You’ve probably heard the story. The brave entrepreneur, fueled by nothing but raw passion and a reckless disregard for safety, quits their job, burns the boats, and changes the world. It’s a great narrative. It’s also mostly a lie. When we talk about Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, we usually imagine people who love risk. We think of them as these "born leaders" who never feel a lick of fear.
Actually, the reality is way more boring—and way more interesting.
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton, spent years digging into what actually makes people "original." His research turned the classic "lone genius" trope on its head. Most people who actually change things aren't the ones jumping out of planes without a parachute. They're the ones making sure the parachute is triple-checked, and honestly, they probably have a backup plane waiting on the ground just in case.
The Myth of the Bold Risk-Taker
If you look at the data, the most successful non-conformists are often the most cautious. Take Warby Parker, for example. Grant famously passed on investing in them because the founders were still working other jobs and finishing school while they were starting the company. He thought they lacked "skin in the game."
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He was wrong.
Those founders weren't being indecisive; they were hedging. They were making sure they had a safety net so they could afford to be bold in one specific area. Most people think you have to be a risk-taker across the board to be an original. Not true. Successful originals are usually risk-averse in every other part of their lives so they can be original in the one area that matters.
Think about it.
T.S. Eliot kept his job at a bank for years after publishing The Waste Land. Why? Because he didn't want the stress of paying rent to interfere with his creative risks. That’s the secret. Balance. You don’t jump; you build a bridge.
Why Procrastination is Actually a Secret Weapon
We’ve been told since kindergarten that procrastination is the enemy of productivity. "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." Blah, blah, blah.
But for an original? Procrastination is often where the magic happens.
Grant cites a study where people were asked to come up with new business ideas. One group started immediately. Another group played Minesweeper for five minutes before starting. The "procrastinators" were rated as 28% more creative.
Why? Because when you know you have a task but you aren't doing it yet, your brain keeps it in the "active" folder. It’s called the Zeigarnik effect. You’re subconsciously incubation ideas. While you're "wasting time," your brain is making connections you would have missed if you’d just rushed to finish the job immediately.
Look at Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech. He was still rewriting it the night before. He didn’t even have the "I have a dream" part in his prepared notes for the March on Washington. He stayed open to the moment because he hadn't locked himself into a rigid, finished product weeks in advance. He left room for the original thought to strike.
Sometimes, being "late" to the party is the best way to win.
The "First-Mover" Disadvantage
There’s this obsession in business with being "first to market." We’re told that if you aren't the first, you’re the loser.
The numbers tell a different story.
A classic study by Peter Golder and Gerard Tellis looked at hundreds of product categories. They found a massive difference between "pioneers" (the first to start a market) and "settlers" (the ones who came in later and did it better). The failure rate for pioneers was 47%, compared to only 8% for settlers.
Facebook wasn’t the first social network. Friendster and MySpace were the pioneers. They took the arrows in the back. Facebook sat back, watched what didn't work, and then moved in to claim the territory. Google wasn't the first search engine either.
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Originals aren't necessarily the ones who come up with the idea first. They’re the ones who take the idea and make it better, or find a way to make it stick when everyone else is failing. It's about being better, not just being first.
How to Get People to Listen to Your "Crazy" Idea
If you have a truly original idea, most people are going to hate it. That’s just human nature. We like what we know. This is called the "mere exposure effect." The more we see something, the more we like it.
So, how do you sell a non-conformist idea to a conformist world?
- Shrink the "radical" part. Don't tell people your idea is a revolution. Tell them it’s an evolution. Link it to something they already understand.
- The Sarick Effect. This is named after Leslie Sarick. It’s the idea of leading with the flaws. When the founders of Babble (a parenting site) were pitching to investors, they started by listing the five reasons why nobody should invest in them.
- Why does this work? It makes you look honest. It makes it harder for the audience to come up with their own objections because you’ve already said them. It changes the vibe from "I'm trying to trick you" to "Let's solve these problems together."
When you hide the flaws, people go looking for them. When you put the flaws on the table, people start looking for the solutions.
The Power of Disagreeable People
We tend to think that the best way to get things done is to hire "agreeable" people—the ones who are nice, supportive, and easy to get along with.
Grant argues that "disagreeable" people are actually more valuable for originality.
Now, to be clear, we’re not talking about jerks. We’re talking about people who are willing to challenge the status quo. Agreeable people are great for keeping the peace, but they’re terrible for innovation because they don’t want to rock the boat. They’ll smile and nod while the company walks off a cliff.
The "disagreeable" person is the one who says, "Hey, this plan is actually kind of stupid, and here’s why." You need those people. You need the "devil’s advocates" who aren't just playing a role, but who actually believe the consensus is wrong.
Quality Through Quantity
There’s a persistent myth that geniuses just sit around and wait for one perfect "bolt from the blue" idea.
In reality, the most original people are simply the ones who produce the most stuff.
- Picasso created over 50,000 works of art. Only a handful are considered masterpieces.
- Edison had over 1,000 patents, but most of them were complete duds.
- Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Not every one was Hamlet.
If you want better ideas, you need more ideas. You can't curate your way to brilliance. You have to create your way there. The more you produce, the higher the odds that you’ll stumble onto something truly original. Most people stop after a few tries because they’re afraid of failing. Originals just keep swinging the bat.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Non-Conformist
If you want to move the world, you don't need a personality transplant. You just need to change your strategy.
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- Generate at least 20 ideas a day. Don't worry if they're bad. In fact, try to make some of them bad on purpose. This lowers the stakes and gets your brain moving.
- Practice "Strategic Procrastination." Start a project, then walk away. Go for a walk. Do the dishes. Let your brain chew on the problem in the background.
- Build a "Challenge Network." Surround yourself with people who aren't afraid to tell you you're wrong. Avoid the "yes-men" at all costs. They feel good, but they're useless for growth.
- Find the "Goldilocks" level of familiarity. When pitching a new idea, don't emphasize how "disruptive" it is. Connect it to a familiar concept. "It's like [Famous Thing] but for [New Category]."
- Balance your risk portfolio. If you want to take a big risk at work, make sure your personal life is stable. If you’re taking a big risk with a new hobby, keep your day job secure.
Originality isn't a fixed trait. It’s not something you’re born with. It’s a choice. It’s the choice to look at the way things are and ask, "Does it have to be this way?" And then, instead of just complaining about it, you start building the bridge to the way things could be. It takes time. It’s messy. You’ll probably fail a lot. But that’s literally the only way the world has ever moved forward.
Next Steps for Implementation
To apply these principles immediately, audit your current project. Identify one area where you are being "too agreeable" and seek out a critique from someone you trust to be blunt. Simultaneously, intentionally delay a non-urgent creative decision by 48 hours to allow for subconscious incubation. Track whether the resulting idea feels more nuanced than your initial "first-mover" thought.