Originals by Adam Grant: Favorite Quotes Part 2
“Building on a classic book by economist Albert Hirschman, there are four different options for handling a dissatisfying situation. Exit means removing yourself from the situation altogether. Voice involves actively trying to improve the situation. Persistence is gritting your teeth and bearing it. Neglect entails staying in the current situation but reducing your effort.” (p. 79)
“Fundamentally, these choices are based on feelings of control and commitment. Do you believe you can effect change, and do you care enough to try? If you believe you’re stuck with the status quo, you’ll choose neglect when you’re not committed, and persistence when you are. If you do feel you can make a difference, but you aren’t committed to the person, country, or organization, you’ll leave. Only when you believe your actions matter and care deeply will you consider speaking up. (p. 80)”
“The lesson here is that voice isn’t inherently superior to exit. The best we can do is voice our opinions and secure our risk portfolios, preparing for exit if necessary (p. 90)”
“Even if your organization doesn’t currently embrace critical upward feedback, holding an open season on leaders might be an effective way to begin changing the culture (p. 203)”
“…Envisioning the worst- case scenario enables us to harness anxiety as a source of motivation to prepare and succeed. (p. 217)”
“If you want people to go out on a limb, you need to show them that they’re not alone. (p. 226)”
“It’s easier to rebel when it feels like an act of conformity. Other people are involved so we can join too (p.227).”
“In his workshops, Popovic (Serbian activist Srdja Popovic lead the cause to overthrow Slobodan Milosevic) trains revolutionaries to use humor as a weapon against fear (p. 228).”
“When Harvard professor John Kotter studied more than one hundred companies trying to institute major changes, he found that the first error they made was failing to establish a sense of urgency (p. 232).”
“”Instead of courage,” management guru Tom Peters recommends fostering “a level of fury with the status quo that one cannot not act.” (p. 236) ”
“Originals embrace the uphill battle, striving to make the world what it could be (p. 242)”