To method-act the persona
and circumvent the ego

Dress – Edison did not place much importance in his appearance or hygiene. He often slept in his laboratory and looked it! He wore the type of suit common to men his age, but was often rumpled. While playing Edison, opt for nondescript business attire. Pay little attention to the clothes you wear; wearing them more than once and being rumpled are part of the character.

Hearing and Attention – Edison lost most of his hearing as a child and was likely ADHD, making formal schooling difficult. As Edison, you have a hard time paying attention to other people. You gain most of your information from reading, rather than hearing. You avoid having to listen others talk, resulting in being antisocial to anyone outside your direction.

Workaholism – While you are at work, you will devote your entire attention to your work. If you look exhausted from work, it’s because you are. Your enthusiasm for work trumps everything, even your personal life. He loved his work, in his words “I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.”

Find a difficult problem to solve – Edison loved solving intractable problems but also learned the hard way that people must want it solved. Review some of the nagging problems that no one ever seems to resolve. Which ones can you tackle successfully? What resources will you need? If you can’t do it by yourself, initiate a team. The problem you choose should be difficult yet solvable and have a sponsor who will benefit from a solution and help you obtain the resources you need.

Become consumed with your problem – Edison was, above all, an obsessive workaholic. He produced an extraordinary number of inventions and was famous for his perseverance. He often ate and slept in the lab while he was consumed with a problem to solve. Organize your work sequentially so you can become consumed with it or your particular problem. Stick with it until you get it right, taking breaks or naps as needed.

Industrialize your methods – As the father of the industrial lab, he also created a system and methods for creating inventions. For all of your work responsibilities, plan the most effective way to accomplish them and then develop methods or tools to support you. Take this time as Edison to put these tools in place. It is important that you spend this time planning how to be more productive rather than just jumping in.

Take lots of notes – Because of his hearing loss, Edison relied on written communication. He was also an obsessive record keeper. He and his muckers produced records consisting of over 5 million pieces of paper. Many of these records contained observations and ideas. Edison and his team reflected on these records to come up with new ideas, hypotheses, and conclusions. As you play Edison, keep a notebook or tablet with you at all times to jot down ideas. Keep records of important work, work processes or key processes, noting when they work best, when they fail and ideas on how to improve them. Write notes in books and use post-it notes to annotate physical items. Insist your team take notes the way you do.

Focus on the needs of your stakeholders – Although Edison loved to invent, he devoted his time to projects that his investors and public wanted. He learned early on that there was no value in inventing for inventing sake. Interview your stakeholders to get a better idea of what work they want. As you play Edison, make sure that what you and your group are working on is what your manager or (internal and external) customers want.

Initiate work teams – To solve the problems above and to implement the methods and tools you need, start work teams to accomplish these. Plan the membership, tasks, deliverables and expected time commitments very carefully. Also make sure that each team has a sponsor. Investigate the possibility of starting a skunkworks team, a group of selected people acting autonomously to develop new innovations. This team would be like a mini-Edison laboratory.

Engage in horse play – Edison enjoyed his time with his colleagues. Although they worked hard, they played hard. There was no shortage of clowning around and practical jokes. Edison’s research park could be like a frat house for those that were highly productive and fit in. If you didn’t, your life could be hell. This is the type of culture Edison instilled. Foster a similar culture by starting games, like garbage can basketball or pulling pranks.

Build team work – Edison and his muckers spent more time together than with their families. Their typical work week was 55 hours. If their projects required more time, the muckers would stay late into the night. Because they spent so much time together and since the laboratory was intended to be conducive for creativity, Edison and his muckers ate together, played games together, and even sang together. Conduct at least one team building activity as you play Edison. Choose an activity that is fun and fosters better communication, like a team outing or an ice-breaker exercise rather than a trust-building exercise. The purpose is to get to know each other better and to make your team more comfortable with you.

Provide the resources needed for creativity – Edison’s lab was well-stocked with testing equipment and research texts. He made certain that his muckers had everything they needed to do their work. In fact, Edison paid poorly; his muckers worked for him because they got to work on exciting projects and were given the resources to carry them out. Create an environment with interesting materials to help spark creative juices or share information on innovative approaches. Ask your associates directly what resources they need to succeed. Include intangible resources, such as your coaching and words of encouragement, as well as tangible ones.