“Values over rules are key for encouraging originality.”

<ul><li>Present a problem — but leave out a piece of information. Originals don't give up in the face of obstacles; they find ways around or through them.</li><li>Evaluate the response to difficult situations. The originals are the ones who expect that people would be motivated to take initiative and change the situation.</li><li>Ask in which job was he most miserable? Why and how did he deal with it? Even if an original does not like the work, he would still finish it.</li></ul>

Original are insistent and resilient

<ul><li>Unsung Heroes. For each major innovation or movement, there are catalysts that fade into the background of what they create.</li><li>Insubordinates. It's important to triage troublemakers, but in doing so, don't miss an original in your midst.</li><li>Those who have been fired. The ones who do not worry about pleasing others or fitting in.</li><li>Inward-facing innovators. People that even though work privately, create extreme impact.</li></ul>

Originals and Where to Find Them

<ol><li>How would you improve our interview process? </li><li>Tell me about the last time that you encountered a rule in an organization that you thought made no sense. What was the rule? What did you do and what was the result?</li><li>Why shouldn't I hire you?</li><li>It’s your first few months on the job. What questions would you first ask and to whom? </li></ol>An original would not just point out what's wrong, he would take actions to make it right.

Questions that will identify originals:

<ul><li>Corral references until they’re candid. You have to put references in a position where they have no choice but to be candid with you. The easiest way to do that is to give them forced choices of 2 undesirable attributes.</li><li>Use a prepared scoring key. It's much more effective to use a sliding scale to assess a person's ability to challenge the status quo, than a yes or no answer. Consider rating them on a 1-5 scale. </li></ul>

Notes on Evaluating Originals

<ul><li>Start at the bottom of the CV. Look for people that have multi-functional backgrounds; breadth is critical for creativity.</li><li>Look for diversity of role models  — and distribution of their impact. Originals internalize others' perspective and construct new sets of ideas.</li><li>Uncover roads not taken. Originals are those who demonstrate continuous curiosity, but are willing to move on when there are hardships.</li><li>Make the candidate a culture detective. Assess how candidates view your company culture.</li></ul>

To identify an Original...

<ul><li>To develop a resilient culture. An environment with people who think differently will put you into much better position to continuous innovation.</li><li>To anticipate market movements. Originals bring fresh ideas that can challenge your business model, your assumptions and principles.</li><li>To repurpose dissent. Do not let ideas be discarded.</li></ul>

Hire Originals at Startups

Bestselling author Adam Grant follows up on his highly acclaimed book Originals with a set of interview questions needed to surface and select originals for your startup. Here's what to ask and how to find the nonconformists that will help propel your company forward.