Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog

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Curiosity: The Key to Improving Innovation, Engagement, Creativity, and Productivity

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious” – Albert Einstein

Everyone is born curious. So, what happens? Why do some people become less curious than others? For individuals, leaders, and companies to be successful, they must determine the things that hold curiosity hostage. Think of the most innovative companies, and you will notice they employ people who do not accept the status quo, they are not reluctant to change, they evolve with the times, they look for problems to solve, and focus on asking questions.

Billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates held a question and answer session at Columbia University. Just after the 5-minute mark, the moderator asked, “What is it that you two share?” They both answered with the same thing: curiosity. Buffett said, “Well, we both certainly share a curiosity about the world.” Gates said, “I think that curiosity that Warren mentioned, is an amazing thing.”

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50 Famous People Who Failed Before Becoming Successful

In my book, How to Reinvent Your Career, I write about how some things we see as failures may actually lead us to something better.  The following is a list of 50 famous people compiled by Katrina Solomon from onlinecollege.org who failed before they became successes:

  1.  Henry Ford
  2.  R. H. Macy
  3.  F. W. Woolworth
  4.  Soichiro Honda
  5.  Akio Morita (Sony)
  6.  Bill Gates
  7.  Harland David Sanders (KFC)
  8.  Walt Disney
  9.  Albert Einstein
  10.  Charles Darwin
  11.  Robert Goddard (rocket researcher)
  12.  Isaac Newton
  13.  Socrates
  14.  Robert Sternberg (President of APA)
  15.  Thomas Edison
  16.  Orville and Wilbur Wright
  17.  Winston Churchill
  18.  Abraham Lincoln
  19.  Oprah Winfrey
  20.  Harry S. Truman
  21.  Dick Cheney
  22.  Jerry Seinfeld
  23.  Fred Astaire
  24.  Sidney Poitier
  25.  Jeanne Moreau (actress)
  26.  Charlie Chaplin
  27.  Lucille Ball
  28.  Harrison Ford
  29.  Marilyn Monroe
  30.  Oliver Stone
  31.  Vincent Van Gogh
  32.  Emily Dickinson
  33.  Theodore Seuss Giesel (Dr. Seuss)
  34.  Charles Schulz
  35.  Steven Spielberg
  36.  Stephen King
  37.  Zane Grey
  38.  J. K. Rowling
  39.  Monet
  40.  Jack London
  41.  Louisa May Alcott
  42.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  43.  Elvis Presley
  44.  Ludwig van Beethoven
  45.  Igor Stravinsky
  46.  The Beatles
  47.  Michael Jordan
  48.  Stan Smith
  49.  Babe Ruth
  50.  Tom Landry