How to become and stay an Original?

About Originals

A couple of months ago I read Originals by Organizational Psychologist and Author Adam Grant. I picked the book after reading Think Again, which I found to be highly insightful on adaptability in current times. But I found Originals a powerful read to have a 360-degree view on organizational excellence, leadership, entrepreneurship, and creativity.

This post attempts to help you with some profound hacks from the book to become an original and maximize your productivity.

Originals is an easy book to read and consume, by those who wish to ace their professional or personal space. The author has summarized these learnings of the book towards the end. He has categorized the findings into three areas, which are –

1. Generate and recognize voice and champion new ideas – The ability to generate powerful ideas, gather the courage to voice them out, and lead the idea in a group effectively.
2. Stimulate novel ideas and build cultures that welcome dissent – The ability of leaders to empower their people to generate powerful ideas and create a culture that challenges the norm.
3. Help children take a creative and moral stand against the status quo – The ability of teachers and parents to help their children with values that guide them to take a stand on ethical decisions.

In this article, I focus on the first point of learning to generate and recognize voice and champion new ideas. This area is further split into generating ideas, championing and voicing them, and managing emotions.

Each tip is a profound learning, and I am confident they will help you immensely in your area of work.

Part 1 –  Tips to generate new ideas

1. Question the default.

Policies and procedures are important in an organization, nation, society, etc. to maintain sanity. But these should not turn into a roadblock for ideas. Adam Grant writes, ‘Rules are created by people.’ We must develop the mindset to challenge ideas and ask why do they exist in the first place.

A rule might exist to fulfill a requirement or deal with some issue in the past. Is that need or problem relevant now, if not why do we need it?

2. Triple the number of ideas you generate.

The popular notion of creativity is if you produce fewer ideas, you can devote more time and attention to them. It will result in better quality. Afterall, quality over quantity prevails.

Adam Grant writes this notion in reality is flawed and incorrect.

Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Mozart, and many creative greats are known for their exceptional creativity and talent. But their most famous works are not their only creations. They have more misses in their list of creations than their hits. Some of their favorites were works that were rejected by others. But these greats kept creating and producing.

The mantra is to triple the number of ideas that you create and not limit them. The idea is quantity, not only quality. Develop a mindset and routine to produce or create regularly. Innovators swing and miss regularly. Your big win will emerge from this pile.

3. Immerse yourself into a new skill. Broaden your frame of reference.

Do not limit your learning to one discipline or skill. Experiment with topics in which you are not even remotely involved. Learning new skills broadens our creativity, and scope of reference and helps you to see outside the box.

Many Nobel prize-winning scientists took to painting and drawing. Fashion designers became innovative when they traveled abroad and learned new cultures and mannerisms.

4. Procrastinate Strategically.

Another popular notion among early innovators is to be the first mover. Research nevertheless proves people who start with fresh and virgin ideas fail miserably as compared to those which have been tested in the market.

Google, Facebook, PayPal, and Apple were not the first movers. There were around sixteen search engines before Google. Likewise, it is always wise to take a break and stop working on an idea to reflect on the direction, execution, and strategy.

Do not jump into something because it came to you first. Procrastinating strategically is helpful.

5. Seek feedback from your peers.

It is hard to judge your ideas with the bias we carry about our work. Who would you go to then for a genuine review? Your boss or a junior?

Research and experiments show managers are too critical with reviews of their subordinate’s work. Asking someone junior to you, or who is new, or has limited knowledge of your work is also pointless as they might not have the entire picture or the required experience.

Author Adam Grant says the most honest and accurate reviews come from our peers. Peers are deeply entrenched into the nature of our work. Hence, they are the best people to get feedback. Peer feedback works with surgical precision as they catch the finer nuances of a task or idea.

A clown values the applause of another clown more than his audience, so does a magician or an actor.

Part 2 – Tips on voicing and championing original ideas.

6. Balancing your risk portfolio.

Take extreme risks in one domain by taking extreme caution in another. I invest about 25% of my portfolio in stocks, while the remaining 75% is in fixed-return assets. The 25% of the risk on markets is compensated with the fixed returns from the 75% of my folio. In the 25% of stocks, 10-15% is invested in extremely risky stocks with a potential for high returns, while the rest will be focused on fundamental stocks. Again, the risk of 10-15% is compensated with the returns from the fundamental stocks.

Note: This is not an investment advice, but an explanation of how I manage my portfolio. Consult a licensed professional to work on your investment strategy.

If you are taking extreme risks in investing, careers, and ideas, balance it by being over-cautious in the backup plans. A friend joked he dated a lot when he was single, this helped them to stick with one partner once they got married!

Successful entrepreneurs keep their day jobs while testing ideas as a side hustle. Only when the hustle matures and guarantees a desired income do they quit their day jobs.

7. Highlight reasons not to support your idea.

Ok, this might sting and is difficult, but very accurate and effective. When you pitch an idea or a business plan, start by saying why they should not invest in your company/business/idea.

Start by describing the three biggest weaknesses of your idea or business. Ask them for more reasons why not to support it. When you request people to review your idea or when you pitch to them, they immediately create a mental fortress and find reasons to reject or question it. It is a natural human cognition. They anticipate you to show them your best and then they prepare to counter it.

Instead, when you are highly confident of your idea, use reverse psychology. Grant writes, ‘When people work hard to generate objections, they will be more aware of its virtues. When you ask them to be more critical, they start thinking there might be something good in here too! I have created a small clip explaining this.

8. Make your ideas familiar.

Repeat your idea like a tape on a continuous loop to people who matter or need to execute. Reactions become positive after 10-20 exposures to an idea. In the book, the author states that Change Management agents or leaders do not repeat the change process as often to their teams. In an interaction of a million words exchanged over a period of three months between the leader and their teams, only a few thousand words are related to change.

The change agent repeats the idea in his mind on multiple occasions to perfect it. The thought playing in their heads deceives them to assume that the teams too are well versed and hence they cut themselves from repeating to people.

Change agents need to make the idea as familiar as possible to the people. The more we keep repeating it, the more an idea becomes known and makes the change process easier.

9. Speak to a different audience.

Instead of seeking people who share your values. Approach disagreeable people who criticize your work but who share your methods. Your best allies are people with a track record of being tough and critical but solve problems similar to yours.

10. Be a tempered radical.

If your idea is extremely radical, align it with a more conventional goal. Something that people relate to in their daily lives. Do not directly try to change people’s beliefs. Instead, appeal to their values. Plant a trojan horse in the minds of your teams, management, subordinates, or the ones you want to influence. It is wise to position your proposal as a means to an end. One that will bring some solution and an end to their misery.

People switch off to extreme ideas or those plans which seem distant, irrelevant, or whimsical.

Part 3 – Managing Emotions

11. Alter your approach to your goals when you are upbeat vs. when you are uncertain.

The best time to keep going without stopping is when you are in the flow of the act. Focus on what is left to be done. There will be times when you can’t continue and will be demotivated. In these phases, think about how far you have come, and how much you have achieved.

Our thoughts and feelings are an antidote to motivation. Focusing on the right matter that complements our fleeting phases propels action effectively.

12. Don’t try to calm down.

How do you respond when someone is nervous about an upcoming speech, stage performance, or some important event in their life?

The first thing that we say is “Calm down”, or “Relax”. However, when you are nervous it is hard to relax. Asking someone to slow down when they are having an adrenaline rush only confuses the flow of thoughts in them. It plays the opposite effect of calming down and makes them even more anxious than before. The most effective form is to turn their anxiety into a positive emotion.

Ask them if are they excited about what’s coming up. Why this is important to them and what it would mean to them. Note how army generals charge their soldiers before going to battle. Asking them to calm down while facing the enemy is dangerous.

Alternatively, asking them if they are anxious increases panic. The goal is to channel the rush into something positive and get the mind to do its best.

13. Focus on the victim, not the perpetrator.

In an act of injustice, focusing on the perpetrator fuels anger. The process will only drain you or your team out as you are working on things outside your control. Many develop hatred and believe in bringing the oppressor to justice. The approach leads you into an infinite loop of blame and shame.

Be empathetic to the victim and channel your anger in the right direction. As an alternative to punishment, aim to help. Fight for policies, and rules that safeguards victim’s rights.

14. You are not alone.

One doesn’t need the world or a big team for plans to succeed. Having a single ally increases your will to act. All you need is to find that one who believes in your passion.

15. If you don’t take initiative, the status quo will persist.

There are aspects at our workplace that constantly frustrates us. How can you fix them?

Adam Grant reflects on four responses to dissatisfaction – Exit, Voice, Persistence, and Neglect – only exiting the team or firm or raising your voice at the right forum can improve the circumstance. Remaining persistent or neglecting the damaging culture does not change the status quo. It only passes down the lineage.

Speaking up is best to put forth your suggestions if you have control over the situation. Else improve your influence over the change authority or management to nudge them towards improvement. If it doesn’t work, quit. There is always someone who sees your value.

I hope these points help you to deal with situations, challenges and make you productive with your goals. They should help to make your work more meaningful.

Which points among these would you like to pick on immediately and start working on?

About the writer

Roshan Shetty is an author, corporate coach, and consultant. He trains corporates on Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, and Wellness.

His book Shift Left on Emotional Intelligence and skills required for the future is available on Amazon worldwide.

Learn more about his work at www.roshanshetty.com. Subscribe to his YouTube Channel, Roshan Shetty, for life hacks on well-being.