When you look at some of the greatest innovators in history, you can definitely see some commonalities that are relevant in the workplace today. If you look at someone like Ben Franklin, you see a man with such diverse interests that one can only imagine that it was pretty hard to keep up with him. He started as a printer (and became really good at it) but had interests far beyond his trade. His print background led to the production of Poor Richard’s Almanac but this same guy also invented swim fins and discovered electricity! He is described as a scientist, a diplomat, an inventor, a statesman, a printer… and the list goes on. He was one heck of a utility player - mostly because of his curiosity and willingness to dig in – so he brought breadth of experience and depth of knowledge to everything he did.

Leonardo Da Vinci is known as one of the great masters and his life defines “the Renaissance Man”. He also was an architect, engineer, scientist, botanist and cartographer (to name a few). He exhibited a similar level of curiosity and is well-known for his stylistic and artistic innovations. (Folks like Raphael and Correggio picked up a few pointers from his efforts.)

Thomas Jefferson, known as the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, was an accomplished man (political philosopher, archeologist, musician, inventor and founder of the University of Virginia). His innovations included several convenience devices such as the swivel chair and automated doors. If you ever get to tour his estate, Monticello, you can see a few of the myriad concepts, inventions and experiments that he pursued.

Patsy Sherman, a 3M employee developed Scotchgard™ as the result of a coworker spilling chemicals on their shoe. This simple accident got her thinking about enhanced liquid repellency and voila…a grateful generation of parents and pet owners can thank her for saving their furniture from an early demise.

There are a lot of cool stories about the roots of innovations. So many are the result of basic curiosity (and maybe a little annoyance/frustration with the status quo). Yet the result of this basic curiosity is somewhat profound. As you look across your team, identify the curious thinkers. Encourage the motivated do-ers. And reach out to those who are curious about the “bigger picture” and want to be part of it. These are the Ben Franklins of our time and they may just build a better...