Leadership Books | Lessons in Leadership from Thomas Edison

Letters on Leadership

There are many facets of the term leadership, many of which will not be discussed here.  Go to any bookstore and you can find tons of leadership books that give you steps to becoming a great leader.  Funny thing is, most people don’t have what it takes to finish the book, let a lone, be a leader.  This is where I pray my insight into the matter can make you first a better human being, and then perhaps if that reality is realized, a better leader.

Most of you know that I am one of the most influential inventors of the modern era.  When most think of the light bulb, my name is among the first to come up, despite the fact I was not the first or even the only person working on the idea.  So, you may ask, what set me apart from the others?  Well if you have time, I would like to share with you some tidbits of what it takes to be successful in this world and in leadership.

Leaders Model Hard Work

Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure.
- Thomas Edison

Tell me, is it simply enough to get the position?  Is there some unspoken rule that states that higher levels of leadership require lower levels of work and accountability?  I am quite disturbed when I hear about CEOs of great companies who can show no real growth in market share or profitability, however they still seem to get a common compensation plan called a “bonus.”  According to the dictionary, a “bonus” is something given in addition for outstanding performance.  In other words, if additional work was done to better the business, then additional compensation was given.  The problems as it seems to me is that people have become satisfied with mediocrity.  From my experience, this is the antithesis of excellence and the eventual death of anyone who would dare call themselves a leader.

In my days, my engineering team was persistent in their efforts to design and produce as successful product that would be profitable, useful, reliable, cost-effective, and could improve the quality of people’s lives.  The key word in this statement is persistent.  We wanted to, and would always strive to, be the best.  This is what separated me from the others that were also working towards the goal of making the electric light bulb a practical part of American lives.  In creating the first research lab of the modern era, my greatest asset to success was to model the importance of hard work and persistence.  It is known that children grow and develop, by a greater margin, by the models they are shown.  How much more is this to be realized of the leader who is tasked to always take the vision to the next level?  What you give is what you will get!

Are you a Leader that Creates Opportunity?

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
- Thomas Edison

In creating a practical usable light bulb, few people really know how exhaustive the process was and just how tedious things really became.  My process of trial and error was so extensive, that I tried literally thousands of materials before I came up with one that yielded the type of results that I needed. A newspaper article printed in 1887 reveals the seriousness of my claim, stating the lab contained “eight thousand kinds of chemicals, every kind of screw made, every size of needle, every kind of cord or wire, hair of humans, horses, hogs, cows, rabbits, goats, minx, camels … silk in every texture, cocoons, various kinds of hoofs, shark’s teeth, deer horns, tortoise shell … cork, resin, varnish and oil, ostrich feathers, a peacock’s tail, jet, amber, rubber, all ores …” and the list goes on.  The point is I knew that in order for me to be successful, I had to be prepared to put in the work.  Only a fool believes excellence will come at the absence of work.

Persistence is Part of the Leaders’ Capacity for Greatness

Nearly every man who develops an idea works at it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.
- Thomas Edison

Let me share with you some lessons I’ve learned along the way.  Remember that genius is one percent inspiration, and 99 percent perspiration.  If you are truly dedicated to be named among those who are truly great human beings, you must be prepared to take on the task of hard work.  Sure, everyone likes to read about great people.  Everyone likes to imagine would it would have been like when Henry Ford rolled out the Model T, or when the first city was lit up by the light bulb.  But, what about all the pain, sweat and tears that had to proceed these events.  I tried thousands, upon thousands of materials in order to get a suitable filament.  Even then, each material was tried perhaps thousands of times before it was deemed unacceptable.

I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.
- Thomas A. Edison

Not a Leadership Book for Quitters

A leader must be willing to take the failures with the successes.  In fact, one must come to the realization that failure will be apart of the process.  However, if persistence is applied, the rewards will be great.  And even you, like me, may be the object of motivation for a future generation.

Hoping you stick with it,

Order a copy of the best leadership books featuring many of America’s greatest leaders from our history. Watch this video about how these leadership principles helped the Turnaround Ford. Learn more about this relevant leadership book Return to Greatness

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