I review a lot of books in this Blog (and I read many more that I do not find worthy of sharing with my readers, or that I do not think would command your interest). I do not want this particular book to get lost in the crowd. “The Medici Effect” had the most profound impact upon me of any “business book” I have read since reading Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point.” This book is an extraordinary achievement. If you regularly return to read this Blog because you find my disparate and eclectic choice of topics informative and compelling, then I can guarantee that you will find value in reading “The Medici Effect.”
Frans Johansson graduated from Harvard Business School, and works in NYC as a writer, consultant and entrepreneur. His book is based strongly on the influences of some of his HBS professors – most particularly Teresa Amabile, a leading creativity researcher, and Clayton Christensen, who is best known for his pioneering work in the field of disruptive innovation. Johansson has taken these works and moved them forward to describe a place where “innovators are changing the world by stepping into the Intersection: a place where ideas from different fields and cultures meet and collide, ultimately igniting an explosion of extraordinary new discoveries.”
The author is the very embodiment of the intersecting phenomena that he describes in the book. Frans was raised in Sweden by his African-American and Cherokee mother and Swedish father. The title of this work derives from the historical fact that the explosion of creativity and innovation that emanated from 15th Century Florence, Italy - and spawned what we now refer to as "The Renaissance" - had its genesis in the Medici family. The Medici’s were a banking family who became patrons to artists, artisans and scientists in a dizzying array of fields and disciplines. Through their patronage, we still speak of and admire the works of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Donatello, Raphael, Ghiberti and countless others.
Johansson makes a very lucid and compelling point that it is possible for us, in this present age, to replicate the outburst of creativity that was the hallmark of the Florentine Renaissance – we simply must have the wisdom and courage to step into the Intersection.
One of the early examples that the writer shares is the story of Marcus Samuellson, who became an overnight success as the chef at New York's Aquavit restaurant by creating astonishing combinations of ingredients and cooking styles. Johansson attributes much of Samuellson’s propensity for innovation to the cultural diversity of his heritage and upbringing.
“Cultural diversity does not only imply geographically separated cultures. It can also include ethnic, class, professional, or organizational cultures. The mere fact that an individual is different from most people around him promotes more open and divergent, perhaps even rebellious, thinking in that person. Such a person is more prone to question traditions, rule and boundaries – and to search for answers where others may not think to. Research also indicates that people who are fluent in multiple languages tend to exhibit greater creativity than others. Languages codify concepts differently, and the ability to draw upon these varied perspectives during a creative process generates a wider range of associations.” (Page 47)
Johansson next turns the spotlight on Paul Maeder, a venture capitalist with Highland Capital. Maeder boasts a strong track record of identifying young companies led by innovative founders, and predicting which of these companies will succeed.
“What, then, does Maeder think are some important aspects of innovative people at the Intersection? Over the years he has spotted two recurring characteristics: ‘Innovators are often self-taught. They tend to be the types to educate themselves intensely,’ he says, ‘and they often have a broad learning experience, having excelled in one field and learned another.’ Broad education and self-education, then, appear to be two keys to learning differently.” (Page 51)
The Chairman of Bain & Company is Orit Gadiesh, a brilliant woman who came from Israel to Harvard Business School while barely able to speak English. Two years later, she graduated from HBS in the top 5% of her class. Johansson quotes Gadiesh on the concept of “Renaissance Man”:
“’Some people say that the modern-day Renaissance man is an investment banker who likes to go horseback riding on the weekend he has off, or something like that,’ she says with a laugh. ‘That’s not a Renaissance man, that’s a man with a hobby. A Renaissance man is someone who can see trends and patterns and integrate what he knows. To me, the modern Renaissance man is curious, interested in different things. You have to be willing to “waste time” on things that are not directly relevant to your work because you are curious. But then you are able to, sometimes unconsciously, integrate them back into your work.’” (Page 76)
Frans cites Frank Herbert, author of the science fiction classic “Dune,” as a paragon of occupational diversity, another of the common traits among innovators who wade into the Intersection. Herbert has worked, at various points in his lifetime, as a photographer, reporter, editor, cameraman, radio commentator, speechwriter, consultant, oyster diver, judo instructor, jungle survival instructor, TV director, geologist, psychologist, navigator, botanist and fiction writer!
“Successful innovators tend to work on several interrelated projects at once, rotating within a ‘network of enterprises,’ according to whatever appears most promising at the moment. Both Thomas Edison and Charles Darwin, for instances, had many journals and portfolios where they could store notes and articles relating to any number of projects that they were working on. They would regularly review their notes, read over past projects, and reconsider earlier ideas, including the ones that didn’t work out. While reviewing their archives with fresh eyes, they might find connections to a current dilemma and perhaps come up with a new solution.” (Page 78)
This strong bent for pursuing numerous simultaneous innovative projects reminds me very much of the troika of entrepreneurs who call themselves “R3” – my friends Bob Allard, Bob Glazer, and Richard Banfield. Using many of the same approaches that Johansson describes here, they have launched, or are about to launch, a number of new companies, products and services, including “You Should Meet,” “Referral Monitor,” “Bobby’s Best,” and “Start-up Business School.”
Late in this book, the author tackles the issue of fear as an impediment that prevents many individuals from boldly stepping into the Intersection of overlapping disciplines and fields. He shares an extensive analysis of Larry Susskind, a professor at MIT and Harvard Law School.
“Although he never pursued a law degree, Susskind specializes in negotiations and has mediated large-scale disputes all over the world in most types of industries. During his career Susskind has zigzagged through a plethora of fields. He majored in English, earned a Ph.D. in urban planning, and then served as external director for an environmental consulting firm, as a planning consultant, negotiation advisor, and policy analyst, working in China, Spain, Japan and Israel. Through all of that, he has become one of the most innovative leaders in conflict resolution. So, I asked Susskind one morning if he believes his insights would have been possible if he had stuck with one established field and shied away form the Intersection.
‘Well, no,’ he admitted, leaning back in his chair. ‘I do believe in this stuff,’ he says. ‘I really do. The greatest risk is not taking one.’ He hesitates for a second before going on. ‘But what happens when you have to give advice to others that you care about, like your kids? I’m not sure what to tell my kids. Do I tell them that all you have to do is take chances, not to specialize, not to focus? I know that specializing will do well for them in life. So I just don’t know; I don’t know what to tell them.’
Neither do I. It depends . . . Like all of us, his kids will eventually have to make up their own minds. But what I do know is that if they wish to break new ground, stepping into the Intersection will give them the most opportunities to do so – today, more than ever. It is the best chance we have to change the world. We should take it.” (Pages 181-2)
Over the past several years, I have had some exposure to innovators and entrepreneurs that have stepped into an Intersection that is broadly described as “nanotechnology.” I see these emerging fields as a perfect paradigm for the ideas that Johansson is putting forward in this book. Within the worlds of nanotechnology, scientists from the fields of physics, chemistry, material science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and biochemistry – to name just a few – have laid aside traditional boundaries and collaborated to create a new and rapidly evolving field that allows manipulation of single atoms to produce minuscule machines and products.
Johansson’s book is both a manifesto for innovators and an Emancipation Proclamation for those enslaved and trapped within the boundaries of traditional fields of study and practice.
So, on this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 2006, it is not entirely inappropriate to apply the words of that great orator and innovator to the topic at hand:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
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Monday, January 16, 2006
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Musings from the Meadowlands – On Hippos, Hubris and Hope
I had my first taste of tailgating at the Meadowlands this past Sunday. I was the guest of a motley crew of diehard Jets fans – mostly
A lot happened on the field – and on the sidelines – that day when the Patriots defeated the Jets 38-14. Let me offer my thoughts on the day’s events and the aftermath in the form of a three-part alliterative rant on Hippos, Hubris, and Hope.
Hippos – When the New England Patriots signed NFL Bad Boy, Randy Moss, during the off-season, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, imagining a motivated Randy Moss as an additional weapon to add to Tom Brady’s arsenal made me – and most Pats fans – drool with anticipation. On the other hand, this football organization has presented itself as one of character and pride – and Randy Moss – for much of his career – seemed to epitomize the very opposite of the kind of player the Patriots typically draft, develop and trade for.
My theology is such that I understand both original sin and grace, so part of me was hopeful that with him working and playing under the tutelage of a disciplinarian like Bill Belichick, Moss could take advantage of the “grace” and expiation being offered by the Patriots’ welcoming him with open arms. I was cautiously optimistic that Moss might emerge – not only as a force on the field – but as a model NFL citizen.
Moss missed much of training camp with injuries, and it was uncertain whether he would be able to put on his shoulder pads for the opening game at The Meadowlands. So, imagine my delight, sitting high above the 30-yard line in picturesque East Rutherford, New Jersey – hard by the skeletal beginnings of what will be the Xanadu entertainment and retail complex – when Tom Brady and Randy Moss began to put on a passing clinic. The highlight was a glorious 51-yard pass for a TD that had Moss lining up on the Patriots own 49 yard line. He scampered like a gazelle downfield, blowing by three Jets defensive backs, who were left looking like the dancing hippos from Disney’s classic film, “Fantasia.” That play, and Ellis Hobbs’ earlier record-setting 108 yard kick-off return, seemed to cut the heart out of the Jets – and their fans. By the middle of the 4th quarter, most Jets fans had fled to the parking lot and the healing libations on ice in their beer coolers.
Hubris – I did not have much time to savor the Patriots victory on the field, for by the time we drove out of the parking lot, the radio was beginning to report early hints of what is becoming known as “Spygate.” Someone with Pats credentials was caught on the sidelines filming Jets defensive signals – a clear violation of NFL rules. We have learned in the past few days that Pats’ videographer, Matt Estrella, playing “Apprentice” to Belichick’s “Sorcerer” (sticking with the Disney film theme!) was indeed openly violating a rule that had been reinforced this season with a memo to all NFL teams.
Another Disney film gives us yet another perspective on the Pats sideline shenanigans – the song “A Whole
“A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming.”
The Patriots have long been suspected of bending and breaking the rules to gain competitive advantage, but this was the first “smoking gun” incident in which the cameraman and the organization were caught red-handed.
Talk radio in
“All is fair in love and war.”
“What’s the big deal; everyone is doing it”
“Cheating is cheating”
“They should have to give back their three Super Bowls!”
I have asked myself, “Why?” Why would Belichick, a consensus first-ballot Hall of Fame Coach, risk his reputation and legacy to gain a small advantage? The only satisfactory answer is hubris – overbearing pride and self-confidence. The Greek gods took delight in sniffing out hubris and humiliating the offending mortals. It was hubris that lay at the heart of Nixon’s disgrace and the Watergate scandal and cover-up. Nixon was riding high and was assured of re-election. He did not need to send a team of burglars into the Watergate complex to spy on the defensive signals being sent from the sidelines by the Democratic National Committee. But he could not resist the temptation to be too clever by half and to pile on the Democrats.
It was hubris that drove Barry Bonds, already assured enshrinement in
(see review http://whiterhinoreport.blogspot.com/search?q=Ghiberti )
Like the Renaissance innovators of old, the Krafts have assembled a team of the best and the brightest from a variety of disciplines – coaching, strength training, medicine, contracts, finance, accounting, architecture, marketing, public relations and player development. Their innovations in running a model franchise became the envy of sports franchises in every sport. How ironic that Belichick, who cut his coaching teeth at the U.S. Naval Academy watching his father coach at an institution renowned for honor and integrity, should become the “Peck’s Bad Boy” of NFL coaches. How ironic that Belichick himself is in need of the kind of grace and expiation he offered a few short month’s ago to the former miscreant, Randy Moss.
As a sports fan, I am angry that cheating has become second nature for many athletes and coaches alike. As a Patriots’ fan, I am embarrassed and saddened that a pall will hang over the celebration of each victory in the future, and a shadow of doubt will continue to haunt and to hover over the exploits of the past.
Hope – Let’s put things in perspective. While Moss was gallivanting into the Jets backfield, while Estrella was spying on the Jets’ sideline, and while Belichick was getting into the Jets’ head by sticking it to his former protégé, Jets’ coach, Eric Mangini, something of note was happening on another NFL field. Buffalo Bills Special Teams player, Kevin Everett, suffered what doctors termed a “catastrophic and life-threatening cervical spine injury” while making a tackle during the second-half kick-off against the Denver Broncos. The early reports from doctors were grim, holding out little hope of recovery – and questioning his ability to survive the injury.
In the past several days, to the delight and shock of all the experts –
Let me conclude this long-winded disquisition by returning to the theme of Disney animated films. In “Pinocchio,” Jimmy Cricket sings these words that were part of the background music of my childhood.
“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those to love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true”
So, here are my wishes:
That Kevin Everett will miraculously rise from his bed to walk with his head held high and live a healthy and satisfying life.
That Bill Belichick will come down from his lofty perch behind the podium at Gillette Stadium and walk more humbly. That he will learn from his time of playing naughty with the ruffians on
That we will not walk away from sports because of the scandals, but that we will come to a place where we can all once again enjoy sports – playing, coaching and watching – as a healthy and honest way for men, women and children to test themselves and stretch themselves to achieve both victory and personal satisfaction in an atmosphere of fair play. Is that possible, or have we come full circle and we are back to “Fantasia”? I hope not.
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