This was a bold hypothesis that, early on, left his fellow 3Mers dubious. Ellis could understand their hesitation. The technology has been adapted by several 3M business units and has resulted in three patents. That sense of fun becomes contagious and everyone does their job that much better. A sense of humor is also helpful.
Innovation thrives on a positive outlook.
His own positive outlook led Ellis to pursue self-directed research that often outpaced the expectations of his 3M colleagues. And I would have to admit that I had already been doing it. But I saw each setback as just a single hurdle along the road to discovering something new.