Here’s a great video teaser (4min) for Steven Johnson’s book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation:

In this book Johnson provides the complete, exciting, and encouraging story of how we generate the ideas that push our careers, our lives, our society, and our culture forward.

People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us from the "liquid networks" of London’s coffee houses to Charles Darwin’s long, slow hunch to today’s high-velocity web.

Most exhilarating is Johnson’s conclusion that with today’s tools and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it. He shows us that the question we need to ask is, What kind of environment fosters the development of good ideas?

Where Good Ideas Come From is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how to come up with tomorrow’s great ideas.

Also watch Steven Johnson’s TED Talk on the same topic:

• The Penguin Story
• Put First Things First
• Good artists Copy, Great artists Steal
• Find What You Love
• A Toolbox for Creativity & Leadership