It has sometimes been noted that Lanark is a resolutely conservative place. Conservative with a small ‘c’, that is. There are few actual Tories, of course. Instead it is a small town working class conservatism whose rallying cry glories in the phrase ‘it’s aye been!!’. Well, it may have ‘aye been’, but originality is the lifeblood of vitality, progress and success. Should you be inclined to do something original in Lanark, reach for this recent guide book by Adam Grant.
In Originals, Adam Grant addresses the challenge of improving the world by means of becoming original. He defines this as choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain. It is to battle conformity and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
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; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent. Learn from an entrepreneur who pitches his start-ups by highlighting the reasons not to invest, a woman at Apple who challenged Steve Jobs from three levels below, an analyst who overturned the rule of secrecy at the CIA, a billionaire financial wizard who fires employees for failing to criticize him, and a TV executive who didn’t even work in comedy but saved Seinfeld from the cutting-room floor. The payoff is a set of groundbreaking insights about rejecting conformity and improving the status quo.
Lanark might be the ‘go to’ destination of choice for tourist and business alike within 5 years.
Adam M. Grant (born August 13, 1981, http://www.adamgrant.net/ ) is an author and a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Enquire at your local library. See if this important title is in stock by consulting the online catalogue at https://www.sllclibrary.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/OPAC/BSEARCH
Otherwise consult https://www.amazon.co.uk/Originals-How-Non-conformists-Change-World/dp/0753556979/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482059816&sr=8-1&keywords=originals+grant for further bibliographic detail.
336 pages in W H Allen
First published 2016
ISBN 978-0753556979
Professor Adam Grant