Edison on Innovation : 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond

"There is no question that Edison was and remains the name brand marquee inventive genius—a modern Prometheus no less or, at the very least, the Wizard of Menlo Park. And that is precisely the problem. Geniuses may create any number of wonderful things, but otherwise they re really of no use to the rest of us—the non geniuses."—From the Preface But what if Edison was no genius? What if he just acted like one? And what if we all could follow his example? In this fascinating exploration of one of the most celebrated and innovative minds, best selling author Alan Axelrod cuts through the myths and reverence surrounding Edison s "genius" to show how the inventor was, in fact, an ordinary man who created extraordinary work. While many of us believe that creativity, like genius, is something that just happens by chance or destiny, Edison s life demonstrates that creativity of the very highest order can indeed be summoned up at will, and even reduced to a reliable working method and set of principles. In contrast to many creative prodigies, Edison worked by "open" methods, making his processes relatively easy to study and emulate. Using Edison s own diaries, papers, and modern studies of his work, Axelrod draws out time tested principles that can be applied by even the least creative among us. Edison on Innovation presents 102 key lessons, including Experiment with everything Embrace problems Start small, scale up Innovate without inventing Learn the market Create new uses for whatever you have Plan for spontaneity Make the problem the solution Edison on Innovation serves as a revelation to anyone who needs or wants to be creative on demand and for anyone whose business requires the continual creation of new ideas and the practical realization of the best of them.