Book review: The Medici Effect

May 23, 2022

Chief Idea Officer, Elizabeth Estes, comes from a family of readers and has always appreciated the theatre of the mind that reading creates. Still a voracious reader, Elizabeth attributes her active imagination and higher-than-average dose of creativity to her literary life.

First book up for review: The Medici Effect

The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson was called “a work of art” by Entrepreneur magazine. It’s set in the 14th century during the Italian Renaissance, when sculptors worked alongside poets; philosophers next to financiers, and artists next to architects, to create learnings that drove the greatest era of innovation in world history.

Johansson argues that it’s up to us as creators and marketers to continually seek out people who have completely different backgrounds than ours because it’s only by interacting with those who know nothing about our products or processes that we can gain the perspectives needed to drive innovative thinking. It’s essential that we be curious enough to question others about their industries, jobs, and approaches. And in doing so, we might just be able to find an additive to what we do every day.

Key Takeaway: What can we learn from the 14th century Italian Renaissance that we can use today in business? The greatest breakthroughs and disruptive innovation come from the intersection of different verticals, different cultures, and people with different backgrounds.

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