The Five Faces of Genius: Creative Thinking Styles to Succeed at Work (Paperback)

by Annette Moser-Wellman (Author) "HOW did Albert Einstein get the idea for the theory of relativity?..." (more)
Key Phrases: mission maker, key business principles, business renaissance, Five Faces of Genius, Via Negativa, Leonardo da Vinci (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What do Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ray Kroc, the man who created the McDonald's franchise enterprise, have in common? They have all mastered the skills of creative genius-essential tools in today's business climate.

Having researched the lives and techniques of past and present geniuses for this inspiring and provocative new handbook, Annette Moser-Wellman helps workers at all levels build and refine their working styles. These qualities of creativity-drawn from the the realms of art, science, as well as business-make up the five distinct "faces":

* Seer-the power to image
* Observer-the power to notice details
* Alchemist-the power to make connections
* Fool-the power to celebrate weakness
* Sage-the power to simplify


Moser-Wellman shows how we can utilize these creative thinking strategies and flourish in the workplace.

"It teaches people about the nature of creativity and how to cultivate it." (Fast Company)

"Moser-Wellman has given us five different perspectives from which to creatively tackle business challenges." (Carla J. Paonessa, Managing Partner, Accenture)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142000353
• ISBN-13: 978-0142000359
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #474,474 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful With An Asterisk..., November 9, 2005

By	T.D. (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

But so are most books of this type. The book's best feature is a nice combination of detail with theory. There are lots of exercises and a generally cheery "you can do it!" tone. That's good, but the book's recurring emphasis on developing multi-modal approaches to problem-solving is better (i.e., creativity means trying approaches you're not as familiar with). Concluding sections on interacting with people of dominant types that differ from you, and how to sell your ideas to them, is probably worth the cover price alone.
The author loves examples. These examples are not always correct (salons peaked in the 1700s, not the "seventeenth century" to cite one of more than a dozen examples), nor do they fit as neatly into their creative categories as the author supposes. In part, though, the reader comes to see this as the unique characteristics of a certain creative style--seeing this and making allowance for it is good practice for the rest of the book. After all, true creativity is aware of variant creative modes, especially in colleagues or even competitors.
The morning after skimming the entire book I began to experiment with some of its suggestions. Within two hours I had come up with a metaphor that will solve one of the most intractable process problems for my company--an idea that literally took my breath away, on something I'd been struggling with for months. I put a lot of work in; this book didn't give me any answers. But in a sense it reminded me of the answer, or gave me ideas about how and where to look for the answer. I was a college football player already, to use a metaphor, and this was a long look at a pro playbook. It won't work unless you're playing college ball; if you're a top pro player, you should look at something more advanced. But if you want to develop a basis of creative talent, this'll help.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting perspectives on creative thinking styles, December 27, 2003

By	Keith Appleyard "kapple999" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book starts off a quick précis of the 5 faces : Seer, Observer, Alchemist, Fool, Sage. Then it gives a self-assessment of which Styles you are currently using. I scored highest on Fool & Observer, and lowest on Sage.

As I read through the book, I was disillusioned as to its worth. But when I got to Fool, I thought "that's me exactly" (there's no shame in being a 'Fool' in this schema).

So I looked back at the earlier chapters, and thought maybe the questions & examples were not as appropriate as they might have been?

Anyway, I began to appreciate the book more. Certainly the latter sections on how to apply the 5 different styles at work, and the strengths & weaknesses of teams who find themselves with & without all these players, were of more use than the theorising.

There are other books offering rival schemas, but I think this one is as good as any of the others, and easier to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Fool Believes , March 12, 2008

By	Jeff M. Brown "Creative Law Talent" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Author Annette Moser-Wellman shows people of all types how to tap their innate reservoirs of creativity to solve business problems. The book contains a quiz designed to allow you to gauge your strengths in each of the creative styles from which the book takes its title - the Seer, the Observer, the Alchemist, the Fool and the Sage. My results from the quiz revealed that I have strengths in several of the types, but my strongest Face was the Fool - and many of that type's attributes do indeed fit me.

The book provides real-world business examples to illustrate the creative strengths of each type, provides exercises designed to build your strengths in the styles you're weak in, and provides advice for working with different creative styles on the same team. The author makes a compelling case for the proposition that the key to a successful caree is finding meaning in one's work, and the surest way to do that is to master your creativity in order to enjoy your work.

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