Flipping the Script: How John Lasseter Revolutionized Media
The first step in solving the problem is to define the problem, and, to do that, sometimes we have to flip the script.
Category: Essays
Falsification: How Failure Leads to Success
Thomas Edison had been working on a nickel-iron battery when his associate Walter S. Mallory stopped by the lab. For over five months, Edison hadn’t
Post-Human Human Interest
Google Gemini is running an ad during the Olympics that is utterly heartbreaking, and not in a good way. In it, parents want to help
It’s a Free Road: How Bobbi Gibbs Transformed Running
In February 1966 Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb applied to run in the Boston Marathon. She had always been a big runner. In college, she would run
Focus on What You Control: How Tom Brady’s Mindset Shift Made Him the Best
During his second year at Michigan, Tom Brady was thinking about transferring. He was third string and feared he wasn’t getting the opportunity to show
Rising to the Occasion: Using Strategic Challenges to Improve
Without a challenge, a creative response is not possible.
The ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech that Almost Never Happened
Midway through his speech at the 1963 March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. changed his mind. The Baptist minister had intended to use his
How Bob Geldorf’s Christmas Miracle Changed Pop Music Forever
On a chilly October 23rd, 1984, Bob Geldorf turned on the BBC to watch a tragedy unfolding in Ethiopia. The country was experiencing one of
Choosing Goodness: The Scare that Changed Anthony Burgess’ Life
In 1959, while teaching English in Brunei, Anthony Burgess was told that he had a brain tumor and had less than a year to live.
How the Samwer Brothers Cloned Their Way to the Top
In 1998, Marc Samwer noticed something odd. The German native was living in San Francisco with his brothers, Oliver and Alexander, when he discovered that
Berry Gordy and the Process that Made the Motown Sound
Berry Gordy always knew that he would be in the music industry. But, when his record store failed, he was forced to get a regular
Use the Difficulty: How to Turn Obstacles into Opportunities
When Michael Caine was a young actor, he was rehearsing an improv play and got stuck. The actor in the scene before him had thrown
In Praise of Overthinking
There are not many things that people agree on these days, but one of them might be overthinking. Everywhere you look, people are sharing how
Frequency Hopping: How Hedy Lamarr Used Analogy to Spark a New Technology
Hedy Lamarr was never one for conventions. As a young actress in the 1930s, she flouted the Hollywood social scene. Instead, she filled her free
Wu Wei: How to Accomplish More By Doing Less
In 1960, Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax was ready to call it quits. Despite having impressive power, he never seemed to be able to control his
Buckminster Fuller’s Epiphany and the Importance of Thinking Truth
As a young man, R. Buckminster Fuller never quite fit in. One of the great polymaths of the 20th century, Fuller wrote more than 30
‘Flavor Pairing’: How Roberta and Ken Williams Transformed Computer Games
In 1979, Roberta Williams had no plans to revolutionize the gaming world. Since childhood, she had always been a storyteller, but she had no experience
Sal Khan and the Power of the Flipped Classroom
Sal Khan was tutoring his niece Nadia when he began to see a pattern. Nadia and other students were smart, but they weren’t performing in
Ray Kroc and the Magic of Franchising
When Ray Kroc was opening his first McDonald’s franchise, the first thing he tested was the fries. Of all the great things that the McDonald
The Origins of Ritz-Carlton’s Famous $2,000 Rule
In the early 1980s, renowned hotelier Horst Schulze was brought on to revive the legendary Ritz-Carlton chain. One of the first things he did was