Profiles of female genius

About this book

"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 "inno-visionary personality", which drove them to follow a unique inner vision of success and gave them an inviolable belief in themselves.^ Landrum draws up personality profiles for all of these men and discusses the key psychological factors that gave them the edge over their competition. Among the factors addressed are psychosexual drive, the willingness to take abnormal risks, visionary perspective, an unshakable belief system, a tendency to rely on intuition and holistic solutions more than on quantitative analysis, and, above all, boundless energy and persistence, even in the face of disaster. In the process of defining the secrets of success, Landrum also critiques traditional big-business management philosophy, with its stodgy bureaucratic mentality, obsession with quarterly earnings, risk aversion, and myopia to long-term investment. Profiles in 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. The author, creator of the Chuck E.^ Cheese "family entertainment" chain (parent torture to some), has chosen 13 women to profile; among them, Liz Claiborne, Jane Fonda, Madonna, Golda Meir, Gloria Steinem, and Margaret Thatcher--and he identifies the characteristics he thinks have made them succeed.