I enjoyed this story about a bit of research that was done by economist Michael Housman on taking initiative.
In short, he found that what internet browser you use can predict (i.e., correlates with) a person’s rejection of the status quo.
See, most computers come with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer already installed.
So taking the time to seek out, download, and use something else can give us a peek into the amount of effort we can expect someone to give in other situations too.
Are you accepting everything as is?
Or are you pushing back too?
Because I only ever used Firefox and Chrome.
To get Firefox or Chrome, you have to demonstrate some resourcefulness and download a different browser. Instead of accepting the default, you take a bit of initiative to seek out an option that might be better. And that act of initiative, however tiny, is a window into what you do at work.
-Adam Grant, Originals