On a recent flight home from Silicon Valley, I was lost in thought about innovation-rich cultures. Too often we think heroic inventors like Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison solely drive big breakthroughs. We create myths about inventive leaders, turning them into icons. In Steven Johnson’s great book on innovation, How We Got to Now, he asks, “who discovered the light bulb?” Simple question, right? The answer is not so simple. The real back story is that Edison purchased 40 existing light bulb patents, and then he worked with a team of people, who “heroically discovered” the light bulb.
War and Peace
by Russell Pearlman, originally published by Korn Ferry in Briefings Magazine In the eyes of John Maynard Keynes, the world in 1914 was an economic marvel. Those fortunate enough to be alive then had access to conveniences, comforts, and amenities surpassing anything...
