Beyond Genius: The 12 Essential Traits of Today's Renaissance Men

by Scott Griffiths, Eric Elfman

What do Richard Branson, Quincy Jones, Yvon Chouinard, Dave Stewart, Elon Musk, Frank Nuovo, John Paul DeJoria and Steve Jobs have in common with Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and Sir Isaac Newton? They all share the 12 Essential Traits of the Renaissance Man. BEYOND GENIUS travels through history to determine the 12 essential traits that define a Renaissance Man, then applies those attributes to determine some of the Renaissance Men of today. We tell their stories of determination and perseverance, their expertise in a variety of fields, their insatiable curiosity, the infusion of their wisdom and creativity into our culture. We explore the making of a Renaissance Man and the deep connection these men have to advancements in the sciences, the arts and our way of being. Scott Griffiths & Eric Elfman, and their team, have put more than 1,000 hours of research into studying the history of the Renaissance Man, identifying common attributes that are constant throughout time, and identifying a select group today's most successful Renaissance Men. By understanding these traits, identifying and developing them, the innerRenaissance Man can be unleashed in more men for the betterment of the world.

270 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2012

Reviews

[Dave Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors have researched the essential traits that can be attributed to “Renaissance Men” in history. The best part of the book is the very first page, where the authors list the 12 traits, they found to be consistent in these special people. The rest of the book is illustrating how various individuals such as Richard Branson, Quincy Jones, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and others have exhibited these traits.

Here they are:

1) I am outstanding in my field and exceptional in many areas.
2) I am insatiably curious
3) I embrace culture
4) I merge my left brain and my right brain.
5) I delight in sharing what I do.
6) I have the courage to take risks.
7) I create.
8) I persevere.
9) I am passionate.
10) I have vision.
11) I challenge the status quo.
12) I shape the future.

Read this book if you are fascinated by the people profiled in the book.

[Hannibal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting. Read half of it a long time ago and disliked it quite a bit but on re-reading it was better. Starts out with a brief 30ish page examination of the traits of renaissance men then goes onto short biographies of famous historical renaissance men. For someone more interested in this topic would likely be 4-4.5 star book. In both the examination of traits and the book more broadly there was nothing especially enlightening or novel from this book though.

[Robert Bogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

At some level we all would love to be a genius. The drive for mastery that was discussed in Drive is a part of how our new creative class of people operates. While many people are content to focus on a single area of mastery and expertise there are some folks for whom one specialty isn’t sufficient. These are the renaissance men that Beyond Genius: 12 Essential Traits of Today’s Renaissance Men is focused on.

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