How to Think for Yourself

There are some kinds of work that you can't do well without thinking differently from your peers. To be a successful scientist, for example, it's not…

If you're naturally independent-minded, you're going to find it frustrating to be a middle manager. And if you're naturally conventional-minded, you'…

It will decrease the influence of your immediate peers if you have several other groups of peers. Plus if you're part of several different worlds,…

To go beyond this general advice, we need to look at the internal structure of independent-mindedness — at the individual muscles we need to exercise…

I don't think it's because novel ideas are funny per se, but because novelty and humor share a certain kind of surprisingness. But while not…

The most important active step you can take to cultivate your curiosity is probably to seek out the topics that engage it. Few adults are equally…

Founders can delay the problem by making a conscious effort only to hire independent-minded people. Which of course also has the ancillary benefit…