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The Innovator's Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible
Think Beyond the Box to Create True Innovation
In today’s business climate, innovation isn’t optional; it’s an imperative. Everyone wants to create new products and services, find new customers and markets, stay ahead of the competition, and work smarter instead of harder. Yet with all the focus and attention on innovation, the term has become an overused buzzword rather than a real, tangible concept. If you want to seriously pursue innovation—you need to strip away the hype.
Real innovators need to transcend the existing ideas, rules, and patterns to discover exciting new outcomes. They must step outside the best practice box and get their hands dirty. The spirit of a true innovator is rooted in wanting to do something that has never been done before, to solve problems that have never been solved, and to run through walls and leap over tall buildings to get there.
In The Innovator’s Spirit, author Chuck Swoboda—retired chairman and CEO of Cree, a company that fundamentally changed the way people experience light and drove the obsolescence of the Edison light bulb—explains that innovation is fundamentally about people and shows his readers how to develop a mindset of creativity, risk-taking, and hard work, and a belief that there is always a better way.
In today’s business climate, innovation isn’t optional; it’s an imperative. Everyone wants to create new products and services, find new customers and markets, stay ahead of the competition, and work smarter instead of harder. Yet with all the focus and attention on innovation, the term has become an overused buzzword rather than a real, tangible concept. If you want to seriously pursue innovation—you need to strip away the hype.
Real innovators need to transcend the existing ideas, rules, and patterns to discover exciting new outcomes. They must step outside the best practice box and get their hands dirty. The spirit of a true innovator is rooted in wanting to do something that has never been done before, to solve problems that have never been solved, and to run through walls and leap over tall buildings to get there.
In The Innovator’s Spirit, author Chuck Swoboda—retired chairman and CEO of Cree, a company that fundamentally changed the way people experience light and drove the obsolescence of the Edison light bulb—explains that innovation is fundamentally about people and shows his readers how to develop a mindset of creativity, risk-taking, and hard work, and a belief that there is always a better way.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2020
33 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 22, 2020
We are seeing slow transition from filament bulbs to CFL and now to LED lights. It has been made possible by innovators like Cree which is pioneers company which made blue LED.
It's former CEO takes us through various possible reasons why his company could do what it has achieved.
Book is written in typical interesting nonfiction book with lots of real world stories to corroborate the principles outlined in the book.
It is divided into crisp chapters with minimal repetition.
Although we find common stories like kodak, apple, PARC, Fedex in there , but author has gone little ahead than common nonfiction books about innovation.
First time I got to read about huge failures of big firms like microsoft, Google and Apple and even Amazon.
No body tells you those stories even if saying that failure will occur in 90% of new efforts.
It is a very informative, deep and easy on mind work. To know about journey of LED is also fascinating.
A very interesting study about why innovation is must for big organisations to survive.
From basic reasons why innovation falls behind as company grows and how few firms are maintaining their innovative edge.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend to everyone interested to go deep in business and technology.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
It's former CEO takes us through various possible reasons why his company could do what it has achieved.
Book is written in typical interesting nonfiction book with lots of real world stories to corroborate the principles outlined in the book.
It is divided into crisp chapters with minimal repetition.
Although we find common stories like kodak, apple, PARC, Fedex in there , but author has gone little ahead than common nonfiction books about innovation.
First time I got to read about huge failures of big firms like microsoft, Google and Apple and even Amazon.
No body tells you those stories even if saying that failure will occur in 90% of new efforts.
It is a very informative, deep and easy on mind work. To know about journey of LED is also fascinating.
A very interesting study about why innovation is must for big organisations to survive.
From basic reasons why innovation falls behind as company grows and how few firms are maintaining their innovative edge.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend to everyone interested to go deep in business and technology.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.
April 29, 2020
I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways contest. This book serves as a rule book on how to cultivate your innovative spirit. The funny thing is, the first step to being innovative is to throw out the rule book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It combines personal insights from Chuck Swoboda's time as the CEO of Cree as well as a look through history at famous innovators and companies that made decisions that were proven to be innovative for them or the exact opposite. The conclusion chapter is a little bit sloppy as motivate was spelled "motive" and there are several run-on sentences. In the conclusion chapter, some sentences began with verbs or prepositions such as "because". Other than that, I found the format of this book very conducive to learning. I really liked the chapter recaps. It was very enlightening to learn the difference between managing a company and leading a company in the 21st century.
June 18, 2020
This book challenges the way you believe you should think. It reminds you it is not only okay to fail, but you should fail; getting in the weeds (especially as you climb the ranks) is essential to success; only you can create your own future; and so much more. It was an interesting read that brought in both the author’s real world experiences, as well as the experiences of many innovators throughout history, such as Marie Curie, Elon Musk, and Henry Ford.
I found this book inspirational as numerous (if not all) of the messages from each chapter can be applied to virtually any job today. I also liked the brief recaps at the end of each chapter.
I believe this book will become a great resource for future entrepreneurs to read as they work to find their innovators spirit.
I found this book inspirational as numerous (if not all) of the messages from each chapter can be applied to virtually any job today. I also liked the brief recaps at the end of each chapter.
I believe this book will become a great resource for future entrepreneurs to read as they work to find their innovators spirit.
June 26, 2020
I won this book from the giveaway.
I love these types of books. Motivating, with tons of examples of how people can take their life in their own hands improve themselves and their circumstances.
Excellent book.
Will read again!
I love these types of books. Motivating, with tons of examples of how people can take their life in their own hands improve themselves and their circumstances.
Excellent book.
Will read again!
June 1, 2020
I got this book as part of a Goodread's giveaway. Very well thought out book, easy to read. Great ideas regarding innovation. Examples from a variety of different types of businesses - so easy to relate to. Highly recommend it - it's one of the best business related books I've read.
April 29, 2020
Excellent. Easy to understand. Helpful. I recommend this book.
July 19, 2020
Full disclosure: I have been fortunate to know Chuck Swoboda for more than 15 years. Marquette University is my employer and one of my main responsibilities is working with the Board of Trustees. Chuck served on the Marquette board for twelve years, including two as Chair. Reading "The Innovator's Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible" made me realize that I wish I had asked Chuck more questions in the years when we were working together. At the time, I would think that Chuck was so busy leading a large corporation, I can't bother him. Yet when we did talk, they were good conversations. Chuck was helpful and understanding.
One of the questions Chuck asks in the book is, "What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career?" After reflecting on this question, my answer is being afraid to offer my insights and not speaking up as much as I should. I've gotten much better about being willing to speak with courageous authenticity in recent years. Chuck's book helped realize this insight.
The book shows how innovators figure out ways to remove barriers in organizations and how they take risks to overcome challenges. How leaders get people to work together to do things that haven't been done before. There is so much that is helpful in the book. For example, shifting from "I did my part and that's not my responsibility" to "I own it and will find a solution." Another example is having to discuss brutal truths and how a lack of candor, if unchecked, leads to a dysfunctional organization. How to help an organization solve problems rather than wasting time pretending there aren't any. Admitting you don't have all the answers. Owning your own shortcomings and acknowledging mistakes since that is how you learn. Not focusing on blame, but rather what people will do differently next time. Going to the problem to understand it better. Having knowledge about many different area and making connections - what I would call systems awareness. Solving the problems of customers, knowing that people don't know what to ask for, especially when it comes to innovation.
"When the experts say you can't, it is often a signal that you have found a problem worth solving" (p. 152). Being open to accepting risk. You will learn things by jumping into the unknown. Being unafraid of failure. Not being limited by best practices. "There is rarely a path to innovation through continuous improvement, because the big breakthroughs usually come from discontinuous ideas." (p. 188) How you will have to continually convince others that there is a better way. Trying to stop knowing everything and start doing something, what Chuck describes as being "directionally correct" (p. 199). In other words, you don't have to wait for perfection, and "In the process of chasing perfection, you will achieve excellence" (p. 215). Particularly relevant for current times is Chuck's assertion that the best way to innovate is to "seal off your ability to retreat. That's how you create focus" (p. 225). Chuck also describes the defense mechanisms that people will use to prevent innovation.
Overall, this is a helpful and well-written book. I have found myself quoting the book regularly at work. That is a key difference from most business/leadership books that I've read in the past. Most of them contain such platitudes and you quickly forget. "The Innovator's Spirit" was memorable and is helping me be a better leader. Great job, Chuck!
One of the questions Chuck asks in the book is, "What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career?" After reflecting on this question, my answer is being afraid to offer my insights and not speaking up as much as I should. I've gotten much better about being willing to speak with courageous authenticity in recent years. Chuck's book helped realize this insight.
The book shows how innovators figure out ways to remove barriers in organizations and how they take risks to overcome challenges. How leaders get people to work together to do things that haven't been done before. There is so much that is helpful in the book. For example, shifting from "I did my part and that's not my responsibility" to "I own it and will find a solution." Another example is having to discuss brutal truths and how a lack of candor, if unchecked, leads to a dysfunctional organization. How to help an organization solve problems rather than wasting time pretending there aren't any. Admitting you don't have all the answers. Owning your own shortcomings and acknowledging mistakes since that is how you learn. Not focusing on blame, but rather what people will do differently next time. Going to the problem to understand it better. Having knowledge about many different area and making connections - what I would call systems awareness. Solving the problems of customers, knowing that people don't know what to ask for, especially when it comes to innovation.
"When the experts say you can't, it is often a signal that you have found a problem worth solving" (p. 152). Being open to accepting risk. You will learn things by jumping into the unknown. Being unafraid of failure. Not being limited by best practices. "There is rarely a path to innovation through continuous improvement, because the big breakthroughs usually come from discontinuous ideas." (p. 188) How you will have to continually convince others that there is a better way. Trying to stop knowing everything and start doing something, what Chuck describes as being "directionally correct" (p. 199). In other words, you don't have to wait for perfection, and "In the process of chasing perfection, you will achieve excellence" (p. 215). Particularly relevant for current times is Chuck's assertion that the best way to innovate is to "seal off your ability to retreat. That's how you create focus" (p. 225). Chuck also describes the defense mechanisms that people will use to prevent innovation.
Overall, this is a helpful and well-written book. I have found myself quoting the book regularly at work. That is a key difference from most business/leadership books that I've read in the past. Most of them contain such platitudes and you quickly forget. "The Innovator's Spirit" was memorable and is helping me be a better leader. Great job, Chuck!
May 3, 2020
Chuck Swoboda’s book "The Innovator’s Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible" is the result of over three decades as an innovator in the technology field – he boasts more than twenty-five patents covering LEDs and other lighting technology as a co-inventor and is the retired CEO and Chairman of Cree, Inc. He now serves as President of Cape Point Advisors and Innovator-in-residence at Marquette University. Those experiences as well as his work as a public speaker and host of the “Innovators on Tap” podcast inform his thinking on innovation and even a single reading reveals Swoboda to be an impassioned advocate for following your innovator within.
It is his first book and his exuberance is palpable. Swoboda has a clear love for innovative thought and action that shines through each of the book’s twelve chapters but he never allows his passion for innovation to take the text off track. The book retains a tight focus on the subject at hand throughout "The Innovator’s Spirit" and remains faithful to the guiding impulse behind its conception that Swoboda describes early on. He doesn’t intend to write some sort of guidebook for would-be innovators but, instead, seeks to reclaim a measure of his own innovative spirit as well as exploring what makes an innovator and, ideally, helping readers get in touch with those characteristics within themselves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: www.chuckswoboda.com
The personal touch present in The Innovator’s Spirit will be a major attraction for many readers. Swoboda isn’t shy about sharing his personal experiences as a pre-eminent innovator in the technology world and his enthusiasm strikes an inspiring note at various points. His authorial voice is challenging without ever seeming strident. Swoboda, as he states early on, isn’t interested in producing a “how to” manual on realizing your innovative ideas but, instead, wants to motivate readers and browbeating them will never accomplish that. His conversational style of connecting with the reader encourages confidence from beginning to end.
The book is lengthier than you might expect, but you can attribute this to two key factors – the obvious labor of love it is for Swoboda and the book’s scope. Swoboda attempts to fashion as all encompassing of a text as he can without belaboring or repeating himself and succeeds. It moves at an appreciable clip that allows readers to digest its contents in a few sittings at most and Swoboda structures it in such a way that returning to the book at a later point is not only possible, but also desirable.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Spi...
"The Innovator’s Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible" is Swoboda’s first book but his natural affinity for sharing his story will lead many readers to believe it isn’t his last. This is a marvelous reading experience from beginning to end and brimming with invigorating, rambunctious energy. This reads like a book that’s been three decades in the making and far more than Chuck Swoboda’s innovative spirit comes through – his spirit for life itself burns bright and illuminates every insight and observation contained within these pages.
It is his first book and his exuberance is palpable. Swoboda has a clear love for innovative thought and action that shines through each of the book’s twelve chapters but he never allows his passion for innovation to take the text off track. The book retains a tight focus on the subject at hand throughout "The Innovator’s Spirit" and remains faithful to the guiding impulse behind its conception that Swoboda describes early on. He doesn’t intend to write some sort of guidebook for would-be innovators but, instead, seeks to reclaim a measure of his own innovative spirit as well as exploring what makes an innovator and, ideally, helping readers get in touch with those characteristics within themselves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: www.chuckswoboda.com
The personal touch present in The Innovator’s Spirit will be a major attraction for many readers. Swoboda isn’t shy about sharing his personal experiences as a pre-eminent innovator in the technology world and his enthusiasm strikes an inspiring note at various points. His authorial voice is challenging without ever seeming strident. Swoboda, as he states early on, isn’t interested in producing a “how to” manual on realizing your innovative ideas but, instead, wants to motivate readers and browbeating them will never accomplish that. His conversational style of connecting with the reader encourages confidence from beginning to end.
The book is lengthier than you might expect, but you can attribute this to two key factors – the obvious labor of love it is for Swoboda and the book’s scope. Swoboda attempts to fashion as all encompassing of a text as he can without belaboring or repeating himself and succeeds. It moves at an appreciable clip that allows readers to digest its contents in a few sittings at most and Swoboda structures it in such a way that returning to the book at a later point is not only possible, but also desirable.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Spi...
"The Innovator’s Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible" is Swoboda’s first book but his natural affinity for sharing his story will lead many readers to believe it isn’t his last. This is a marvelous reading experience from beginning to end and brimming with invigorating, rambunctious energy. This reads like a book that’s been three decades in the making and far more than Chuck Swoboda’s innovative spirit comes through – his spirit for life itself burns bright and illuminates every insight and observation contained within these pages.
June 13, 2020
Too many leadership books focus on ensuring predictable outcomes. Author Chuck Swoboda ensures THIS book is about the leadership vital to innovation.
Swoboda emphasizes that "one of the reasons people struggle to lead innovation is because, at its core, innovation is messy. It’s inefficient at times . . . All too often, managers and, frankly, many executives think they can sit in their office and order to just go “innovate.” The successful leader of innovation is NOT afraid to roll up their sleeves, take risk, and chance failure.
This book is not about innovating a way to work, but working to succeed in leading innovation.
Swoboda emphasizes that "one of the reasons people struggle to lead innovation is because, at its core, innovation is messy. It’s inefficient at times . . . All too often, managers and, frankly, many executives think they can sit in their office and order to just go “innovate.” The successful leader of innovation is NOT afraid to roll up their sleeves, take risk, and chance failure.
This book is not about innovating a way to work, but working to succeed in leading innovation.
January 1, 2024
Outstanding! Chuck Swoboda shares his experience collaborating with his teammates at Cree to disrupt the lighting industry with their innovative LED lights.
Lessons include eschewing best practices, embracing failure and monumental leaps over perfection and incremental growth, brutal and honest feedback, and leading rather than managing.
A great book that is engaging, concise and well researched.
Lessons include eschewing best practices, embracing failure and monumental leaps over perfection and incremental growth, brutal and honest feedback, and leading rather than managing.
A great book that is engaging, concise and well researched.
September 10, 2020
Chuck, I like you! I enjoyed reading your book, it was well written and I really enjoyed reading about your mindset throughout your career. Thanks for reminding us that despite what some may think, success really doesn't happen overnight.
If you really want to learn about innovation, this is your book!
If you really want to learn about innovation, this is your book!
January 16, 2021
Great book. As a research engineer I found it particularly insightful. However, I believe that everyone would benefit from reading this.
It's very well written and hard to put down. Has a nice flow.
It's very well written and hard to put down. Has a nice flow.
January 26, 2021
It's an interesting book. I liked about 30% of it. I feel as though the book relates to innovators as being big business. It relates well to those who are in big business or are wanting to be in big business. I don't feel it relates well to those innovators on a small level.
Read
June 13, 2020Encouraging word for the new things you have to bring forth to the world.
July 24, 2021
Colorful anecdotes and learnings from the author's impressive personal experience with some decent thoughts, but held back by a few key problems:
- Survivorship bias. The author cites Sun Tzu and Hernan Cortes that one should destroy one's own path of retreat in order to promote focus and go "all-in" on finding a solution, but how many times throughout history has this strategy not worked and resulted in defeat and a total wipe out without anyone left to tell the tale? In order for this to be valid advice, a comprehensive study would need to be done to show that it works more than just a few outlying times. Leaving some reserves in order to come back and try again is usually more sensible.
- Inconsistency & bias. Apple apparently broke off an expensive contract at one point with Cree, the author's company, which left a bad taste in their mouth, and companies like Apple and Google are no longer innovative according to the author. Yet despite this they continue to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in real value to customers every year in excess of what Cree produced in its most innovative form. Apple would not have become a $2T company if it were not still innovative.
- Subjective definitions. For some reason, the author categorically differentiates between "innovation" and "invention" despite them being largely synonymous. The author is wrong that an invention that does not yield financial profit from direct application(s) must not be innovative--the invention may simply be before its time and still leave a legacy for future inventions to build upon after the term of its patent. Another example is the difference between "management" and "leadership"--while I may agree more on this bifurcation, the author seems to hint at their own shortcomings as Cree's culture was apparently becoming too management-oriented by the time they left. This must have unfolded under their watch as the company developed and matured as it grew, but no real solutions seem to be offered (else the author may have prevented the problem from developing in their organization).
In conclusion, the book is not bad but of limited value, as it cannot provide instructions for innovation as the author repeatedly states because then it would not be innovative but routine. There are some decent ideas and personal anecdotes, a couple of practices that the author favors such as asking "Fermi questions" in interviews and the "Agile methodology" which may be new to some but are themselves years old in industry and a bit tired at this point, and the problems listed above.
- Survivorship bias. The author cites Sun Tzu and Hernan Cortes that one should destroy one's own path of retreat in order to promote focus and go "all-in" on finding a solution, but how many times throughout history has this strategy not worked and resulted in defeat and a total wipe out without anyone left to tell the tale? In order for this to be valid advice, a comprehensive study would need to be done to show that it works more than just a few outlying times. Leaving some reserves in order to come back and try again is usually more sensible.
- Inconsistency & bias. Apple apparently broke off an expensive contract at one point with Cree, the author's company, which left a bad taste in their mouth, and companies like Apple and Google are no longer innovative according to the author. Yet despite this they continue to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in real value to customers every year in excess of what Cree produced in its most innovative form. Apple would not have become a $2T company if it were not still innovative.
- Subjective definitions. For some reason, the author categorically differentiates between "innovation" and "invention" despite them being largely synonymous. The author is wrong that an invention that does not yield financial profit from direct application(s) must not be innovative--the invention may simply be before its time and still leave a legacy for future inventions to build upon after the term of its patent. Another example is the difference between "management" and "leadership"--while I may agree more on this bifurcation, the author seems to hint at their own shortcomings as Cree's culture was apparently becoming too management-oriented by the time they left. This must have unfolded under their watch as the company developed and matured as it grew, but no real solutions seem to be offered (else the author may have prevented the problem from developing in their organization).
In conclusion, the book is not bad but of limited value, as it cannot provide instructions for innovation as the author repeatedly states because then it would not be innovative but routine. There are some decent ideas and personal anecdotes, a couple of practices that the author favors such as asking "Fermi questions" in interviews and the "Agile methodology" which may be new to some but are themselves years old in industry and a bit tired at this point, and the problems listed above.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews