Downloading a Different Browser

Downloading a different browser. 

Adam Grant, author of Originals, writes about a group of customer service employees all working for the same company. Their employment status was followed over a period of time trying to determine who was most successful and fulfilled in their job. 

As it turned out their success had to do with the internet browser they used. You see most people just stuck with the default browser that was already programmed into their computer. They never once questioned changing it. They basically just went along with what they had been given. 

On the other hand, a small percentage changed their browser. In doing so they showed initiative, and a level of resourcefulness that the others had not. These people by taking control over one small aspect of their job went on to find more satisfaction than their co-workers. 

Grant states, " We live in an Internet Explorer world." " ...many of us accept the defaults in our own lives." The less freedom and control that we are allowed in our job can set the tone for a disconnect, and a lack of initiative.

Add to this the tendency toward false choices, and we can limit our options down to only two. You know one or the other.  My natural inclination, my default, is not to think outside the box very often. I am guilty of thinking only in one way. 

However, the paradox here is that in many ways I do consider myself a creative person. It's just that as I've written before the status quo keeps calling my name. It's not my default to look at things in a different way.  However, I'm thinking that it may be time to check my browser. 

"The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether better options exists."

Adam Grant