Everyone needs, at some time or other, to be an innovator. And everyone can be. You just have to think like an innovator and act like one. But most of us find this difficult. There is a natural tendency to avoid undue risks, to repeat what worked in the past and to settle for a comfortable life. This book aims to give you the inspiration and insights to break out of your comfort zone and to try new adventures. It consists of short stories drawn from the lives of great innovators from different ages and fields. They have been chosen not because they represent the best or most representative group. They have been chosen because of the variety of lessons and insights they illustrate. Inevitably, there will be some overlap in the precepts that we draw from these examples but, nonetheless, there is a great diversity there, too.
There are eight categories of innovators, including artists, inventors, scientists and business leaders. Some listings were easy to categorise but some like, say, Elon Musk could have fallen into any of three categories. What can a business executive learn from an artist? Or a musician from a warrior? Or a teacher from an athlete? The answer is much. It has been observed that, on problem solving sites like Innocentive.com, the person who offers the best solution for a challenge usually comes from a very different field from the person who posed the question.
The book is designed to be dipped into. It does not need to be read sequentially. One suggested approach is this. Start with a challenge or problem that needs an innovative solution. Ponder the challenge without trying to solve it. Now read about one of the great innovators in this book. Apply the insights listed at the end of the chapter to the issue. How might the character from the book have tackled the problem you face? If he or she cannot help, try another until you get the inspiration you need. There are over 200 separate insights in the book, so it is likely that help is at hand somewhere.
If your favourite innovator is not on the list, if you spot any factual error or, if you want to add a comment about the book, simply search on Facebook for Think Like an Innovator. You can share your thoughts there. I will be getting involved, too, and your ideas might well inform the next edition.