Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson

The fire service isn't exactly known for looking for new ideas. We pride ourselves on tradition and view any new ideas with crippling skepticism. This is a really good book that only barely makes my list due to the fact that I'm not sure it really can be applied to the fire service. But then again, maybe that's not the book's fault. Maybe the fire service has it all wrong.

Where Good Ideas Come From does a great job illustrating the importance of creating a literal environment where ideas can flourish. It turns out that the physical environment is just as important to thinking.

And something that I found very helpful, was the idea of a common book. I highlight my favorite parts of the books I read, and as Steven Johnson details, a common book is a place to put all of those highlights. It's basically a place to mash ideas together and place them in close proximity so your thinking begins to overlap. That's where innovation comes from.

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