The Innovation Paradox: The Success of Failure, the Failure of Success

by Richard Farson, Ralph Keyes

In The Innovation Paradox, Richard Farson and Ralph Keyes argue that failure has its upside, success its downside. Both are steps toward achievement, and the two extremes are not as distinct as we imagine. In today's business economy, it's not success or failure -- it's success and failure that lead to genuine innovation. History's great innovators, from Thomas Edison and Charles Kettering to Bill Gates and Jack Welch, saw failure as an important stepping-stone -- and with this groundbreaking book, you too can learn how to become more failure tolerant, more risk friendly, and therefore more innovative. Today's most prominent businesspeople agree that The Innovation Paradox has the formula for failure and success down to a science,
Make no If you're looking to reinvent yourself, your ideas, or your business model, this book is your sure-fire way to start.

Genres: Business

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book in my university bookstore: This little gem is short and sweet. "The Success of Failure, the Failure of Success." It starts off by introducing the reader to a very different view of success and failure than our culture is used to seeing, and it's immediately intriguing. The author uses a lot of modern examples to elucidate his ideas, and does so almost poetically. Although this book is categorized under business, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's afraid to try new things because of a fear of failure or the unknown (and many who aren't!). The author uses the language of business to convey ideas that are more philosophical, but at the same time hopeful and practical. Overall an excellent read, and although the version I read was a short 130 pages, I found I spent much more time rereading passages to myself or others, or simply reflecting on the ideas presented.

[Robert]

This was a quick and fun read and one that made me see both success and failure in a new light.

[Lilly]

met the author today and he's awesome, so i snagged a couple of his books. will report back.

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an excellent book. Had a few 'O that's right' moments reading it..