam. “Creative Destruction.” Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, Penguin, 2017, pp. 1-29.
Nordine, Michael. “‘Twin Peaks’ Actress Chrysta Bell: David Lynch Is ‘The Most Creative Human That Maybe Has Ever Existed’.” IndieWire, Web.
Sowcik, Matthew J., Anthony C. Andenoro, and Austin Council. “Addressing the Biggest (Baddest) and Best Ideas Ever: Through the Lens of Humility.” Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 16, no. 4, 2017, pp. 164-179.