264: Helen Lewis. Adam Grant. The Genius of Relentless Execution.

Good morning friends

/strategy

Helen Lewis is the author of The Genius Myth. She argues that we should speak not of geniuses, but of moments of genius. This formulation, she says, recognises that those acclaimed as geniuses operate in systems that make their work possible, build on the work of others, and, sometimes, quite simply, live close to powerful media operations that amplify their names, whilst other equally impressive work goes uncelebrated. It’s an interesting proposition, but it’s not where we’re going today.

In her recent conversation with Wharton Business School professor, Adam Grant, it was her take on Thomas Edison that caught my attention.

She explains that Edison’s ‘light bulb moment’ reveals how we caricature the nature of innovation. The incandescent bulb wasn’t a flash of inspiration—it was a century-old concept that countless inventors had attempted. The basic idea was known: heat a filament in a vacuum and create light. What eluded them wasn’t imagination but execution.

Edison’s breakthrough came not from conceptual brilliance but from manufacturing precision. He solved the tedious problems that made it possible: developing better vacuum pumps, engineering longer-lasting filaments, perfecting the countless mechanical details that transform ideas into reality. His genius was pragmatic, not visionary.

This reflects a broader bias: we romanticize the “eureka moment” while overlooking the painstaking work that actually creates progress. The myth of genius celebrates dramatic leaps over incremental improvements, revolutionary insights over evolutionary refinement.

As it turns out, success depends not only on inspiration but on the relentless pursuit of making things work.

Now our letter takes an unusual turn.

I love Fortune’s Next to Lead newsletter. It features interviews with emerging leaders at Fortune 500 companies and gives great insight into the detail of building a leader’s life.

The most recent edition showcased the leadership of Tricia Griffith, CEO of American insurer, Progressive.

Griffith’s journey is fascinating. She spent a decade in claims, then took on the top HR job in 1999 despite having no formal experience in it, followed by roles as president of claims, president of customer operations, COO, and ultimately CEO in 2016.Her career closely follows the Edison example, characterised by a consistent deepening of understanding and mastery of a business’s underlying structure.

Many people aspire to the position.  Few systematically plan and build the key leadership capabilities. She did.

Next to Lead tells us Griffith quadrupled the business and did so by first focusing on Progressive’s core strengths in auto insurance, then exploring adjacencies, and only then, a third horizon of more exploratory bets like pet insurance.

Fortune summarises, “Growth, she insists, has been less about bold strokes than relentless execution.”

The parallel with Edison couldn’t be clearer.

Sadly, I then discovered this 2024 announcement – Progressive to pay $48 million to settle claims it undervalued wrecked cars – and four to six other significant lawsuits in action.

I don’t, of course, have the resources within the constraints of this humble little letter to adjudicate intention. Certainly, Progressive denied wrongdoing and the settlement did not include an admission of guilt.

It does, though, I think, say two things. One, healthy scepticism is a powerful ally. Two, when you’re driving fast growth, be hypervigilant about how you get there.

There are countless case studies – Wells Fargo, Volkswagen, to name just two – that demonstrate that, even with the best will, a relentless focus on fast growth can generate unethical outcomes.

Nevertheless, the principle remains sound. Genius also rests in relentless execution. We are too easily distracted by the thrill of new and shiny, but the most powerful strategies start by reaching deep into the core of our businesses (and selves).

(Thank you to Joel Wiegert who led me to Grant and Lewis’ conversation).

//self

At the end of the podcast, Lewis asks Grant a great question: “What’s your advice to somebody who is a super bright kid and feels like things have gone wrong for them in adulthood?”

He replies, “… this might be a time to invest in creativity, because mastering rote knowledge and skills is not gonna be rewarded as an adult. It’s just not…. start figuring out who are the people in your orbit who are really great at coming up with new ideas and go and learn from them and try to soak up some of their habits.”

Lewis’ response is a striking expansion, “I would say that the reverse applies too… if you’re somebody who has had a good deal of success in your career, put yourself in environments where nobody knows who you are.”

She explains that success leads people to give us more respect, with respect they shield us from not knowing, and so we can get complacent. Going back to be a novice helps keep us growing.

She summarises, “If it’s all gone a bit wrong, focus on creativity. If it’s all gone right, focus on humility.”

///soul

For decades, independent media’s business model has been disrupted by the massive flow of advertising money to technology companies.

This week two articles reminded me of its importance and why I subscribe to so many.

There was Mark Heywood’s rightfully angry op-ed in The Daily Maverik – The cancer of corruption has metastasised at Gauteng Department of Health – detailing the scale of unforgiveable theft from South Africa’s most vulnerable people, and the horror that none of the perpetrators have been given life imprisonment for what should surely be called treason.

Then there was the five-month investigation by the Guardian, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF into the killing of unarmed civilians by IDF snipers. Tom Dannenbaum, a professor of international law at Stanford law school commented, “The available evidence points to a war crime.”

In a world that is systematically destroying freedom, these voices are essential protections.

In the same vein, I was grateful to Kenyan bookstore, Soma Nami Books, for profiling these six authors who have risked their lives for our freedom.

The world is immensely complex. Its connections and interactions remain mysterious to us, and in that mystery lies incredible power. Each action taken for freedom, even when you can’t discern or dream of its impact, matters. Take it.

All the very best

Karl

PS: If you’re interested in my executive coaching practice, you can learn more [here]. If you’d like me to curate and facilitate a reading group for your leadership team, details are [here]. And if you enjoyed this letter, subscribe [here].

PPS: There is only one space left in this year’s roster. If you’d like to be that person, email me and let’s have a conversation.