Quirky: The Remarkable Story of the Traits, Foibles, and Genius of Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World Audiobook (Free)

The science behind the traits and quirks that get creative geniuses to make spectacular breakthroughs

What really distinguishes the individuals who literally transformation the world–those creative geniuses who give us one discovery after another? What differentiates Marie Curie or Elon Musk from your merely creative, the many one-hit wonders among us?

Melissa Schilling, among the world’s leading experts on advancement, invites us into the lives of eight people–Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, about Quirky: The Remarkable Tale of the Attributes, Foibles, and Genius of Discovery Innovators Who all Changed the World Elon Musk, Dean Kamen, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, and Steve Jobs–to identify the qualities and encounters that drove them to make spectacular breakthroughs, again and again. While all innovators possess incredible intellect, intellect by itself, she shows, will not create a breakthrough innovator. It had been their personal, sociable, and emotional quirkiness that allowed true genius to break through–not just once but again and again.

Nearly all from the innovators, for instance, exhibited high levels of social detachment that enabled these to break with norms, an nearly maniacal faith in their ability to overcome obstacles, and a separate idealism that pushed them to utilize intensity even when confronted with criticism or failure. While these individual traits will be unlikely to function in isolation–being unconventional with no high degrees of self-confidence, effort, and objective directedness might, for example, bring about rebellious behavior that will not lead to meaningful outcomes–together they are able to fuel both ability and get to pursue what others consider impossible.

Schilling shares the science behind the convergence of qualities that escalates the probability of success. And, as Schilling also reveals, there is much to understand about nurturing breakthrough creativity in our personal lives–in, for example, the way we run institutions, manage people, and even how we increase our children.