The narrative around innovators often overlooks the years of hard work they put in, focusing instead on moments of sudden inspiration, but true innovation typically requires sustained effort and a willingness to defer gratification.

Innovators are characterized by high openness to new ideas, which means they are receptive to a variety of concepts across different categories, not just one.

Overall, successful innovators typically exhibit a combination of rare traits, including high openness, conscientiousness, disagreeableness, and intelligence, while also being relatively low in neuroticism to handle stress effectively.

The willingness to fail is crucial for success; if you're not taking risks, you're likely to follow conventional paths and miss out on true innovation.

Innovators also need to be high in disagreeableness, which allows them to withstand criticism and pursue their ideas despite opposition, as overly agreeable individuals may be easily dissuaded.

Taking risks is essential for innovation; if no one takes a risk, the organization will stagnate.

To be innovative, we need to evade the limitations of established thinking and be open to new ideas.

In startups, being adaptable is crucial. No one is an expert at everything, and those who can scale are often curious and open-minded, rather than know-it-alls who limit their growth potential.

Willingness to fail is what gives me the ability to succeed; if you're not willing to take risks, you're not going to innovate.