You Gotta Love Innovators

I love to study and reflect on the lives of innovators. "They Made America" is a series showing on PBS this month. In the constant search for good television (not altogether an oxymoron), I stumbled across this show tonight. Based on Harold Evans' book by the same name, it chronicles 70 innovators who have changed forever or significantly influenced the America we live in today. I just caught two of the innovators tonight.

One was Ted Turner. Being a kid who grew up in Atlanta in the 70's, I have a great respect for this man as an innovator. Whether you like his ex, his politics, or his accent, the man started a little thing called 24 hour news that many have seen fit to follow. Second tonight was Russell Simmons, the modern father of hip hop (started the Phat Farm clothing line, Def Jam records, RUN DMC, and lots of other stuff) who helped usher in one of the most powerful economic forces of this current generation (1 in 4 dollars spent in the U.S. today are somehow influenced by the hip hop culture). More to come on this. If you care to check it out, it won't be time wasted.

Just for the fun of it, a few innovators off the top of my mind:

Pete Rozelle - came up with a crazy idea that many said would never last. He called it Monday Night Football. It lasted.

John Wooden - held that people were his most valuable commodity. The 10 championships were far down the list of what was most precious to him.

Jack Welch - I don't particularly like the former head of GM but he understood the idea of developing those people under him better than anyone in business had up to that point....maybe even up to this point.

Herb Kellerer - started a little company called Southwest Airlines. If you currently have a heart beat or a belly button, you understand what this man and this company have done and are doing in one of the world's most important industries.

Jesus Christ - made the audacious, first ever claim that, through him, we can become one with our maker. Wow! Now that is innovation.