All We Have to Fear

Last Wednesday’s Culture Briefing was unlike any other before. John Hagel, management consultant and entrepreneur, shared wisdom and perspective from his new book, The Journey Beyond Fear. 

After sharing anecdotes from a rocky coming of age, Hagel shared his views on the pursuance of passion and journeys of learning. Beyond developing existing skills, Hagel stresses that our dynamic and expeditious world thrives on the creation of new knowledge. “The key I think in terms of learning, is how to cultivate capabilities. The kind of capabilities I’m talking about are curiosity, imagination and creativity.”

These capabilities are the engines toward true innovation, as well. Unfortunately, the pervasive existence of fear in the business world often keeps leaders tied in conflict with short-term impact and status quo. In Hagel’s view, transitioning beyond fear-based normalcy opens the door for genuine innovations, driven by what could be, rather than what already is. 

Tactically, Hagel teaches the “Zoom Out, Zoom In” method to visualize impacts and accelerate innovation. “Look ahead and try to imagine what the big opportunity is that could be addressed in 10-20 years, that could be exciting… then zoom in and focus on the next 6-12 months.” It takes intention and pursuance of potential that will move companies, and individuals, to a locus beyond fear.

Watch the Full Culture Briefing below:

Watch live Culture Briefings every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 12 pm ET on the sparks & honey LinkedIn page.