Profiles of Genius

Book excerpt: The story of creative and innovative behavior is about change," says author Gene N. Landrum. "In this case it is about thirteen iconoclastic individuals who have demonstrated a unique ability to deal with change in the world and redefine it for their own purposes." Landrum calls these individuals the "change masters," entrepreneurial geniuses whose innovations have had a profound influence on modern society: Steven Jobs (Apple Computer), Fred Smith (Federal Express), Tom Monaghan (Domino's Pizza), Nolan Bushnell (Atari), William Gates III (Microsoft), Marcel Bich (Bic), Solomon Price (The Price Club), Howard Head (Head Ski), William Lear (Lear Jet), Soichiro Honda (Honda), Akio Morita (Sony), Arthur Jones (Nautilus), and Ted Turner (CNN). Each of these business giants was motivated by what Landrum describes as an "innovisionary personality," which drove them to follow a unique inner vision of success and gave them an inviolable belief in themselves. Profiles of Genius demonstrates, through thirteen dynamic examples, that future entrepreneurial success in a global marketplace will depend on technological innovation, adaptability to change, intelligent risk-taking, and competitive drive.