Originals
How NonConformists Move the World
by Adam Grant
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More Recommenders
Founder of Bridgewater Associates
Recommended by 12 notable people, including Richard Branson and Seth Godin
Check price on AmazonRecommended by public sources
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Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Originals reads like a breezy tour of social science studies packaged as career advice. The book’s value is how it upends tidy beliefs—like why the most original thinkers also tend to be chronic procrastinators or how speaking up late in a meeting can be more persuasive. The limitation is its overreliance on startup legends and lab findings that can feel like a grab bag of interesting anecdotes rather than a cohesive manual. If you’ve read modern business books, some insights will feel repackaged.
Read this if...
- •A product manager inside a legacy corporation trying to get buy-in for an experimental feature and needs evidence that most successful originals also de-risk their bets meticulously.
- •A new manager who wants to foster a culture where junior employees openly challenge leadership without fear, and is looking for protocols like devil’s advocate assignments to implement.
- •An ambitious professional hesitant to leave a stable job for a passion project, who will be relieved to learn that many originals keep their day jobs while experimenting on the side.
Skip this if...
- •You’ll likely put it down around the middle when the startup founding stories become repetitive — every chapter re-illustrates the same insight with a new CEO, and the drags set in.
- •You’ll lose interest by chapter 3 if you came for step-by-step tactics; the book is idea-rich but lacks concrete exercises or repeatable actions, so it feels like a TED talk without the workbook.
- •You’ll likely abandon in the first third if you prefer scholarly caution — the studies are presented breezily and sometimes oversimplified, which grates if you want rigorous behavioral science.
âeoeOriginals is one of the most important and captivating books I have ever read, full of surprising and powerful ideas. It will not only change the way you see the world; it might just change the way you live your life. And it could very well inspire you to change your world.âeâe" Sheryl Sandberg, bestselling author of Lean In The New York Times bestselling author examines how people can drive creative, moral, and organisational progressâe"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,…
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:easy
Length:336 pages (Medium)
Audience Fit
- A product manager inside a legacy corporation trying to get buy-in for an experimental feature and needs evidence that most successful originals also de-risk their bets meticulously.
- A new manager who wants to foster a culture where junior employees openly challenge leadership without fear, and is looking for protocols like devil’s advocate assignments to implement.
- An ambitious professional hesitant to leave a stable job for a passion project, who will be relieved to learn that many originals keep their day jobs while experimenting on the side.
- You’ll likely put it down around the middle when the startup founding stories become repetitive — every chapter re-illustrates the same insight with a new CEO, and the drags set in.
- You’ll lose interest by chapter 3 if you came for step-by-step tactics; the book is idea-rich but lacks concrete exercises or repeatable actions, so it feels like a TED talk without the workbook.
- You’ll likely abandon in the first third if you prefer scholarly caution — the studies are presented breezily and sometimes oversimplified, which grates if you want rigorous behavioral science.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 26 sources and appears in Best Startup Books, Marketing, and Books Recommended by Writers.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Ready to read Originals?
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Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.